Question: My wife is doing a “cleansing fast” for a week during which she won’t eat any solid food and will only drink water and juices. This sounds very unhealthy to me, but she insists it will reduce toxins in her body. What do you think?

Dr. Cwynar's answer:
I don't believe in food cleanses. I think they are dangerous. Fasting for one or two days is OK, but most "detoxes" last longer than that. It safer and more effective to detox with herbs and vitamins that can be prescribed by a qualified health care professional while on a particular diet designed to accompany that herbal protocol. Detoxifying your body yearly or even twice a year can be helpful -- starving yourself is not.