Cabbage Soup Detox Diet

Though you may feel tempted to try the popular fad diet known as the cabbage soup detox diet, many medical professionals say this extreme regimen won't offer long-term benefits. "People will lose weight in the short term, but nobody can stick with it," John Foreyt, Ph.D., a weight-loss expert at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, says on the website Health.com.

Features
Several variations of the cabbage soup detox diet exist, though the basic regimen for most versions of this diet revolves around drinking a few cups of a cabbage soup mixture every day for seven days. On "free days" dieters may also eat small amounts of other foods, mainly fruits and vegetables. Various publications promoting the cabbage soup detox diet claim that a person can lose up to 10 to 15 pounds in one week by following the diet plan, notes the University of Florida News.

Calories
Each cup of cabbage soup contains only about 66 calories, according to Health.com. On day one of the diet, a person may consume as little as 860 calories eating mainly soup, fruit and a glass of milk. Even as the diet progresses to include portions of fish or chicken, dieters still only consume a little over 1,000 calories per day, far short of the suggested 2,000 calories per day for most healthy adults. In some instances, dieters may drop to below 800 calories per day on this calorie-restricting diet.

Detoxing
Detox diets such as the cabbage soup diet claim to help your body flush out toxins, though some medical professionals criticize the importance of detoxing. According to gastroenterologist Nasir Moloo of Sacramento, California's Capitol Gastroenterology Consultants Medical Group, most healthy people's kidneys, liver, lungs and skin already provide plenty of detoxification. "Your body does a perfectly good job of getting rid of toxins on its own," says Moloo on MSNBC.com. "There’s no evidence that these types of diets are necessary or helpful."

Warning
Elaine Turner, a nutritional scientist at the University of Florida's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, warns that the cabbage soup detox diet may aggravate health conditions in some people, such as those with diabetes. "Consult your physician before beginning any new diet, and that goes double here," says Turner. Fasting and crash dieting also deprive your body of many necessary nutrients, and in the long term, these types of diets may weaken your heart. Short-term side effects can include fatigue, headaches and irritability.

Suggestions
Because so many dieters eventually regain the water weight lost during the cabbage soup diet, those looking for long-term results should consider a healthier approach to weight loss. Nutrition consultant Susan Moores, an American Dietetic Association spokesperson, suggests on MSNBC.com that you cut back the amount of high-fat food in your diet and follow a balanced meal plan that includes plenty of vegetables and fruit.

Natural Alcohol Detox Remedies

If a person has been drinking large amounts of alcohol for prolonged periods of time, alcohol withdrawal symptoms are likely to occur when the drinker attempts to stop or cut back consumption. In severe cases, alcohol withdrawal can be extremely unpleasant, dangerous and even life-threatening. It is not recommended for a heavy daily drinker to abruptly stop consuming alcohol without a detox plan in place.

For various reasons, people may prefer to use natural methods to safely detox from alcohol.

Conventional and Natural Treatments
Depending on the severity of alcohol consumption prior to detox, a medical practitioner will usually prescribe diazepam (Valium), chlordiazepoxide (Librium) or lorazepam (Ativan) to alleviate symptoms of alcohol withdrawal syndrome.

In the most serious cases, a medical practitioner will refer a patient to a detox facility to safely withdraw from alcohol. In milder cases, a care provider will administer the medications to the patient in his own home.

If using natural methods to home-detox, take a dose of vitamin-B complex, plus a thiamine (vitamin B1) supplement and large doses of vitamin C, selenium, magnesium and zinc. A combination of amino acids or a large dose of L-glutamine will help combat cravings.

Milk thistle and alpha lipoic acid supplements can help the liver recover after prolonged alcohol abuse.

An over-the-counter sleep remedy such as melatonin or valerian can help with insomnia bought on by alcohol withdrawal.

Symptoms of Alcohol Withdrawal
If several hours after taking your last drink, you find you are suffering from shakiness and sweating, and you feel overly anxious or panicky, you are beginning to show signs of alcohol withdrawal syndrome.

Alcohol withdrawal will usually start less than 12 hours after the last drink has been taken. However, this will depend on the individual, and symptoms can begin up to 48 hours after drinking. At the onset of symptoms you must quickly decide if you will continue with a home detox or seek medical advice, and take immediate steps to follow your chosen plan.

Waiting to act can be very dangerous.

Home Detox Steps
Abruptly stopping drinking when you have withdrawal symptoms is not advisable without medication. For hundreds of years, long before medications were available, people have successfully used alcohol for alcohol withdrawal symptoms. The optimal drink to use is beer, as anything stronger will likely lead to drunkenness.

The idea is to drink small amounts of beer, tapering down gradually until all possibilities of suffering withdrawal symptoms have passed. Usually within 24 to 48 hours the patient is able to stop drinking the beer safely.

The amount of beer will depend on each individual. Generally, 12 ounces every hour is a reasonable starting point, then slowly reduce the amount of beer, or increase the amount of time between taking the beer. After three hours, you should be able to safely take only 8 ounces per hour, which can then be reduced to 4 ounces every two or three hours.

Combine the beer tapering with your vitamin supplements, and drink plenty of water. Lemon juice added to the water will also help your body detox.

Eat only light foods, such as fresh fruits or vegetables, and then only if you feel hungry. Do not force food because you feel you should be eating. Your body has enough to cope with eliminating the alcohol, and it will let you know when it feels ready for food. By eating before your body is ready, you are simply putting more of a burden on overworked organs.