Jay-Z Announces 2010 Tour Dates. Chicago Not On List.
Extra, Extra
Around Town
Health Care Bill Heads To U.S. House Floor For Debate, Vote
Alleged Lottery Ticket Con Artists Charged
We're at home today fighting a cold and trying to take things easy. The last thing we need is to become violently ill reading a newspaper. Yet that's almost what happened when we read this story in today's Tribune by reporter Lauren Viera, endorsing the Master Cleanse fasting plan.
Created by alternative health advocate Stanley Burroughs in 1941, the fast - commonly known these days as the "lemonade diet" - is a mixture of fresh lemon juice, maple syrup, water and cayenne pepper ingested anywhere from 6-12 times a day. Combined with a glass of lukewarm salt water in the morning and a laxative tea at night as a top-down enema, the fast purports to flush the digestive system of toxins and other congestion. Like other fasts and fad diets, the Master Cleanse is not without its critics. While Viera admits that the Master Cleanse is controversial and discloses that she's been an adherent of the plan for years, she also claims that it's "misunderstood," calling the Master Cleanse a "resetting" of the digestive system at the beginning of the year for those of us not inclined to eat right and exercise.
Our main issue with the story isn't Viera's vigorous enthusiasm for the Master Cleanse; we have friends who also swear by it, only to fall back into the same bad habits and weight gain once they've completed the fast. Where we're concerned is the lack of objectivity to the story. Couldn't a better article about the cleanse have been written by a skeptic of the plan who followed it, rather than someone who already trumpets its benefits?
add to stumble upon
add to reddit
tweet this
post to facebook
Before anyone starts: "been have" has been corrected to "have been in the last graph.
i read the article, and it *does* say that you shouldn't do it to lose weight, and that if 'you do it right' you will gain the weight back afterward. i think the problem with this stuff is that people hear that their friend did it and then lost 10 pounds and they go to it -solely- with the intent of losing weight, which isn't the point of the fast.
i haven't had the stomach to try any fast yet, but a lot of spiritual practices encourage fasting every now and again, and there's supposed to be a lot of benefits from them. i think, like most things, it's all about the *intent* that someone has going into something that really lays the foundation for how it goes and what happens to them afterward.
and i'm as guilty as the next person; i want so much for there to be this instant way for me to lose 20 pounds and have it stay off with no risk and all benefit. but there's generally not. i always think it's so funny when every other month or so there's this news story about how the way to lose weight is portion control and exercise. you don't say. the thing is no one wants to hear it, because that's hard work.
I used to do this when I wrestled to help transition from football playing weight to wrestling weight. (i.e.- "Jock Anorexia") And I really don't recommend it... you're just miserable and have to choke all that crap down.
Just break down and get a high colonic if you're really serious.
Is this site trying to be the Gawker of Chicago? It seems like once a week it makes an effort to "go after" some reporter of another publication.
Anyway, I think the columnist is writing knowing that for the vast majority of her readership, this won't be the first time they've been exposed to the idea of a fast. To me there is an unspoken understanding that, if you are interested in this sort of thing, here is one person's take on it. Kind of like with a movie review, Roger Ebert doesn't have to explain how the projector works each review.
Everyone knows that a fast is controversial, which the reporter addresses, anyway.
Most "fads" don't last 67 years and counting. I have a couple of friends who swear by it, and I admit I've been tempted to try it myself.
The first paragraph of the article is misleading, as it implies that you can lose weight without diet or exercise. Although I'm not a fan of the "Master Cleanser" or other fasting trends, it's actually a somewhat informative article once you get past those first couple sentences.
kookybites ... it *is* possible to lose weight without diet or exercise. it's just not healthy nor does it stay off. but it's definitely possible. and when all else fails, there's always cocaine. (I KID, I KID!!!)
My problem *IS* Viera's vigorous enthusiasm for the Master Cleanse. "Detoxification" of this sort is BS, period. You've got a liver and kidneys, and that's their everyday job. Now, if they're NOT doing that job properly, let me suggest a trip to the hospital and some dialysis. Otherwise, you're drinking the world's most disgusting lemonade and starving yourself for nothing. I've never seen any evidence that this works that wasn't anecdotal, and I'm pretty sure I won't be seeing any anytime soon. That said, there's no evidence that it DOESN'T work, but I require a little bit more than "well, it doesn't NOT work" to do something this ridiculous.
Wow, what a horrible article that was! That reporter is either ignorant, lazy, or both. She uses the instruction packet as her main source for the article and, aside from an anonymous health store clerk who warns against vague ailments, she has failed to either research or report the very real health concerns that the Master Cleanser can bring about. If she had done a simple google search she could have discovered that the creator of the diet, Stanley Burroughs, was convicted of second degree murder in 1984 from felonious unlicensed practice of medicine. This was for treating a cancer patient by making him go on the Master Cleanser for 30 days and giving him massages and advising him to not go to a doctor and not get a bone marrow transplant. The man died while in his care.
My roommate--an avid urban biker--tried this diet and ended up vomiting several times, the last time on the side of the road on her 2nd day. She was too weak to even bike herself home. She decided to give the diet up after that. That's when she started researching it and found out all that awful stuff about the wacko creator.
I suppose for some stupid Trixie who has nothing better to do than sit and home all day this could be an interesting thing to try (and whine about to her boyfriend), but to anyone with an active urban lifestyle, it is just plain dangerous.
Wow,
Sophisticated urbanites falling for tonics, elixirs, potions and snake oils............
While it's not something I believe sounds very healthy, or have any interest in trying, there is a giant question mark hanging over nearly EVERY "alternative medicine."
Again, I think it's understood that this isn't a treatment endorsed by the AMA... but, let's face it, many of us are still interested in everything from drinking green tea to eating herbs we're not sure what they do to us to trying to do crazy things with magnets. With these kind of alternative medicines, I think it's up to you to make your own assesment of it.
The article doesn't give a definitive tretment of the cleanse, probably because there is no definitive verdict on it, as there isn't for most/any herbal/non-traditional medicines.
I'm certainly not against any 'alternative' medicines but the ingredients of this stuff are comical. It sounds more like the "Flaming Homer" than something that's good for you.
a wu ... i think it's a "your mileage may vary" thing. i had a roommate who actually did it for 20 some days, and he biked and hiked and did manual labor. he was going to quit after the recommended 10 days and decided he really wanted to keep going. he wasn't trying to lose weight or anything. he was already vegetarian and drank a lot of wheatgrass juices and stuff before that. so, who knows.
i don't think it's a bad thing to try some of these things out if you're healthy. again, i think it's the INTENT with which people go into it that might be a lot of the problem with some of this stuff.
to lintilla -- yes, our bodies detox quite well, but i've read a lot about those of us who eat meat (i'm one) and how much crap can get stuck in our intestines and stuff. sometimes, these fasts can help with that, from what i understand. although, someone here already did suggest a good colonic, which is probably the very best thing if you're looking to clean out entirely.
a wu, is your roommate a student in Northwestern's MCW program? Because I think I read her story about this experiment...
I'm usually dubious of most fasting plans like this. If you are serious about detoxifying yourself, you'd do well to do something more like drink tons of water (not too much though), and eat lots of fruits, veggies, and whole grains. Enough fiber will clean you right out. No one will want to be around you, though. :)
Mo: Yes, she is, actually! Talk about suffering for art...
Smussy: You're right to point out that everyone's body will react differently. However, I don't think that enough warning is given to just how badly some peoples' bodies will react. It's really a shame that people put their bodies through things like this; Our bodies were designed to cleanse themselves and have been doing so for hundreds of thousands of years just fine.
The Master Cleanse does work. I have done it many times and have talked with literally hundreds of people who have done it. If you want to really understand the diet you should read about the Neera Super Cleanse version. On their web site they talk a lot about the benefits, risks and scientific evidence that supports occasional fasting. They have a great news page:
www.NeeraSuperCleanse.com/News