The first time that I heard about The Master Cleanse was years ago when my sister used to do it. I thought that she was crazy!!! The next time I heard about it was last fall on a visit to Maryland. I spoke at length with someone who had done it for 21 days and it sparked my interest. I went and bought the book (The Master Cleanse by Stanley Burroughs), read about it, and it took 6 months of thinking and wrestling and praying about it and then one day I decided that it was time to stop thinking about it and just do it.

It had become quite apparent to me that I needed to do something rather drastic as I had not been feeling well for some time, my eating was out of control, and I was the heaviest I had ever been in my life. Much to my dismay I discovered that after menopause my metabolism did not work quite the same way to drop extra pounds!! So began my experience with doing the Master Cleanse. I chose the time period and followed the instructions in the book very carefully.

For 3 days I ate less and only fruits and vegetables and cut down on the coffee that I drank. The first 5 days of the cleanse were a bit rough.  I had a very bad headache that left me feeling nauseated and not a great amount of energy. It was still possible to do everything that I had to and I was not hungry. A lot of the headache was likely due to coffee withdrawal and also the tension in my neck. On the 5th day I received a neck massage which greatly helped in getting rid of the headache and then throughout the rest of the cleanse I did an infared sauna and an ionic footbath 3 times and that made a big difference with how I felt.

The next 5 days I had more energy and felt pretty good. One of the things that you do during the 10 days is a salt water cleanse in the morning.  I only did it 3 times the first time and 4 times the second time and that is something that you can be more flexible about. If you don’t do that you need to make sure that you take an herbal laxative tea or a colon cleanse capsule of some sort that does not have too much fiber in it.

I followed the book’s instructions on how to break the cleanse and come off of it gradually and allow my system to accept food again. I have to tell you that on the evening of the second day of breaking the cleanse the vegetable soup that I made tasted like heaven and I savored every mouthful.  This cleanse for me was an answer.  I have tried to do cleanses before, but because my system is very sensitive to many medications, herbs and vitamins I have always reacted badly and not been able to continue. This one being only fresh lemon juice, cayenne pepper and maple syrup was simple and my system could handle all those things.

The most amazing thing that it did for me, was that it took away all the food cravings that I was struggling with before I began. Also as an added benefit I was able to lose 14lbs that I did not put back on after I was finished. The weight loss was not my primary purpose for doing it, but I was happy with what happened. If you don’t want to lose weight or if you need to gain weight then you can adjust the amount of the maple syrup to accomplish whatever you need to do.

This cleanse gave me the kick start that I needed to begin a healthier lifestyle. I have just finished doing it for the second time and during this one felt much better throughout it than I did the first time. There were some different things that I experienced throughout the 10 days, but nothing that stopped me from doing all the things that I had to. Also I did the ionic footbath and infared sauna 4 times during the 10 days and that was a big help.

In total I have lost 20 lbs since the first cleanse and have been able to keep my eating in check and do not feel deprived. People have told me that my skin looks really good and that my whole being just looks different. I can eat pretty much anything, but just much much less of it, especially sweets and junk food. Also, I am trying to eat as little wheat as possible.

For me this was an answer and something that was pretty easy to do both time wise for the preparation and cost and not feeling deprived of food. If anyone is thinking of doing it, I would strongly encourage you to follow the instructions very closely for going into it, while you are on it, and also coming off of it.

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“What’s a good way to cleanse without losing too much weight? When I cleanse, I often lose too much weight too fast. I’m a skinny enough person already, it doesn’t quite feel right.”

Many people cleanse for weight loss, but there are definitely those who are underweight or at the correct weight who want to detoxify without changing their body composition. A simple answer to this question is to just eat more food from within the recommended cleanse foods (listed in the cleanse booklet).

The best foods to increase would be the beans or the vegetables, as these are lower in starch compared to brown rice and will favor the preservation of muscle mass. You can also double the amount of essential oils used on the cleanse to add a healthy source of calories. If you try both of these measures and still feel that you’re losing too much weight, add up to 2 additional protein shakes throughout the day according to the recipe in the cleanse booklet.

Thanks for your question! Keep them coming!

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Q: Sometimes when I feel like I’m getting sick I exercise, and I start feeling better.  Why is that?

A: Exercise causes lymph (a mixture of immune cells and body fluids) to be circulated through your body, which causes filtration and detoxification of the lymph.  This filtration of the lymph may help your immune system to clear infections faster, and allow you to have more resistance to sickness.  One type of exercise that is especially helpful for filtering lymph is rebounding (jumping on a small trampoline).

Q: Which Marilyn Farms supplements could I take for constipation?

A: Either of our fiber products (Essential Fiber or Essential Fiber – Psyllium free) may be helpful for adding bulk.  Colon Cleanse capsules are useful for short-term relief from constipation during times such as travel or cleansing but should not be used long-term because the colon can become dependent on it as it would with any other herbal stimulant laxative.  Mag Calm is a pure magnesium supplement which can relax the colon and allow bowel movements, and any of our Vitamin C formulas (Vitamin C 1000, Fruit Chewable C, or Vitamin C Powder) can help to draw water into the colon, which will encourage a bowel movement.  For dosage info, please refer to each product’s package.

Q: What are nutritional ways to remedy dry skin in the winter?

A: One of the best ways to keep skin healthy through the winter is to eat enough healthy fats to keep skin moist.  Include plenty of healthy fat-rich foods such as fish, grass-fed meat, Ghee, organic butter, coconut, avocado, raw nuts, olives, olive oil, and cold-pressed sunflower and flaxseed oil.  In addition, coconut oil, shea butter, and jojoba oil are very helpful when applied topically to dry skin.

Q: What are the top produce items that should be purchased organically?

A: The top 5 most pesticide-laden produce items are currently Peaches, Apples, Sweet Bell Peppers, Celery, and Nectarines.  The Environmental Working Group offers an extensive list and a  convenient wallet guide at http://www.foodnews.org/walletguide.php.

Q: Should all meat and dairy be purchased organically?

A: It is best to purchase animal products that are raised in as clean and humane an environment as you can afford.  This is important because animals raised commercially tend to be exposed to antibiotics and hormones in their feed, which in turn ends up in their milk and meat.  The term “certified organic” does not necessarily mean that it is the best, however.  The best option would be to get to know the sources of meat and dairy available to you and opt for products from farms that raise animals on pasture and allow them plenty of room to move around.  Animal products from such farms may be labeled as “free range”, “grass fed”, or “pastured” and may not always be certified organic.

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