What are you thoughts on detoxes?

When I used to be obsessed with weightloss, I always thought detoxes/ fasts were a quick fix. But I never really looked into the health benefits or harms that they could have on your body. I have some friends who go on detoxes to clean out their system (they are somewhat drunken stoners).. but is this really a good approach for things like that??

I think detoxing for weight loss is a lost cause.  If you are not doing other things to manage weight, it will just come back.  That just isn't healthy. 

I do detox fasts once a year.  The week before I eat very light.  For four days I drink only steam-distilled water and organic apple juice.  About a gallon of each daily.  I do salt-water flushes with sea salt each night.  Then I start back into foods with fruits, then veggies and then grains.

I have dumped many kidney stones and gallbladder stones, as well as solved cravings for sweets and backaches with the cleanses.

Because I eat light the week prior, I do lose about 3-5 lbs over the two weeks.  The actual 4 days I fast, I only read and sleep.  I don't do anything that I don't have to do because my body is already being shocked.  I don't want added stress.

In my profilr is a list of natural food detoxes.  If you take care of your body the natural way, you will not need to buy these OTC items that can harm you.
I am a great believer that your body can do anything, you just have to give it the right fuel to do it with.

My first fruit flush detox definitely kicked off my weight loss. My skin was visibly clearer after detoxing but it was a tough process. I felt lightheaded all the time, and had to exercise an enormous amount of discipline not to cheat. Fruits are also generally expensive and I had to stock up my fridge with a variety of fruits to resist the temptation of throwing in the towel. It's true that the first day is the toughest - like it was almost impossible to get through it. But once you do get past day 1, you will feel much better, 'cleaner' and motivated to plough through the rest of the 2 days. I do a 1 or 3 day fruit flush once every 6 months. If you're looking for long term weight loss, detoxing is not the answer as most detoxes are too calorie-restrictive to incorporate a workout  regime. It is, however, a good starting point. 

Detox is just a fancy word for starvation. Your kidneys "detox" your body naturally. That's what they're for.

The very word detox is misleading.  You can't get rid of toxins through your digestive tract.  That is done by your healthy liver.  All of these products are absolutely worthless and any "results" are imaginary or coincidental.  The only thing that works is a lifelong commitment to good nutrition and healthy habits.  Then, as spoiled candy said, there is no need for extreme measures to "de-tox".

i've heard a lot of people that have had success stories with water fasts, but only in relating to their health. then after they break the fast they typically have a slew of issues. i have NEVER, NEVER heard one person have weight loss success from fasting alone. fasting, even for health, is so dangerous purely because it's so easy to get addicted to (also, a lot of people have blood sugar issues they don't even know about and fasting can be harmful if this is the case), and you get so into it that if you break the fast too early your mind just beats you up and it can start a terrible battle/cycle that you hinder your weight loss more than anything.

if you want to find out about some of the health benefits/harms, go to the water fasting forum on curezone (there are other forums relating to fasting and detoxes on curezone too). they know a lot about detoxes and different types of fasts and whatnot. just don't go on the fasting for weight loss forum, trust me. it's just a bunch of people pretending to not have EDs.

I've done the Jason Vale (The Juice Master) 7lb in 7 days detox a couple of times (he recommends once per season).  You do have to buy loads of fruit and veg to juice for it and is a bit of a bind prepraing the juices (OK more a pain cleaning the juicer!!).  Both times I have felt abosolutely fabulous after it, really radiant skin and hair etc.  I wouldn't do any detox for weight loss reasons alone and definately wouldn't starve myself on a detox.  This one I never felt hungry on it and was a good start to training you to listen to your body (not to eat through boredom!) as you do not have to have all the juices in the day or you can have more if you want (depending on if you need them or not). Also it suggests you have light healthy food when you start eating normally again, so you are pretty guaranteed to lose weight with it (if you stick to the rules that is!) Its no long term solution but a good way to get yourself into a healthy mindframe. 

But I agree - definately NEVER fast just to lose weight.

My lord Jesus: again, and again, and again, people get duped and tricked into these idiotic scams

People who want to "detoxify" often don't have any idea what "toxins" they're talking about. They may vaguely believe that modern life contaminates us with lots of bad things that we ought to get rid of. It's reminiscent of religious fasting and purification rites. Jewish women go to a ritual bath (Mikvah) that restores them to purity after childbirth or menstruation. Shamans used smoke for purification. American Indians used sweat lodges for purification and sacred ceremonies. It's mysticism, not science.

- Detox quackery: from footbaths to fetishism.(The SkepDoc)

News flash, people: it's quackery, it's hoax, it's bull ****. It's more bull **** than what it claims will come out of your body afterward. Read a single opinion outside of DetoxDietToGetMeCloserToGod.com and you'll find the same answer over, and over, and over: it's stupid horoscope, earcandle, moon phase, pseudopopscience for the drooling masses.

And no, this advice is not limited to those looking to lose weight: it's for anyone. The only claim anyone should have for a reason to go on a detox is for their stupid religious reasons. Anything else? It's bunk absurdity. No debates, no anecdote, and please - no personal experiences.. Yuck.

Ummmm someone needs to take a chill pill!  Stress is a killer don't you know!! LOL