Justcleansing.com Internet Nutritional Information Website

¶ … Internet Nutritional Information

http://www.justcleansing.com/

The Just Cleansing website is dedicated to the supposed health benefits of following nutritional advice about fasting, herbal dietetic "cleanses," and colonic irrigation. The site provides various plans such as juice cleansing, herbal cleansing, and rice cleansing; those programs consist of avoiding any foods for several days except for the prescribed herbs, juices, or other specific foods (like rice). The principles detailed that supposedly support the benefits of cleansing are that modern nutritional habits and the consumption of foods containing synthetic preservatives or grown with insecticides result in the storage of significant quantities of "toxins" and "poisons" in our tissues.

According to the website, a cleansing program allows the body to rid itself of these toxins and, therefore, is tremendously beneficial to human health. In that regard, the website also says that many of the common ailments from which we suffer (especially those that are not diagnosed successfully by physicians) are actually caused by this storage of toxins and poisons from our food.

The website provides absolutely no substantive research or authoritative sources for any of the claims or representations on the website. If anything, the tone, substance, and style of the site seems purposely intended to create the impression that it is a legitimate source of objective information about nutrition. The bottom of every page includes a set of links to "Related Articles" but every one of those "articles" is simply a link back to other sections of the website. Meanwhile, there is an extensive and very carefully-worded Disclaimer section that is obviously intended to protect the venture from violating laws about offering medical advice without legitimate medical credentials of any kind. In fact, the disclaimer directly contradicts the substance of the website. According to the disclaimer:

"The information contained in this Web site (the "Site") is presented solely for general informational purposes so that you may learn more about the subject. NOTHING CONTAINED in the SITE IS INTENDED to CONSTITUTE, nor SHOULD it BE CONSIDERED, MEDICAL ADVICE or to SERVE as a SUBSTITUTE for the ADVICE of a PHYSICIAN or OTHER QUALIFIED HEALTH CARE PROVIDER."

However, the information detailed on the site very clearly does provide advice about treating disease (in general) and does not warn visitors to rely on qualified health care providers; it obviously attempts to fill that role while shielding itself legally through the disclaimer. The most disturbing part of the website is its explanation of the process by which the human colon supposedly "retains" fecal matter and other "coatings" on the walls of the colon. According to the site:

"The colon is the waste pipe of the body. Once the nutrients are taken out and processed, the waste from your food intake is passed through the colon and expelled from your body. What many people don't realize is that this fecal matter can get backed up and solidified in your colon, and without a regular cleansing program can get trapped there for years or decades, slowly releasing toxins into your system. The waste matter hardens, fixing itself to the wall of the colon. Sometimes an unhealthy colon will have attached to it up to 20 pounds of this matter that just won't go away! Ever wondered why you sometimes feel heavy and bloated?"

According to my doctor, an Internal Medicine specialist, this information is incredibly inaccurate and completely ridiculous. It is physically impossible for the human colon to "retain" any type of "coating" on its walls. In fact, the entire epithelium (the semi-permeable membrane through which nutrients and liquids are absorbed by the body) sloughs of completely every 72 hours. Furthermore, any colonoscopy clearly shows that the walls of the entire intestine are actually so thin that they are transparent with blood vessels clearly visible underneath the surface.