A MONTH OF starvation and colonic treatment may be out of the question for most people, but more Hongkongers are turning to quick-fix, over-the-counter detox programmes you can do at home.
'Detox is certainly a hot health topic at the moment,' says Michael Yim, Watsons' senior pharmacist (drug information). 'There are various definitions of detoxing, but it basically involves eliminating pollutants from the system. These come from many sources, including the air we breathe, the food we eat and the water we drink.'
Modern lifestyles take their toll on the body's digestive and elimination organs. A diet of refined, processed foods low in fibre and high in animal fat, coupled with lack of exercise and high stress levels, is said to produce an internal toxic mixture that contributes to gastro-intestinal overload.
'It's this combination of factors that's is the problem,' says Yim. 'If we all ate a healthy, balanced diet, exercised regularly and had adequate rest, our systems would cope better. But the added exposure to large amounts of external pollutants may cause toxicity.'
Others go further. According to www. detox.org, 'furniture, clothing, carpeting, cars, air conditioners, ships and planes all 'outgas' toxins like cadmium, sulphur dioxide, lead and mercury into the air.
'We even apply chemicals to our bodies in the form of personal hygiene products which are made from petroleum and other toxic substances. We might be able to handle all this if we ate nothing but healthy foods, drank only pure water, exercised regularly, were emotionally stable, rarely indulged in alcohol, caffeine or recreational drugs, and didn't smoke.'