Plain Dealer , Brie Zeltner/ Reporter
Published May 4, 2009
After several surgeries and years of steroids to bring a rare blood disorder under control in her late teens, Rebecca Reynolds was told she was cured.
She still didn't feel well.
Reynolds, then 18, had gained weight, and felt sluggish and weak. She was depressed.
So Reynolds turned to alternative medicine, convinced that her symptoms were the result of toxicity from the years of drugs and invasive procedures she had endured. She vowed to make a change and started to detoxify her body.
Twenty-five years later, Reynolds, a resident of a western Cleveland suburb and the owner of Planet Green and Green Clean, an organic-products store in Rocky River and a line of nontoxic cleaning products, has eliminated all wheat, dairy, meat and sugar from her diet, invented her own line of safe cleaning products to remove chemicals from her home, and torn out the carpets. She exercises daily, uses colonics and gets bimonthly massages. All in an effort to live as cleanly as possible.
While Reynolds is probably an extreme example of the practice, she represents many in the holistic health movement who see detox as an essential part of healthy living.
The basic premise, widely debated, is that the body accumulates more toxins in the modern world than its natural detoxification system -- the liver, kidneys and lungs -- can eliminate.
Proponents say that chemicals from pesticides on food, chlorine in drinking water, bleach and ammonia in cleaning products, and carbon monoxide in polluted air build up over time and cause disease.
The only way to get rid of them, they say, is to detox. The concept has become enormously popular, leading to a booming alternative health products and services industry hawking everything from juices, colonics, ionic foot baths and infrared sauna treatments to every manner of herbal purgative imaginable.
But even detoxification backers part company on which methods work because, as with many alternative therapies, there is little scientific study to support the treatments.
Tamara MacDonald, a naturopathic physician who practices in Brunswick, thinks that some people aren't able to detoxify chemicals and toxins naturally because their systems aren't working well for one reason or another. Couple this with the daily "assault" of chemicals in the modern world, and it's easy to see why people benefit from detoxification, she says.
MacDonald, who does a supplement-based detoxification once a year with her husband, is wary of poorly researched techniques like foot baths and colonics. She also thinks that people should steer clear of fasting techniques like the popular Master Cleanse, a 10-day detox plan that consists of nothing but lemon juice, maple syrup and cayenne pepper.
Eat clean
The Environmental Working Group, a consumer advocacy and research group, developed a list of the "Dirty Dozen" -- 12 fruits and vegetables you should always buy organic because testing has shown that their conventionally grown counterparts tend to be loaded with pesticides.
They also put together the "Clean 15" -- fruits and veggies that have the lowest pesticide levels.
Dirty Dozen:
1. Peaches
2. Apples
3. Bell peppers
4. Celery
5. Nectarines
6. Strawberries
7. Cherries
8. Kale
9. Lettuce
10. Grapes (imported)
11. Carrots
12. Pears
Clean 15
1. Onions
2. Avocados
3. Sweet corn
4. Pineapples
5. Mangoes
6. Asparagus
7. Sweet peas
8. Kiwis
9. Cabbage
10. Eggplant
11. Papayas
12. Watermelons
13. Broccoli
14. Tomatoes
15. Sweet potatoes
"One of the worst things that you can do for your body in terms of detoxification is doing a fast," she said. "That was the idea about 20 or 30 years ago, but we know now that your body actually needs specific nutrients to be able to perform its job of detoxification."
Dr. Tanya Edwards, director of the Cleveland Clinic's Center for Integrative Medicine, believes fasting has helped some of her rheumatoid arthritis patients, however, and says she wouldn't rule it out for others, particularly those who overeat.
"Sometimes I'll have patients who come in and they've just abused their bodies and they're gluttonous and they feel like crap," she said. Edwards said many of these patients feel a lot better after two or three days of fasting and a mild herbal laxative like senna, "just to get their systems completely clear."
"Brain fogs clear out, their aches and pains go away, and they feel amazing."
For most patients, though, Edwards starts with a change in diet -- a whole-food diet heavy on the fruits and vegetables, with lots of water and as much fiber as possible.
Because Americans tend to have fiber-poor diets that lead to constipation, a change in diet and increased fiber intake can accomplish the same thing as many herbal detoxification products that are really just laxatives, both doctors say.
We're supposed to have one or two bowel movements a day, but many people go two or three days between eliminations.
And that can make you feel bad, both doctors agree. The normal pathway for toxins to move out of the body is through the liver, which converts harmful chemicals into water-soluble molecules that can be flushed out in the urine or feces. If there's a delay in elimination, however, those toxins are sticking around longer.
Many people turn to colonics, which use water under pressure to clear out the colon, as a way to help empty out their systems.
Dr. Fabio Cominelli, chief of gastroenterology at University Hospitals Case Medical Center, says there is probably no harm in their occasional use, but also no reason to think that people really need to go to such extremes.
Web sites, infomercials and radio ads selling products claiming to clear the colon of up to 10 pounds of "mucoid plaque," "sludge" and other toxic material are baseless, he said.
"There's no scientific proof of that," he said. "That would be a pathological situation of chronic constipation. In a normal person there is a bowel movement every day and the system is kept pretty clean."
Still, many detoxers swear by them. Edwards sees patients who have them two or three times a month, which she doesn't think is "natural or necessary."
Rebecca Reynolds tried it for the first time two years ago, and now does a colonic four times a year.
She's also a big believer in exercise -- she runs and lifts weights in order to break a sweat.
Sweating is a natural way of getting rid of toxins, says Edwards..
"Sweating by any means is good," she said.
So should everyone be detoxing?
If you're feeling good, most doctors agree there's no need to fast, use colonics or start buying any cleansing programs marketed as detoxification products.
"I don't recommend that anyone go out and buy anything over the counter that says it's a detoxification or colon cleanse," Edwards said.
MacDonald said it depends on your personal health philosophy and where you work. Some people, like hairdressers, are exposed to a lot more chemicals on a daily basis.
"It's more of a personal decision, especially if you're feeling good," she said.
She, Edwards, and Cominelli agree that improving your diet, getting more fiber and drinking plenty of water are all good ways to stay healthy and avoid feeling ill enough to need "detoxing" at all.
Other areas of consensus
• Limit your exposure: It's always a good idea to limit your exposure to toxins as much as possible. You may not need to rip out your carpets, but there are some relatively simple ways to be kinder to your body on a daily basis:
• Buy organic when possible: MacDonald and Edwards say if you start buying organic in one area of your shopping list, start with the fruits and vegetables that ordinarily would be the most pesticide-soaked, dubbed the "Dirty Dozen" by Environmental Working Group, a consumer advocacy and research group.
• Filter your water: Most agree that filtering your water is the best way to remove contaminants and chlorine, and some say that you should skip the bottled water because of concerns about exposure to chemicals from the plastic container. Some studies have found that levels of certain chemicals increase in bottled water the longer they stay on the shelf, although more research is needed to see if this chemical "leaching" has any effect on human health.
• Clean green: Chemicals like bleach and ammonia can be irritating to the skin, and inhaling them can be dangerous, particularly for people with respiratory problems like asthma. Check out green alternatives, or make your own solutions. For a long list of options visit Greenpeace's online Green Living Guide.
• Let the weeds be: You expose yourself to pesticides when you apply them to your lawn or garden and track them into your home on clothing and shoes. Reducing or eliminating your use of pesticides will lower your exposure.
• Air it out: We spend about 90 percent of our time inside, and the air inside is usually two to five times more polluted than outside, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Sources of indoor air pollution include gas, wood or coal heat sources; tobacco smoke; and chemicals from cleaning solutions, carpets, and building materials. So open the windows, and regularly replace the filters in your air-conditioning and heating units.
