The Dolphins Make Me Cry.com - Forums

Has anyone here ever done a system detox/system cleanse/colon flush before?  I am considering trying it once, just to see if it has any effect on the way I feel, physically, every day.  I currently “never” feel good, and I’m sure that it is entirely due to a life of poor diet, poor sleep, poor everything. Basically, I’m just tired of feeling halfway between week-old roadkill and the asscrack of a leper every day of my life and am considering trying things to alleviate that feeling.

So, have you tried this sort of cleansing?

How long did you keep up with the process?

How much difference did it actually make in the way you feel?

All feedback is greatly appreciated...

Ohhhh....I dated a guy that works at one of the largest "health" institutes in the country and he is all about this stuff. He's on my Facebook, so I'm going to see if I can find out for you.

Also, have you thought of doing just a regular detox of some sort?

I am under the impression that this is non-sense.  There is no substantiated scientific evidence that there are any benefits to regular colonics, and it's even possible to cause problems by upsetting your natural balance of bacteria.  In fact, it's not even scientifically supported that the colon is a place that houses unwanted toxins at all.

Your body is designed to naturally cleanse its own colon.  It's called a fart.

^ I'm with Dave on this one.  If people say it makes them feel better, it is probably a placebo effect.  That being said, if it doesn't cause harm and people are willing to spend their money on it, I won't waste my time trying to talk them out of it.

I'm seeing the movie Road to Wellville flashing into me head....

I understand the road kill feeling,and I admit, I've never found anything that truly lasts when shaking it...My Mom has threaten to get those patches you wear on the bottom of your feet while you sleep...too"pull the toxins" out of your body....

I'm not sure if I could handle a colon cleaning,I don't like anyone touching my ass.... :D

My money's on sleep being a huge factor here and while you might get a "bounce" (probably placebo) from a detox or flush, there's no long-term shortcut to getting your z's in. And, just FYI, the common practice (and I'm guilty myself) of trying to catch up every once in a while (typically weekends) isn't very effective. It takes a surprisingly long time for your system to return to "normal" after a period of too little sleep. Just sleeping in on Sunday isn't anywhere near enough.

This is a total, proven scam.

The brown on your feet is produced by the pads, with a reaction of iron to your sweat.

 Over the past decade or so, I've probably averaged around 4 hours of sleep per night, often a good bit less (last night I slept for less than an hour)  so I'm sure the lack of sleep is a big part of it.


Not sure what a "regular" detox is, to be honest with ya...

Stroke,

There are all types of ways to detox. Some people do only veggies for a week or something like that. I do mini-detoxes where I eat all raw for a  weekend. Cleans out the system and gets things moving. (Of course, I'm a dirty hippie that eats pretty clean as it is.)

I bet your bigger issue is sleep though. If I'm not getting 8 hours a night I feel like ass. Have you seen a doctor about why you're sleeping so poorly?

No...I figured they'd just tell me to knock off the caffeine and processed sugar.

My sleep issues are a lifelong thing. When I was in my 20's, I used to take one night a week and simply not sleep at all...just go right on through the night.

Yeah. I'm a really light sleep and I had to stop doing caffeine after around noon or so. I also notice that the cleaner I'm eating the better I sleep. (Though I do have sleeping pills to take when absolutely desperate. That's rare, though.)

Start drinking whiskey at about 8pm and you'll be out by 10pm.

Alcohol makes me not be able to sleep.  I may fall asleep, but it's not a productive sleep and I always wake up early and unrested.

Yep...alcohol keeps me wide awake.

Stroke, I don't want to be a know it all, but if I'm to speak frankly, I suggest just trying some traditional, healthy changes in the short term and seeing how you feel, rather than trying some weird detox methods.

- eating a low calorie breakfast when you wake up to start digestion
- reducing or eliminating "empty" sugars, like soda.
- drinking water throughout the day to stay hydrated
- flossing daily (supposed to help with heart health among other things)
- doing some small exercise each day (a few pushups, swim, shoot baskets, batting cages, whatever)
- eating vegetables and bang-for-your-buck proteins each day
- try to get natural sleep

I don't want to present myself as Mr. Healthy -- I'm far from it, but I do lock it down once or twice a year for a while and I definitely notice a difference.

Not if you drink it like I do lol. 

This is part of what I was getting at. Except that I go raw since I'm already doing most of the above items. No special products or anything like that.

Have you ever gone to a sleep specialist?  I had a friend that had trouble with snoring and went to a place where they monitored his sleep.  The next time they gave him a mask with oxygen to wear while he slept.  Took about 2 or 3 times to get the oxygen level right, but now he sleeps like a baby and says he feels much better.  I don't think it cost him much  except for the oxygen tank that he now uses.

I'd say you have a much better shot with a sleeping specialist.

^ The problem I have with sleep specialists is that the 3 or 4 people I know that have gone to one have ended up with a CPAP machine.  That makes me suspicious.  I would feel better about it if I knew of people who went to a sleep specialist and were told they did not need a CPAP machine.

Did it work for them?  My buddy says it worked great.  Now maybe it's placebo but you would think that would only work for so long, he says that he has NEVER slept as well as he does now and his wife says his snoring has stopped.  At least for him it seems to work.

^  Well, the problem is none of them use it consistently.   I do believe that people have sleep apnea, it's just the small number of people who I know that have been tested for it ended up having it.

^^ Well the guy I know weighs 300+ and has had trouble sleeping for a long time and he was pretty sure when he went he was gonna end up with a cpap, that's pretty much the reason he went and on the advice of his doctor.  I'm sure that there are people with them that don't really need them.

The problem with your example is that only a few people are actually referred to have the test done. I have a CPAP. They showed the results as to how many times an hour I actually stopped breathing and how many times I was under 50% oxygen intake. When I was younger I had girlfriends tell me I would stop breathing in my sleep. The condition got worse as I aged and put on weight but I have always had the problem.
I know people who have had the test done, and while they do have a problem it is not enough to justify a machine. Some had their jaws repositioned, some had a surgury to remove their adnoids, uvala, tonsils, and some just had to wear a mouth piece.
I was told none of these other options would help me so I was put onto a machine.
Before the machine I was exhausted in the afternoon and had to take a nap. Using the machine and getting the same amount of sleep I felt more refreshed in the morning.

As to Stroke's original question. I have tried colon cleansing to see if it might help with my GI problems. But the damage that was done by the combination of parasites I picked up in Afghanistan and the medications the military doctors had me on ( several thousand mg of Ibupofen a day for months) is too much and I did not notice a significant decrease in my symptoms. I felt better for a little bit but it always comes back.

Dave is spot on with his suggestion....

Unless you have an undiagnosed sleep condition (and I'm not talking about your fantasy sports addiction) then following his advice will solve 90%* of most people's day to day "feeling like ass" problems.

I'd also add to it....reducing caffine intake. There's a theory that over time drinking caffine to "pick you up" is actually just a removal of the withdrawal symptoms of caffine which make you feel tired. It's tough and you have to do it gradually (or be prepared for headaches) but I reduced from 5-6 cups of coffee a day to just one and I don't get the tiredness during the day that I used to get.

*This figure is my opinion and not scientific fact!

I tried the master cleanse like 2 years ago.
I lasted 4 days until I became evil and Fau made me eat a sandwich.

I tried giving up caffeine for a week about 2-3 years ago. The headaches I got were so bad that I was back drinking coffee/pepsi by day 4.

I might try it again though, but with a more "gradual reduction" approach.

Bottom line...I think if I could lose the caffeine, drop the cigarettes and get some damned sleep, I'd probably be a completely different person.

I gave up Diet Coke cold turkey about a year and a half ago, haven't had one since. The withdrawal headaches were awful, but I'm sleeping better now. I only allow myself one cup of coffee or tea a day and that's it for caffeine.

Whatever happened to mixing a half a gallon of water and a half a gallon of vinegar and then you drink it?  That and if you've ever swallowed chewing tobacco before will clean out pretty quick.

Good call, I totally forgot about that one.  The most recent stuff on caffeine is that you don't continue to reap the benefit, but you continue to need it just to keep level.  ...eventually, that gets out of hand and you develop withdrawal or other problems.

The withdrawal symptoms from caffeine vary widely from person to person. Even during periods when I consume insane amounts of caffeine, I only get the headaches for about a day and are very treatable with e.g. ibuprofen, although I do need to sleep a bit longer that first night (following a caffeine-free day).

If you're a heavy addict and considering a more gradual stop, you might consider alternative sources of caffeine and caffeine-like substances. The Theobromine in chocolate, for example, helps some people reduce their caffeine intake (dark chocolate generally contains more Theobromine, with "baking chocolate" containing completely insane amounts -- enough that a "normal" amount can kill a dog or a cat). Tea is also a good alternate source of caffeine. The amounts are usually significantly lower (from half that of coffee to pretty much zero) and the other compounds (Xanthines) mimic some of the properties of caffeine, making the transition away from the real stuff easier for some.

I kicked the caffeine habit years ago, but like most others are saying, if you consume it daily, you should gradually phase it out.  I still have a caffeinated soda now and again, but I drink water most of the time.