Do you REALLY need a Whole Body Cleanse?

Question

Doesn't your body cleanse itself of environmental toxins (pesticides, food additives, excess minerals and vitamins) itself? Is a store-bought cleanse---colon, kidney, liver, lungs, vascular, bowel, etc. cleanse----really necessary?
Advocates of these type(s) of cleanses claim that excess toxins in the body cause weight gain, skin problems such as acne, depression, memory loss, and all sorts of other ailments.

Can someone with knowledge and experience (only people with true insight please--no uninformed responders) please help me find an answer to this?

Answer 1

This is a very insightful question. You are correct in your assumption that the body cleans itself. But there are limitations as to how much the body can do. Each of us has a certain amount of heavy metals, and organic pesticide residues in our bones and soft tissues that will never go away no matter what. These can actually be measured by taking tissue samples and analyzing them in a lab. The true organs that work to remove metabolic wastes and drug metabolites are the liver first and the kidneys. The liver makes many substances water soluble for excretion in the urine. Other substances are removed in the feces. If you take these so called dedetoxifying products that contain herbs, then it is up to your liver and kidneys to remove the residues of these. So in essence you are actually toxifying not detoxifying your body. The only time that toxic substances can affect memory is during an acute poisoning event, like acute lead poisoning from sanding leaded paint, or something like that. All these colon cleansing products are based on one idea, soluble fiber. Taking fiber is a good idea for bowel health, Metamucil is fine and cheap. I could go on about this but my fingers are getting tired. Save your money, take soluble fiber from foods and Metamucil and stay away from leaded paints.

Answer 2

Your question is too general. So be prepared to get lots of confusion. We don't always need to cleanse every organ and gland for perfect health. Toxins do build up and occasionally we need to clean it out. Find out where the toxins have set up home and do the cleaning. For that you will need to learn more about your physical and mental health. Your asking questions. That's the beginning of learning. More knowledge brings less confusion.