Master Cleanse – Controversial Pros and Cons

image

Master Cleanse – Controversial Pros and Cons

Lately, people have been bringing up the Master Cleanse more often than not when talking about detoxing. It’s strange because it’s been around for a very long time. I’m not sure if it was the recent “Orange is the New Black” feature of the cleanse or if it’s just making its ordinary rounds but the buzz is there. Being the inquisitive that I am, I had to ask myself – why? What are the benefits of the master cleanse? What are the dangers? What do we the people need to know? So I set off for answers, and now, I’m going to share them here.

The benefits of the Master Cleanse

What makes this cleanse so great, anyway?

The master cleanse was designed to detoxify your body and clear out all of the roaming radicals that seem to enter our blood stream within our crazy mess of a food supply. The cleanse entails going on an all liquid diet to do this and the only things it entails are lemonade, syrup, cayenne pepper, and some laxative style herbal tea. All of which is outlined in the master cleanse book.

Let’s get to the Pros of the Master Cleanse Diet

  • You stop putting junk into your body effectively for 10 days. This gives your body to clean itself out. Likewise, lemon is highly detoxifying for most organs in the body, specifically and especially, the liver.
  • As with any fast, you’re bound to lose weight doing this diet, some people report weight loss up to 15lbs in the 10 days of the diet.
  • Eliminates the settled and hardened waste that’s stuck in your joints, muscles, and organs.
  • Relieves arterial and nervous system pressure.
  • Most doctors agree that there is nothing too dangerous about a few day fast. (note: it is important that you always check with a doctor before starting one.)

What are the primary concerns about the Master Cleanse Diet – Are they legitimate?

The portion of the community that doesn’t agree with the cleanse has several concerns. Most of these concerns revolve around the limited sustenance of the diet itself.

Dissecting the Cons of the Master Cleanse Diet

  • General muscle degradation, muscle mass decreases and can subtly deteriorate over the 10 days making you weaker, also decreasing the amount of calories you burn metabolically when you start eating again.
  • If you don’t follow the guide to getting back to solid foods again appropriately, you can get very sick.
  • Some people report dizziness, disorientation, and confusion.
  • Damages key functions of the colon that control bowel activity and keep your bowel active (repetitive use of laxative teas can damage lining of the colon).
  • Diabetics beware! You’re essentially drinking all sugar for 10 days.
  • Most people gain all of the weight they lost back within the weeks following the cleanse, some people even surpass their previous weight. This can cause a cycle of yo-yo dieting which is very unhealthy.

Making the choice that’s best for you

Ultimately, whether or not you participate in the master cleanse is up to you. It’s important that you work with a doctor or nutritionist before going on this endeavor though, for your own safety. Keep in mind, people have historically fasted for much longer; however, life and environmental circumstances are ever changing and starving yourself can have serious repercussions.

If you’re not sure you’d like to go so drastically towards the cleanse, I’d encourage you to try a raw food diet instead. You’re much less deprived, and can detox your system over time as well.

Amanda Little
I'm Amanda and I'm a 22 year old mother who's been diagnosed with PCOS. I'm passionate about health and wellness and aim to make a difference however I can. I also blog over at my site, HealthyHerLiving.