Many people who have fasted or done colon or intestinal cleansing have experienced cleansing reactions. Cleansing reactions occur because the out-put of toxins is greater than what the liver, kidneys and other organs can handle in a specific period of time. It is not unusual for people to have skin eruptions, running noses, faster heartbeat, fatigue, feeling tired, minor nausea and headaches. It is also not unusual to re-experience pains and emotions of the past.

When we consider the fact that these are signs of potential disease conditions and that they are now being removed from the body, then we should be well pleased; it means better health in the future. For more information, read the booklet, 'Cleansing Reactions and the Healing Crisis'.  The key, however, is to allow these toxins to be removed at a pace in which they will not cause any more stress on our bodies than is absolutely necessary. Dr. Anderson explains,

'Many years ago Rich Anderson believed that when fasting or cleansing one should 'tough it out' when cleansing reactions occurred. Although most people will experience minor cleansing reactions, I am now completely against allowing ourselves to experience harsh cleansing reactions.? When cleansing reactions become uncomfortable, slow the cleanse by going to a milder phase.

What to Watch for
The main cleansing reactions to be concerned about are extreme headaches (beyond what may be normal), unusual weakness, diarrhea, and nausea to the point of vomiting. Each of these symptoms could indicate that something unusual is affecting the liver or / and kidneys, and these organs cannot adequately handle it. In this day and age, we do not need to stress our liver or any of our organs beyond what we have already experienced. If any of these things should happen to you,back off'.

If you're on the Master Phase, go to the Power Phase or even the Gentle Phase until you feel better and then, go on to a deeper phase when you are ready. It may take longer, but you will feel better and your organs will do better.

*Please see your health care practitioner if you do back off and for some reason your symptoms continue.

Remember:

• We can accomplish the same goals without ?toughing it out.
• We can feel better when cleansing by choosing a more gradual program.
• There is no benefit in overstressing the liver, kidneys, electrolyte reserve, etc., by provoking harsh cleansing reactions with an overly zealous program. 

Q.  If a person is having difficulty even after the recommended enemas, potatoes and milder phase, shouldn't they just cut out the herbs, stopping the entire cleanse? Would herbs, broth or an alkalizing formula and shakes help them to feel better faster?

A: NO!  If they stop taking herbs they should stop the shakes as well. Stopping the herbs alone could cause a person to become constipated and blocked.  Never, ever recommend someone take multiple shakes without my  herbal cleansing formulas.  Stopping a cleanse entirely, taking an alkalizing formula, juice, broth, and/or steamed vegetables most likely will help people to feel better if they were having a rough time due to a lot of toxicity.  There are ways of slowing the cleansing process; read Cleanse & Purify Thyself, Book 1.

Q:  I've been nauseous for a few days but I should just push on, right?

A: Generally, it is best to try the standard approaches of doing an enema (a coffee enema later, if necessary) and if no lasting relief is experienced, then slow down the cleansing process by eating some cooked vegetables or a baked potato and/or cutting back on the amount of herbs one is taking.  My cleansing program was designed to be gentle but effective without serious discomfort.  When nausea occurs for more than a few hours, many people go back to a pre-cleanse. Afterwards, they usually have no more nausea while cleansing.  Always do what feels best for you.

Q:  I feel so bloated; what causes it and what can I do?

A: As the herbs begin to work on the plaque, the plaque itself "plumps up" and can cause the feeling of bloat.  Parasites can become disturbed and also produce this sensation; if individuals suspect parasites and find their bloat intolerable, it is an option to do the Parasite Program for a while and then resume a cleanse.  Sometimes, a bacterial imbalance is responsible: many cleansers have reported positive results after taking large amounts of probiotics for 4-5 days.  I recommend 2-3 capsules of probiotics 5 minutes after lunch and dinner, along with another 1-2 capsules one hour before bed.

Q.  A 60 year old woman had just come off a cleanse and she looked horrible, especially in her face area.  She had more lines and wrinkles along with much puffiness.  It looked like her face was drawn, any explanation and advice you can offer?

A.  It is not uncommon for a person at 60 years or older who is finishing a cleanse or water fast to look terrible towards the end.  There are two things happening here.  One, toxins and emotions are moving out  through the skin and two, they are losing weight in their face.  Both conditions correct themselves in time and leave a better skin than before. The only exception to this is if a person stopped a cleanse or fast  before the toxins had moved out.  The other day I ran into a friend that I hadn't seen for almost a year.  He looked about 10 years younger.  Then I took another look.  He had a potbelly and he was getting  fat.  His face looked better, but I knew that he was worse off.  Have you ever noticed that fat people have less wrinkles? Thin people might look worse, but they will live longer, healthier, and more  energetically than obese people. So, when we come off of a cleanse, we often have lost some unnecessary fat and for a few days look bad; however we are actually in better condition than when we started.

Q.  I had a heavy bitter taste in my mouth after two weeks on a cleanse.

A:  It is not unusual to have a bad taste in one's mouth during cleansing. Notice how the tongue becomes coated when toxins are leaving. On my second cleanse, my tongue was black for 6 days of the Master phase, and I had the worst metallic taste in my mouth the entire time.  I think it was metals exiting my system.  The tongue is a wonderful gauge to help determine how clean we are. If you finish a cleanse and your tongue is still coated and/or your mouth tastes and smells like a sewer, than you know that you still have a ways to go.  The gray coating is the breakdown of toxic metabolic waste.  It is rot, fermenting, decaying rot.  It is what makes people sick.  This is what needs to come out.

Q.  How to stop headaches after cleansing?

A.  After cleansing?  I have never known anyone that still had a headache after cleansing. Anyone who follows the directions properly, and completes a cleanse as directed should not have a headache. I would be asking questions.  Did you pass the pH tests before the cleanse? How long were you on a pre-cleanse? How long on the Master phase? Did you use enemas?  How much probiotics did you take during and after the cleanse?  Have you ever had a liver disease? What have you been eating?

How to stop a headache:  Liquid Extracts of Osha (3 or 4 squirts), Ginkgo (2 or 3 squirts) Lobelia (1 or 2 squirts) in a hot cup of water.  This works for some people very quickly.  Enemas work about 80% of the time;  coffee enemas work about 95% of the time.  If the enema worked, then it was a toxic colon that caused the headache.  If the enema did not work but the coffee enema did, then it was a congested liver that caused the headache.  What does that mean?  This person better work on the bowel and liver, for it is sluggish now. What do you think it will be like next year, or 5 or 10 years from now?  We need to be working on ourselves as early as possible.

Q.  What can we do if people vomit after eating herbs?

A.  These people should try taking only one capsule at a time.  Wait for 5 minutes and take another one.  They also may find that eating an apple or something else will help calm their sensitive stomach.  After a few days, they probably will not have this problem any more. Usually, the only people who have this problem are those who are environmentally ill. What they need to do, iIf necessary, is just take 1/2 the capsule.  If after a few days, they still have a problem, then tell them to stop and consider that they may have a sensitivity to one of the herbs. Since 1987, I have never found one person who had to stop using herbs.

Q.  During the Mild phase, what does it mean when someone vomits bile in the morning when they get up?

A: It means that their pyloric valve is not working properly.  Such a person can drink peppermint tea to feel better.  Continuing on the Mild phase and through a cleanse will most likely give them wonderful  benefits.  This occasionally happens after a coffee enema.  In this case, the person should take a psyllium bentonite shake and drink plenty of peppermint tea.

Q.  What about feet and ankle swelling during a cleanse? Nose tingling?  (One of my clients experienced these things.)

A.  1.  A potassium deficiency can cause edema of the feet and ankles.  Anyone with a potassium deficiency will not pass the pH tests and should not do a cleanse. Anyone who has a potassium deficiency also  has an organic sodium deficiency.  2.  Too much protein, in the form of fibrinogen, can settle in the feet and lower legs. That is common with those who have diabetes.  That means their diet was poor, they had constipation, and have serious liver and pancreas congestion. If a person is a borderline diabetic, or has some other protein dis-ease, a cleanse could cause temporary congestion simply because there are so many toxins entering the blood and lymph circulation that the body cannot get rid of them fast enough, and swelling occurs. These are the people who need to cleanse more than anyone else and are the least likely to do it.

Q.  Blood was seen in the stool after the 4th day of the Master phase of a cleanse. What is happening?  This has happened twice.  (This was red blood, not blackened.)

A.  Question 1)  Had there ever been blood in the stool prior to cleansing?  2) What is the history of bowel disturbance?  3)  Are there any white, yellow, or off-white particles or specks seen  during a cleanse?  If so, this is probably polyps being removed.  4)  Are there any fuzzy looking globs being eliminated and are there any stringy tentacle-like things coming out? This could be tumor related pieces. One thing is for certain, something is being removed.  There have been several people who have done a cleanse successfully and beneficially who had severe colitis, Crohn's disease or irritable  bowel.  It is my opinion that my cleansing program is beneficial for any bowel disturbance.  If bleeding occurs, it can be because something that should not be there is being challenged and that is exactly what needs to happen. I would be watching this person carefully. I would be recommending probiotics 3 times daily. I would recommend fresh vegetable juices 3 times daily and probably antioxidants.

Q.  Is a 10% loss of body weight with a large loss of strength during the first 2 or 3 days of a cleanse a cause for concern?  If so, what can be done about it?

A.  It is not hard to believe that some people could lose 8 or 9 pounds of fecal matter in the first few days of a cleanse.  Yes, some people have that much garbage, even more, rotting away in their gut.  Anyone that would be this full of toxic debris is quite likely to experience a temporary loss of strength due to extreme toxic elimination.  This kind of person is a classic example of one who needs to go slowly.  They should stay on the mildest phase longer than most and gradually go in and out of deeper levels until at last they have reduced the toxic level enough to feel strong and vitally alive on a gentle cleansing phase