Binch

But is it a myth that everyone is carrying "10-20 pounds of excess waste product that is clinging to the lining of the intestines and blocking the absorption of nutrients into our diets?"

Link for busting that myth: http://www.snopes.com/horrors/gruesome/fecalcolon.asp

Great post, Salsa Dancer!

I really hope the OP returns and tells us which cruise line is hawking this detox/snake oil crap and trying to scam their customers. This is not the kind of behavior I would reward with my cruise dollars.:rolleyes:

Your body is "self-cleaning' on the inside. Don't take all that junk--they only thing you're losing is your money!

Jeez.

Which cruise line is hawking this snake oil anyway?

Link: http://www.quackwatch.org/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/detox.html

"It's an irrational concept, yet an intriguing idea, that modern life so fills us with poisons from polluted air and food additives that we need to be periodically "cleaned out" ("detoxified"). Never mind that natural chemicals in our foods are thousands of times more potent than additives, or that most Americans are healthier, live longer, and can choose from the most healthful food supply ever available.

The elaborate, manipulative hoax of "detoxification" is gaining ground. Many people sincerely believe that their intestines, colon, and blood stream are subject to "clogging" by undigested foods and poisons. Food faddists seem to have a special fascination with bowels, colons, and body wastes.)

The supposed need to detox is promoted through extensive writings, advertisements and door-to-door pitches. This usually involves fasting several times a year for a few days while taking laxatives or diuretics to "clean out the system."

Some entrepreneurs claim that detoxing is a great way to jump-start a diet by losing 5 or 10 pounds before you even begin the diet itself. And if their scheme is not about weight loss, "rejuvenation" is typically recommended afterward. People who are persuaded that these activities will restore vigorous youth can wind up hooked on an herbal regimen that costs several hundred dollars a month. "