All-liquid cleanse for detox, weight loss becoming popular, but its claims are disputed

At 6-foot-4 and a rangy 212 pounds, Scott Campbell doesn't need to lose weight. But there he was, squeezing lemon juice and mixing it with maple syrup, bottled water and cayenne pepper.

It is part of an extreme "detoxifying" diet called the Master Cleanse, whose adherents swallow nothing but the lemon concoction, saltwater and laxative tea.

Also known as the lemonade diet, the Master Cleanse has gained in popularity recently, thanks to celebrities like Beyonce Knowles who swear by the regimen, as bad as it may taste.

"I'm never hungry," said Campbell, a 35-year-old freelance TV producer from New York City who was cleansing not to lose weight, but because he usually eats "a lot of bad stuff" like burgers, fries and Philly cheesesteaks.

Devotees of the all-liquid diet are supposed to stay on it for at least 10 days, then ease back into normal eating with orange juice and vegetable soup.

Medical authorities say they have yet to see evidence of harm from the Master Cleanse, though experts generally caution against extended fasting and other extreme diets.

They say those who try the Master Cleanse to lose weight will just gain it back, and they dispute the claim that the Master Cleanse or any other diet can "detoxify" the body -- or that the body needs to be detoxified.

Dr. Ed Zimney, the medical director of HealthTalk, a Seattle-based Web site where a lively debate about the cleanse has flourished, said: "Your gastrointestinal tract does not need to be cleaned out because it is constantly in motion." The Master Cleanse was invented 60 years ago by nutrition guru Stanley Burroughs, who wrote the book "The Master Cleanser" in 1976.

It is not known how many people have tried the cleanse.

According to one Web site that promotes it, the purpose is "to dissolve and eliminate toxins and congestion; to cleanse the kidneys and digestive system; to purify glands; to eliminate waste and hardened materials in the joints and muscles; to build a healthy bloodstream; to maintain optimal blood pressure; and ... to lose weight."

Weight loss was Beyonce's motivation; she told Oprah Winfrey that she dropped 20 pounds on the cleanse to prepare for "Dreamgirls."

The diet has fans beyond celebrities and the hip neighborhoods of New York City.

Zoe Cochran, 52, of Navasota, Texas, does an annual 30-day cleanse plus shorter ones.

"After the cleanse I have great digestion and great elimination," she said. Cochran said the cleanse also cured an injured knee that was so painful she couldn't get up from a sitting position.

Neil Paz, 30, of Arlington, Va., considered the cleanse after actor-singer Jared Leto touted it. But he deemed it "very New Age-pet rock" and decided to eat more vegetables and drink more water instead. "Doing that and exercising more is not going to be as fast but is the healthy way to go," he said.

Courtesy of Associated Press

Steve - while we have never recommended it, we are familiar with the Master Cleanse and have heard of many adverse experiences. The main reason one must avoid a cleanse like this, especially for more than a few days, is that the energy we need to perform in today's world cannot be met with this extreme liquid detox.