By Dr. Matsen

I am often asked how I feel about fasting and colon cleansing. I don’t typically recommend any long-term fasting, colon cleansing, or other intensive detoxification program because these can put extra strain on your body, especially the liver. I have recommended these in the past and have found that the long-term benefits are not worth the effort required and the stress that they put on the body.

One of the drawbacks of long-term fasting is that it disrupts blood sugar levels. If you want to do a fasting cleanse, limit it to one day only and avoid juice-fasting (too much sugar). Drink filtered water, vegetable broths, and/or vegetable juices instead, and be sure to add some unprocessed sea salt to vegetable broths and juices.

For some, colon hydrotherapy may be necessary to get the colon working properly, but it is not a cure-all over the long term. You need to work at the top end of the digestive system (your mouth) by making sure your diet is a healthy one.

Instead of long-term intensive detoxification, I recommend that detoxification should take place 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, as is done on the Eating Alive Program. This slower, gentler pace allows your body to properly deal with the toxins that are released.