What's This New Detox Program?

By Author: Steven Johnson
Total Articles: 490
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It's strange how people manage to hijack the headlines with a single phrase. In this case, it's the title to a book. Lose 21 Pounds in 21 Days: The Martha's Vineyard Diet Detox. So what's this all about and is it something you should be taking seriously. Remember this is being very careful not to call itself a diet. Rather we're supposed to remember to call it a detoxification program. Well, we should always start with an overview. The idea of detoxification has been around for centuries as a part of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Depending on the diagnosis, there have been a range of remedies designed to cleanse the body of "toxins" and so produce a cure from whatever the ailment was. This sounds attractive but, along with many of the other claims made by TCM practitioners, there's a shortage of scientific evidence to confirm the presence of toxins and prove their removal helps in any way. This lack of scientific evidence has not prevented modern Western authors from jumping on the bandwagon and proclaiming they have identified toxins and know how to purge them from your body. In this, they are adopting the language of alcohol ...
... and drug detoxification programs where there clearly is an identified toxin and removal will help people through the withdrawal part of the "cure".

So what's this latest snappy title to hit the headlines all about? It could not be more simple. Essentially you are to stop eating for 21 days and drink liquids every two hours. During this time, you rest and relax, letting both your mind and body heal. When the 21 days is up, you slowly resume eating - not junk food, of course. That's what got you into this mess in the first place. You move on to a healthy diet of nutritious foods. The question you should be asking is what keeps you alive during the 21 day fast. Well, you drink juiced or pureed fruits and vegetables, or soups. Because this may lack protein and other essential nutrients, you should take vitamins and other supplements to stay healthy.

Unfortunately, there's absolutely no evidence to even suggest you benefit from taking your food in a liquid form as opposed to just eating it. The idea of somehow flushing toxins out of your system is a nonsense. Indeed, if you do come down to just juiced fruits and vegetables, your muscles could start wasting away and your immune system could begin shutting down. There's no protein, essential fatty acids, fiber and minerals. Taking this altogether, this is another of those dangerous pieces of advice, using fear of unspecified toxins to sell you the complete package for a mere $199. Instead, you should plan a proper healthy diet, reducing your calorie intake to a safe level. If you begin feeling hungry, take Phentermine, the sure way of suppressing your appetite and keeping your motivation to lose weight high. Fasting for 21 days leaves you in a dangerous state, and then what do you do? Responsible dieting with Phentermine's support reduces your weight and keeps it off.