Jill Ruttenberg and I are at in again offering you a wonderful start to the New Year, January 2 - 6, 2012 at the beautiful Amatierra in Costa Rica. The Detox Retreat includes raw food, yoga, thermal waters, canyon swimming, hiking, rest, relaxation, and much more. Many more details to follow. 

So what is fasting really like? In all the years I have been cleansing I have not experienced a genuine fast like the Master Cleanser (MC). A friend and I decided to do it together. The MC calls for a minimum of 10 days of fasting that allow a proportion of lemon juice, maple syrup and cayenne in water. We could drink as much as we wanted plus herb teas and plenty of water.

Once we began, the fast took hold of me. I did a light workout daily. Going from day 7 to 8 was the turning point. On day 8, I was flowing peacefully from one activity to another. I had no hunger. I did rest more in the evening. I lost interest in TV and radio, the electronics.

I felt very challenged emotionally and mentally. My friend and I would talk every day. We were a support team. She was more bothered with food cravings initially until day 8. I was detoxing my mental and emotional demons of anxiety, fear and other uncomfortable emotional states. I was reading Angela Stokes' book, Raw Emotions, and she says that whenever we cleanse by choosing to eat better or if we fast, we detox physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually.

My friend and I were fasting for transformation. She wanted to get rid of fatigue. I was interested in reducing some abdominal bloat in my small intestines as well as being open to insight and intuition I might receive while being more open and quiet.

I talked to a 'raw foodist' near day 5 of the fast. He mentioned that David Wolfe of Sunfood, a well-known authority on health and raw foods had modified the MC. He mentioned that some people reacted to the maple syrup, a complex sugar. I did. He suggested people use honey instead. Wolfe also suggested using the Fulvic Acid Mineral Complex with the fast to pull out the toxic and sometimes radioactive metals that pollute our environment.

A few days into the fast, I noticed that my body was swelling with edema and I was feeling so much fatigue. That peaked on day 6, the culmination of using maple syrup, a complex sugar. That was day 6 -- edema and fatigue and no work out. Beginning day 7, I substituted the honey, a monosaccharide, meaning a single sugar molecule, and the swelling went down and my energy went up. Dr Atkin's of the New Diet Revolution writes that complex sugars can cause hunger, craving and fatigue.

BTW I did daily enemas to keep my intestines free and clear of any toxins coming through. That's what is called for on any type of fast or deep cleanse.

What results did I feel or notice? I feel very good energy. Some of the brown spots on my facial skin faded. That was unexpected. It felt so great to give my whole system a rest. It felt great to give TV and radio a break. My body felt so much better qualitatively after the fast. I noticed how easily I breathed, how open my lungs and sinuses were during the fast. I notice that I am satisfied with less food now; I eat less. My skin is more firm; my muscles show more after the fast.

Also, I made a big distinction between physical and psychological addiction. Angela Stokes writes about this in her book, Raw Emotions. My friend experienced the physical addiction. She craved foods initially that she was withdrawing from including a big headache from coffee withdrawal on day one. I experienced my psychological addiction. I began withdrawing from my addiction to negative feeling and thinking such as anxiety, fear and other uncomfortable inner states. They were up for elimination. So when we do stop eating or refraining from certain foods, we can begin to release our 'addictions'. They off-gas, so to speak.

We are both glad we did the fast. We broke the fast according to the book. It took me nearly 10 days, the length of the fast, to get back to my regular eating habits! We both felt so excited that we had completed the fast. The teamwork helped immensely.

Kristen Taylor of Succulent-Raw-Tucson has organized another great raw food potluck that will be held at my home. You are all welcome. The idea is to prepare a delicious raw vegan dish that you share with the group. The people are great, the food is delicious, and I plan to give a small class on colon hydrotherapy at some point as part of Kristen's Vitality Master's Series. I think many of your would love this opportunity.

We are also looking for a 'service angel' to help out at the raw food potluck. You will earn credit toward some of the classes coming up on the site. Please contact me directly by email or phone, 520-325-9686 if you would like to do this for us. Or, contact Kristen.

If you would like to sign up, please use the Succulent-Raw link. Kristen has provided a wealth of information at the meetup so take time to see what's happening. See you at my potluck.

Sheila Shea is available to speak to your business or professional organization. I am happy to present my knowledge on colon hydrotherapy, detoxification and cleansing programs, raw food and/or specific carbohydrate diets. Email or call me (520) 325-9686.

Colon Hydrotherapy Spa & School, Consultations, Retreats & Raw Food Classes.