Customer Reviews

7-Day Detox Miracle, Revised 2nd Edition: Revitalize Your Mind and Body with This Safe and Effective Life-Enhancing Program

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When I finally admitted to myself recently (at age 44) that I had allowed my body to get 'out of hand'; the first step taken was to get a hold of an authoritative source on Detoxification. Whereas most folks would look for the Quick Weight Loss type of diet, what I was after was a more permanent change in everlasting health.

I was looking for an end to chronic headaches, sore joints, and looking forward to seeing my toes again and being able to simpy bend over and touch them. These were not severe problems...most people would not say I was unhealthy, over even very much overweight. But I was doing it for myself - and my future.

Peter Bennett and Stephen Barrie's book on Detoxification came to me at the right place and at the right time. In this book you get not one, but three no-nonsense and practical approaches to creating a healthy lifestyle.

The scientific explanations are there, but if you don't need or care for reading through the medical jargon - you can skip straight ahead to the layman's explanations.

This is the 'Pep Talk' and motivation that will prevent you from chickening out either due to your own weakness or the pressure of others. Finally, there are tried and true recipes and shopping lists, and even a sample Journal of one woman as she was experiencing the effects of the Detox Programme.

I would like to add my own reflections here so you can sense what its like. The advice from the book is represented in my daily routine. It is flexible enough to be adapted under different conditions.

Here is my Journal Entry:

Me? I'm still on the Juice Fast. Have extended beyond Day 7 because haven't lost enough fat. This is the morning of Day 9.

Today I did my special version of a Non-sauna sweatbath. This is done every morning upon arising.

1. Extreme HOT water on the back for 5 min.

2. Extreme COLD water on the back for 1 min.

Repeat (1) and (2) two more times.

Roll myself up in a thick blanket and sweat heavily for 30 minutes.
Take a final COLD shower with soap to rinse it all off.

-----------------------------

Proceed with daily routine:

Drink HERBAL Tea for breakfast.

Fill up (TWO) 1.5 litre bottles of pure mineral water with the FRESH JUICE of 1 LEMON in each.

Sip the LEMON WATER throughout the day.

I allow myself one meal per day;

1. Steamed BROWN THAI JASMINE RICE with steamed BROCCOLI and CARROTs, 1 raw ONION, and sliced FIRM TOFU. The DRESSING is pure unfiltered APPLE CIDER VINEGAR.

2. Other drinks include a WARM BROTH of powdered SOYBEAN & powdered BROWN RICE, with shredded coconut.

3. Take suppliments twice daily: Daily Multi-Vitamin and Antioxident tablets.

--------------------------

Have NOT had any of the following foods for the past 9 days:

1. No chocolate

2. No coffee, coca-cola, black tea (caffeine)

3. No white sugar

4. No oil

5. No meat

6. No wheat (bread)

This is notable because I have been a notorious 'junk food junkie', snacking out and bindging (I called it 'rewarding myself', HAH!) on fast foods.

Benefits:

1. No headaches. Usually had at least one bad headache per week.

2. Lost weight. How much? Unknown, because I don't weigh myself. But am able to watch the clothes get looser.

3. Joints not as sore; ankles, knees, kneck. More limber. I should be swimming daily but instead my exercise consists of a 20 minute walk to and from the supermarket. On the way back am carrying heavy bags including mineral water. This in essence earns me my meals.

4. Less Appetite. In fact, have not even CRAVED any of the 'bad' foods above.

5. Deeper sleep with more dreams.

6. Less stress, shorter temper

End of Day 9

The bottom line is, when you become TRULY SERIOUS about taking responsibility for your health and begin to live the maxim 'You are what you eat', a book like this will take you down the road to recovery.

This guide for a purifying fast and follow up detox diet may seem rather complicated if you do EVERYTHING, but there are some passages that let you know the key supplements to take and although this may seem hard to accept now, following this plan for about a week or so is not impossible. One also needs to be patient with oneself about how perfectly the diet's many recommendations are followed.

I lost four pounds in one week the first time I tried the diet, and found that soon after, when I went back to "regular food" my craving for certain foods was all but gone, and for others, greatlyl reduced. I still maintain some of the supplements but have reduced my intake to once a day to save money (I was faithful about the twice a day requirement on many of them during the initial week).

I have had a series of back and knee injuries and had taken muscle relaxers and anti-inflammatories with some regularity for years. I now think these substances had built up in my body, because within about two to three weeks of my weeklong detox (followed up by a less rigid diet that was nonetheless much improved over my usual diet), I felt a real difference, as if something had just gone out of me, not sure how else to express it. It's even helped my mood and energy.

I sympathize with those reviewers who felt that there was just no way for them to work this out because other family members could not support it. It IS an added burden to cook different meals, do special shopping, and yes the food can be boring if one lacks time to make the jazzier versions of the organic veggie meals. Fortunately, I have a flexible spouse and have taken a number of things out of my diet over the years--caffiene, alcohol, esp.

I guess I'd recommend that you ease up to giving up some of these things if you drink coffee, liquor, etc. It might be easier than dealing with a complicated diet and caffeine withdrawal all at once, for example. The supplements really can help you, however, clean out any toxins that come into your system while you are on the diet. Your body will start to try to get rid of the toxins, releasing them into the blood, and it may feel worse before it feels better. If you hang in there, take your supplements--I found NAC, Milk Thistle, and, of all things, Charcoal, especially useful--the discomforts may be somewhat reduced, as they were for me.

Still I highly recommend this and will continue to use it from time to time. The first time through, I found it hard to follow up in terms of adding foods, bit by bit, to detect allergies. But I did figure out I was very sensitive to white sugar, and cut back, with good results. Same a bit with wheat and things like corn chips. I've continued to lose weight (three more pounds in the following month, without any effort) and have fewer cravings, so I think it really works.

I've also done the diet for just six days another time because of family commitments, but still found it very useful and cleansing.

Give it a try at a workable time--but if you are ill, do it sooner, not later.

I tried this program as a way to let my body recover from the not-so-healthy things I ate and drank over the holidays. I started with the two day fast during which I felt crappy. But that was to be expected, according to the book. I could not have fasted on two work days - I felt that awful and groggy. After that I followed the 'diet' to the letter, including the supplements recommended. I didn't experience any caffiene withdrawal headaches which I was expecting. I didn't have any food cravings. So in those regards it wasn't bad after the two day fast was over. Did I feel better? Of course - don't eat junk food for a week and I guarantee you'll feel better too! I really can't claim that I felt 'detoxed' or saw any amazing differences like clearer skin, etc. I did as the book suggested and gradually added foods back into my diet. I have been going easy on the processed foods since then so it was a good way to make that switch.
I actually enjoyed the recipes but I would have liked more detail in their preparation (exact measurements, better cooking instructions, etc.) Also, in one place the book states that honey is a food to avoid, then later it is listed as an allowed sweetener. I liked the rice sesame casserole so much that I plan to make it in the future, detox or not.
One more thing to note - most of us won't have many of the ingredients needed for these recipes in our pantries. I had to find a whole foods grocery for some of the items. I also own a juicer - that made this program easier as well.

There are about 20 pages actually devoted to the diet out of a total of 290 pages. That being said it's not necessarily a waste of paper because the author goes to some length to explain some rather interesting facts. The first part of the book goes into some rather lengthy detail as to how the body can get into a toxic state, what body parts are affected and what they should be doing if all were well. If you have a good understanding of this (which I did) then you'll not be too interested.

The section after the diet talks about supplementation, circulation therapy (rather important to good health) and a summary section of the basics of what is involved with following the 7 day detox program during and afterwords. There is also a detoxification questionnaire in the appendix which was rather interesting. The author gives credit where credit is due and there is a rather extensive reading section as well as a decent index.

There is nothing wrong with this book but basically it's a rice cleansing program and if you have done any reading on the subject of fasting and detoxification you already know what rice can or can not do for you. If you want additional info on body, cell and mind functions this isn't a bad way to go.

I bought this book one year ago. I skimmed through it and then attempted to do the program, but failed on the first day. This time I read the whole book and was amazed at the information given. Unlike other nutritionally related books, this one was well written and easy to follow. After reading it I tried the plan again and I was amazed. I lost 9 pounds in one week and my energy level is through the roof. Plus, I have the skin I have always dreamed about with a glow and heatlhy and smooth.

Don't get me wrong, this is brutal. You have to really be willing to make a change. It's hard. But if you feel your ready and not looking for an immediate, easy quick fix, this is an excellent way to improve your health and your confidence.

This book has changed my life, the way I look at food and the way I treat my body. I am so glad that I finally spent the time to read it through.

THE 7-DAY DETOX MIRACLE was written for those who know that a yearly detox is just one step on the road to wellness. Most doctors acknowledge that many illnesses have their origin in the gradual accumulation of junk and gunk in the liver, kidneys, and bloodstream. What authors Peter Bennett and Stephen Barrie have done was to write a text that is somewhere in the middle between a primer for the layman and a more advanced text for serious students of medicine and health. They devote the first seven chapters to a scholarly yet readable theoretical explanation as to what a detox is, what it is not, why we need one, and the various lab tests that allow you to optimize and individualize a detox program. The part of the book I found a needed warmup for the actual process itself was the authors description for a dedication for a week long task that may disrupt one's life style for that week. Essentially, they recommend that one ought to take a series of tests prior to the detox that range from chemistry screen testing to acid/base PH testing and to oxidative stress testing. Since these tests require the intervention of qualified health care professionals, it makes sense not to act precipitously without outside help. Once you know what shape your body is in relative to potential toxic excesses, then the program as outlined in this book not only makes sense but is seen as a necessary treatment either to eliminate these toxins or to make sure that you never get them.

Once you commit to a detox, the authors suggest a 1 or 2 day fast supplemented by liquid intake. The diet they urge you to follow for the next 5 days is a helpful and healthy regimin of brown rice, selected fruits and vegetables, and green barley, all of which form the basis of an ongoing diet. What I found most useful about this text is that the authors do not mandate any one aspect of their detox program. Indeed, if you were to adopt even just one part of it, then you would benefit. In my case, my health was pretty good going into the process, so I decided to skip the fasting component and focus on those foods and supplements that act as natural detoxifiers. After a week of eliminating from my diet those foods that were deleterious, mostly saturated fat based, and adding those that were benign, I noticed that I simply felt better. A recent physical exam following my partial detox revealed a much lowered cholesterol count and a strong overall constitution.

I recommend the 7-DAY DETOX MIRACLE because it is clearly written, is based on sound medical principles, and provides many tips and suggestions on how to maintain your new-found health after the intitial week's program is over.

If you want to know WHY to Detox and how the body functions in it cleansing processes this book is for you. If you want to know HOW to Detox, don't waste your time. 90% of the book tells you WHY and when you get to the chapter on HOW, whoa, what happened? You get a quick and dirty of drink lemon water for two days, then for day 3 through 7, drink some more lemon water but eat a lot of veggies, fruit, and rice products.

That's the gist, save yourself some money and just go out and buy a Detox kit. At least it will give you the guidelines on how to take the products. The book doesn't even tell you how to take the Vitamin/supplements listed in the Basic Detoxification Shopping List. Go figure.

I give the book a 3 for it educational value as to why to detox and how the body cleanses itself. When it comes to HOW to detox, I would rate it a 1 only because of the methods listed. Very disappointed.

My girlfriend and I both felt the need to do some cleansing and heard about this book through Natural Cures They Don't Want You to Know About. We started it on a Saturday so we could do the water fast on the weekend - very good idea. I was amazed how I had not problem with hunger and even though I have to watch my blood sugar level there was no problem. We felt so great when we were done. This is something I think we will do at least once a year.

I wasn't really feeling a need for a full detox, my concern was my cholesterol. My doctor was referring me to a stroke and heart attack prevention clinic. I knew I had to do something and taking prescription medication (poison) was not a desirable "solution".

I had previously heard of this book from a hiking friend who recommended it whole heartedly, so I figured it was worth a try. I did not do the fasting nor the hydro therepy (I think the Geneva conventions and ASPCA would frown on the latter).

I did faithfully follow the diet plan. This included eating 100% vegan and consuming no coffee, black tea, chocolate or alchohol for 12 days. Since then I have included fish and lesser amounts of coffee and alchohol than I consumed in the past.

The good news is my Dr. called today with my cholesterol results and CANCELLED my appointment with the stroke and heart attack clinic because the results were so profoundly improved!

The book has sample meal plans and easy to follow recipes. The meals taste good and you don't go hungry (unless you do the two day fast). An added benefit was getting my weight down about 7 lbs (5%) and reducing my bmi a couple percent.

The scientific and biological explanations of how our bodies become toxic at the beginning of the book really enlightened me and gave my brain the underpinnings and motivation that it needed to succeed in a two day fast. I felt amazing after the seven day program. I can see better, I'm not achy and my just-turned 30 something body is ready to enter the next decade. The recipes in the book really help you structure a meal plan for the program and they taste great!