What Is a Cleanse?

The term "cleanse" in a naturopathic sense is generally used to describe a lifestyle change meant to reduce the body's toxic load. Though some undertake this change in pattern for life, most people cleanse for a temporary period. Many follow a prescribed cleansing program with a set ending date. There are many cleansing methods one may choose to follow (from water-fasting to symptom-targeted cleanses), but there are overarching themes.

Features

While cleansing, a person stops ingesting substances with toxic properties. Depending on the program followed, the person may supplement the experience with massage, herbs, colonics, breath work, exercise (often, yoga), sauna, probiotics or other boosters.

Considerations

There isn't any hard evidence that cleansing diets do what they say they do; healthy kidneys generally remove these toxins as a matter of course, no matter what dietary acrobatics one undertakes.

Warning

Many cleanse-based diet methods warn prospective dieters that they'll experience "detoxification headaches" among other symptoms---notably, many of these headaches can be attributed to low blood sugar and caffeine withdrawal.

Theories/Speculation

The simple act of restricting caloric intake has been linked to exaggerated feelings of "lightness" and well-being. Some clinicians postulate that it's this empirical evidence that cleanse devotees trumpet as being the effects of detoxification.

Expert Insight

James Dillard, MD, an assistant clinical professor at Columbia University, notes that "people usually die with the full burden of PCBs they've ever been exposed to---from fish, animals---stuck in their liver."