'I NEED TO GO ON A DETOX ...' THESE DAYS, you're either doing it, talking about it, thinking about it or avoiding it. From the office pantry to online chat rooms, taxi queues to society dinners, we can't seem to stop hearing tales about the modern miracles of detox.
The fact that the word 'detox' has no textbook definition in scientific circles and there is no medical proof that any such process works, makes our faith in it even more remarkable.
Detox, commonly defined as a bodily process that transforms toxic substances into something harmless or excreted, might be a modern obsession, but the concept can be traced back to ancient Egypt, when cleansing rituals such as enemas and fasting and the consumption of specific foods and herbs were used to rid the body of toxic waste believed to cause disease.
Nowadays detoxing means different things to different people and spans a whole range of energising and purifying procedures. These can include trips to a spa for a facial and deep-tissue massage, abstaining from alcohol and meat after festive binges, and courses of traditional Chinese medicine. And then there are those who go one step further, booking themselves in for regular colonic irrigation sessions to 'flush it all out'.
Or there is the 'total liver flush' remedy, which entails consuming a cocktail of olive oil, grapefruit juice and Epsom salts (Tabasco optional). After a day of fasting and inactivity, this potent concoction promises to help you detox by making you pass 'stones' (green or black) the next time you go to the lavatory.
Clearly, a lack of scientific definition hasn't hindered the popularity of detoxing as a means of gaining purification, energy and better health. For clients who want to detox, Christina Denton, a nutrition consultant at Pure Fitness, recommends a diet rich in fresh fruit and vegetables, eliminating all fried foods, high-sugar and high-fat items, drinking plenty of water while keeping caffeine and alcohol intake to a minimum, and doing at least 30 minutes of exercise each day. But, she says: 'Detox diets are a way of cleansing our system and getting rid of any excess toxins within the body - they are not a form of weight loss. Because they are a form of fasting, individuals such as teenagers, pregnant women, diabetics and athletes are not advised to undertake them due to the limitation of important minerals and vitamins.'
Priscilla Lau, a dietician at Holistic Nutrition Consultants, encourages a similar regime of fruit, fibre and eight glasses of water a day to promote regular bowel movements. Inevitably, healthy bowel movement has become synonymous with detoxing. Lau says: 'Often people with intestinal problems such as constipation come to us to seek advice on detox methods to promote bowel movement. Although there is no clear scientific definition of detoxification, so-called detox supplements, colonic irrigation and various fad diets - such as juice diets, cabbage soup diets and so on - are all gaining popularity. Many fad diets don't have adequate calories, which on a long-term basis may lead to malnutrition. And colonic irrigation may 'wash away' the good bacteria in the intestine or perforate the intestine, leading to infection and complications.'