What's the difference between "detoxing" and abusing laxatives?

I keep seeing these posts about these all-juice diets or lemon juice and maple syrup or whatever... basically natural laxatives when eaten in large quantities with nothing else. So what is the difference between using one of these "detox diets" and just taking a couple exlax? Isn't the end result the same? Actually these detoxes all seem to be starvation accompanied by natural laxative juices or foods, so it's like bottled ED. Why is it generally accepted to "detox" like this when using commercial laxatives and lack of eating is generally discouraged?

I agree.  There are some great detox teas and a day of fasting is good for giving your body a rest but most of those detox programs are aimed more at you losing some water weight and do little to detoxify your body.

Toxins in your body can come out your skin while sweating.  I think a detox patch or natural teas without the starvation are more helpful at actually getting toxins out of your body.  Also SWEAT get your blood going and actually get sweaty!! 

I can't really answer your question---why detoxing is more acceptable than your basic laxative---but I can tell you that I've used laxatives and I always felt sick, weak and drained. After doing the Master Cleanse, however, I felt fantastic, had a lot of energy and mental clarity, had a skyrocketing metabolism and didn't automatically gain the weight back (like with laxatives.)

I don't know the actual physical or scientific difference, but I've done both and I feel the difference.

if you "detox" compulsively, there's no difference; it's just another way of purging.  it's the thinking behind the behaviour that makes a psychiatric illness, not the behaviour itself.

Toxins in blood are excreted through urine, not feces. Laxatives have nothing to do with detoxification. It empties out  your digestive system, flushes away lots of "good bacteria" (called "normal flora") in your stomach, and makes you more susceptible to disease because you have opened up new surface on your now bare intestinal wall for inhabitation by new bacteria (coming from food).

  

Well, if we're talking about "compulsive" cleansing then yes....but I didn't realize that was the point of the post.  I guess I misunderstood.     I don't cleanse more than 2 or 3 times a year, and find it very physically refreshing when I do so.

The Master Cleanse is bunk.  It not only calls for abusing your body by robbing it of essential nutrients, but also includes drinking Senna tea, which is yet another laxative.  People say they feel energized afterwards, but I would submit that it is largely a placebo effect because they have bought into the hype.  There is no science backing up the cleanse arguments and as someone here already stated, your body naturally releases toxin through your urine, not through your digestive tract.

I recently read a blog by someone who claims to feel energized by the cleanse, but every other paragraph was describing how messed up her digestive system was because of the Senna tea. 

Haha great question!

 Actually, if you ask an ED expert (and I have) what the difference between ED and 'normalized' behaviors are, they will tell you it is the motivation behind the behavior.

Sometimes, you have to dig deep to find if there are any ED roots, i.e., find the motivation behind the motivation.

But yeah. A lot of normalized people display ED behaviors, but their motivations aren't ED-rooted, so...yeah.

I don't think that "cleansing" is effective. However, I think that some toxins are excreted in the feces, especially heavy metals like lead.

Nobody needs to 'detox'.  If you eat good foods, plenty of fibre and drink enough fluids then your body is very, very efficient at getting rid of its waste products with no outside help.   A day or two where you don't drink caffeine or alcohol and where you eat nothing but fresh fruit and vegetables and a few grains, for example, can be refreshing.   But extreme 'detox' measures are completely ineffective. 

Check out this link to an excellent BBC programme on the topic  http://www.bbc.co.uk/sn/humanbody/truthaboutf ood/young/detox.shtml 

Laxatives are for people that are physically constipated and are a useful medicine.  But if you aren't constipated they can simply trigger a bout of diarrhoea and mess up your digestion for days.  All of these 'cleansing' products are exactly the same and therefore a complete waste of money.

It was great to read this post because I tried that detoxing plan where you drink lemonade and salt water. I lasted 4 days, and told my husband I didn't understand what this was supposed to do exactly, it felt like nothing more than starvation and laxative abuse. He agreed.

I came to the conclusion that I am not toxic. Funny thing is, I'm not really clear on what "toxic" means anyway. Wouldn't it mean I was poisonous to someone else? Isn't the natural process of digestion and elimination proof that you can function fine and clean your own guts?

I will take my boring well balanced whole foods diet and fresh air and exercise over hunger headaches and hour-long bathroom visits any day, thank you. 

 

 

Has anyone seen those things on TV that you put on the bottoms of your feet at night?  I know that usually everything on tv is a bunch of bunk and I never pay attention.  For some reason that one caught my eye.  I know it's probably a scam to get your money, but I was just curious to see if anyone had used them or heard anything about them.  They were supposed to "safely" get the toxins out of your system.

Original Post by cardamon-tea:

It was great to read this post because I tried that detoxing plan where you drink lemonade and salt water. I lasted 4 days, and told my husband I didn't understand what this was supposed to do exactly, it felt like nothing more than starvation and laxative abuse. He agreed.

I came to the conclusion that I am not toxic. Funny thing is, I'm not really clear on what "toxic" means anyway. Wouldn't it mean I was poisonous to someone else? Isn't the natural process of digestion and elimination proof that you can function fine and clean your own guts?

I will take my boring well balanced whole foods diet and fresh air and exercise over hunger headaches and hour-long bathroom visits any day, thank you. 

Absolutely - and well said. I don't know why so many people are convinced that they are poisonous.

And I think that the "energized" feeling they get on some of these things is actually the bodies response to starvation - I think they call it "starvation euphoria". I'm not sure the evolutionary reason for this - I guess our bodies don't want us to be sad while we starve? I've read about it, but I don't know if it is well understood.

I bought into the hype of "Lose 7lbs in 3 days!!" and started my own juice diet.  For four days I drank 100% juice.  Then I ate for a day, and started the diet again.  I made it 3 more days with only juice before I realized it was retarded, I was unhappy and my husband was getting more than worried.  Sooo... my advice to you, take it day by day.  Don't do the laxatives or lemonaide, etc.- it's not worth it.  Everyone's right, your body is clean if you eat clean.  The people that pig out on fast food every day should do detox, not us healthy people :)

Original Post by dragoncomet00:

Has anyone seen those things on TV that you put on the bottoms of your feet at night? I know that usually everything on tv is a bunch of bunk and I never pay attention. For some reason that one caught my eye. I know it's probably a scam to get your money, but I was just curious to see if anyone had used them or heard anything about them. They were supposed to "safely" get the toxins out of your system.

More junk science.  The color change is due to water in your sweat reacting with the chemicals in the pads.  That is why they change color, not due to any "toxins" being released.

Original Post by lynied:

I can't really answer your question---why detoxing is more acceptable than your basic laxative---but I can tell you that I've used laxatives and I always felt sick, weak and drained. After doing the Master Cleanse, however, I felt fantastic, had a lot of energy and mental clarity, had a skyrocketing metabolism and didn't automatically gain the weight back (like with laxatives.)

I don't know the actual physical or scientific difference, but I've done both and I feel the difference.

 yay! I did the master cleanse as well. And yes, I felt the difference and didn't gain  much of the weight back. It was really great for my body.

According to the Mayo Clinic and others, "detox" is hooey.  We don't eliminate "toxins" through the digestive tract.  That's taken care of by the liver.  So using laxatives or a "cleanse" is worthless.

I tried the master cleanse method years ago and it made me deathly ill.  As for the euphoria some people report - there is scientific evidence that starvation dehydration can produce these feelings.  It's an illusion and very unhealthy.  It may feel like it's good for a while, but it's not. 

Sorry I don't have time to look up the references and quote them right now, but go ahead and google Mayo Clinic, and use their search engine to look up colon cleansing.