March 2008 - Grand Strand Natural Awakenings

consciouseatingThe MasterCleanse forWaste LossWeight Loss a Bonusby Tom WoloshynFor generations, March 21 signaledthe start of a good housekeeper’sSpring Cleaning. But like everythingelse subjected to marketing hype,the concept has moved over to makeroom for today’s more intimate SpringCleansing.Among the growing list of detoxificationcleanses, The Lemonade Diet–orThe Master Cleanse–has snaggedsufficient public attention to rank itthe No. 1 “Googled” diet program onthe Internet. Its use for weight loss bycelebrities, like Beyonce Knowles, hasclinched it a place on the latest list offad diets.The hype’s unfortunate, as it detractsfrom this simple drink’s true useas a method of clearing the body ofwaste, a straightforward program thatcan have a significant positive impacton health. More, many who try thiscleansing drink without proper instructionfall short of their primary goal oflosing weight, giving it an undeservedbad rap.Weight loss does occur, but it’sjust one of the beneficial side effectsof using The MasterCleanse program. Itsmain attraction is theability to assist thebody in healing itself.Individuals who havesuccessfully used thismethod, developedby Stanley Burroughs,testify in mybook, The CompleteMaster Cleanse, toovercoming diabetes,allergies, asthma, depression, cancerand many other afflictions.A 20 th century pioneer in the fieldof alternative health, Burroughs [1903-1991] believed that all health disordersresult from the body’s accumulationof wastes, toxins or poisons, primarilybrought about by poor eating habits.Foods high in fat and low in fiber, processedfoods and fast foods, all contemporarymainstays of the North Americandiet, create a toxic and overly acidiccondition in the body. The ensuing inflammationallows for bacteria, fungus,viruses and parasites to proliferate. Thegeneral lack of proper nutrition starvesthe cells, resulting in unhealthy cellsand opening the door to developmentof degenerative diseases.To recreate health, Burroughsmaintained that it is necessary to firststop consuming what poisons us andthen feed our body with a simple andeasily-digested, nutritious diet. Thisallows the body to do what nature longago built into humans’ genetic makeup.The Master Cleanse is not a fast,but a mono liquid diet that calls fordrinking a combination of freshlysqueezedlemon juice, maple syrupand cayenne pepper, mixed into eightounces of pure water. The person drinksthis mixture six to twelve times a day,adding a morning and evening herballaxative to facilitate elimination. Noother foods are eaten.Drinking only this special lemonaderests the digestive system andstimulates the body to cleanse itself.Because lemon and lime juices are theonly foods with properties similar tobile, enzymes and other digestive elementsin the body, they help stimulatethe breaking down of unhealthy andunneeded cells, making materials availablefor internal recycling. The juicesalso break down and eliminate wastesfrom the body, including undigestedfoods lingering in the digestive system.Individuals can see pounds of harmfulwaste eliminated from their body overtime. As waste leaves, health incrementallyimproves.After completing The MasterCleanse, it’s essential not to return toformer unhealthy eating habits. Withthe digestive system now working moreefficiently, the body is able to absorbmore calories from foods, and weightgain may follow. Properly implemented,a Master Cleanse becomes the firstof many steps forward in adopting ahealthier lifestyle.Tom Woloshyn is the author of TheComplete Master Cleanse: A Step byStep Guide to Maximizing the Benefitsof the Lemonade Diet. For more information,visit his website Vitagem.comor email Tom@VitaGem.com.March 200817