For generations, March 21 signaled the start of a good housekeeper’s Spring Cleaning. But like everything else subjected to marketing hype, the concept has moved over to make room for today’s more intimate Spring Cleansing.

Among the growing list of detoxification cleanses, The Lemonade Diet–or The Master Cleanse–has snagged sufficient public attention to rank it the No. 1 “Googled” diet program on the Internet. Its use for weight loss by celebrities, like Beyonce Knowles, has clinched it a place on the latest list of fad diets.

The hype’s unfortunate, as it detracts from this simple drink’s true use as a method of clearing the body of waste, a straightforward program that can have a significant positive impact on health. More, many who try this cleansing drink without proper instruction fall short of their primary goal of losing weight, giving it an undeserved bad rap.

Weight loss does occur, but it’s just one of the beneficial side effects of using The Master Cleanse program. Its main attraction is the ability to assist the body in healing itself. Individuals who have successfully used this method, developed by Stanley Burroughs, testify in my book, The Complete Master Cleanse, to overcoming diabetes, allergies, asthma, depression, cancer and many other afflictions.

A 20th century pioneer in the field of alternative health, Burroughs [1903-1991] believed that all health disorders result from the body’s accumulation of wastes, toxins or poisons, primarily brought about by poor eating habits. Foods high in fat and low in fiber, processed foods and fast foods, all contemporary mainstays of the North American diet, create a toxic and overly acidic condition in the body. The ensuing inflammation allows for bacteria, fungus, viruses and parasites to proliferate. The general lack of proper nutrition starves the cells, resulting in unhealthy cells and opening the door to development of degenerative diseases.

To recreate health, Burroughs maintained that it is necessary to first stop consuming what poisons us and then feed our body with a simple and easily-digested, nutritious diet. This allows the body to do what nature long ago built into humans’ genetic makeup.

The Master Cleanse is not a fast, but a mono liquid diet that calls for drinking a combination of freshly-squeezed lemon juice, maple syrup and cayenne pepper, mixed into eight ounces of pure water. The person drinks this mixture six to twelve times a day, adding a morning and evening herbal laxative to facilitate elimination. No other foods are eaten.

Drinking only this special lemonade rests the digestive system and stimulates the body to cleanse itself. Because lemon and lime juices are the only foods with properties similar to bile, enzymes and other digestive elements in the body, they help stimulate the breaking down of unhealthy and unneeded cells, making materials available for internal recycling. The juices also break down and eliminate wastes from the body, including undigested foods lingering in the digestive system. Individuals can see pounds of harmful waste eliminated from their body over time. As waste leaves, health incrementally improves.

After completing The Master Cleanse, it’s essential not to return to former unhealthy eating habits. With the digestive system now working more efficiently, the body is able to absorb more calories from foods, and weight gain may follow. Properly implemented, a Master Cleanse becomes the first of many steps forward in adopting a healthier lifestyle.

Tom Woloshyn is the author of The Complete Master Cleanse: A Step by Step Guide to Maximizing the Benefits of the Lemonade Diet. For more information, visit his website www.Vitagem.com or email [email protected].