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Colon Cleansing, Liver Detox, And Fad Dieting

Considered the unholy trinity of health food stores, colon cleansing, liver detox and fad dieting seem to have struck up an uneasy alliance. All three have several common characteristics:

Colon cleansing, liver detox and fad dieting rely on supplements that require consistent expenditures to keep the perceived benefits of the process going. If you lost weight with some supplements, you will need to consider using a maintenance dose to keep the weight off, while some supplements that claim to cleanse your colon in 30 days will require you to keep using a daily maintenance dose to keep the colon from once again getting blocked.

All three procedures are marketed quite aggressively - and successfully - by playing on consumers' fear of death and cancer.

Statements made about colon cleansers, detox supplements and a wide array of fad diets are often too good to be true. Promising to add a decade to your life (nobody is able to make that promise), increase the health of your abdominal cavity (there is no way for you to check on this claim), keep cancer at bay (once again, there is no way for you to check on this), and make you happier (a placebo effect often achieved for at least a little while by those who embark on these procedures), the unholy trinity manages to part consumers and their money to the tune of millions several times over.

Do not misunderstand the importance of a proper diet, an occasional colon cleanse if the symptoms warrant it, and also a liver detox procedure when indicated! As a matter of fact, all of these have a very real and very useful place in today's society that is surrounded by toxins which are ingested either voluntarily or involuntarily. Yet the idea of using faddish modes to accomplish that which may be done with a few lifestyle changes is generally not a good idea and more often than not will lead to disappointment.

After all, if your lifestyle does not change, then no diet in the world will keep the pounds off. Similarly, if you consistently refuse to supply your body with enough fiber to properly evacuate fecal matter and even fecal buildup, then the occasional colon cleanses will do more harm than good in that it will cause the body to begin a reliance on the laxatives for its voiding procedure. Liver detoxification will not accomplish much if you put added strain on your liver by the herbal supplements you decide to swallow as part of your newfound natural lifestyle. Many of these herbal supplements - on a standalone basis - are very useful, yet when combined with other components and even other herbs will engage in chemical reactions that may cause more harm than good.

If you are truly willing to change your lifestyle, discuss this resolve with your doctor and find out what she or he thinks you need to change, add or take away from your everyday living choices. Find out how fiber supplementation and an elevated water intake can cleanse your colon gently and quickly, while a reduction of protein and alcohol can help your liver to detox.