Despite sticking to my New Year’s intentions, I’m still feeling sluggish. What’s a girl to do?

Detox. 

Okay, maybe that wasn’t the obvious answer. The first time I heard about detoxing, I thought it sounded ridiculous. After researching a few last week, I decided to try one of the juice cleanses described in The 3-Day Cleanse. My opinion changed when I talked to Dr. Kathia Roberts of Seasonal Health. Her first question was how I've prepared for the detox.

Prepared? I hadn’t. I just feel crappy and want to feel better. She graciously—and in a much nicer way—basically told me I was crazy.

Last week, Roberts treated several patients who were experiencing severe reactions to cleanses that they tried after reading about them online. Not wanting to have the same problem, I asked her to give me a basic introduction.

What is a cleanse?
It is basically refraining from certain foods (impure, processed), giving the body a break, cutting off certain metabolic and system functions so it can rest and recuperate. You need to do it properly. You need to have a person monitoring and preparing you and who can take you off of it carefully. Otherwise, it can cause more harm than good.  If you are seriously ill, you should enter the detox gradually. The body is so stressed already, you don't want to put it in shock.

How often should I cleanse?
Do a three-week detox once a year. Also do a seasonal detox for three days or do a fluid day once a week, which means consuming alkalizing broths, soups and grilled vegetables.

Is it expensive?
No, because you’re not eating out or drinking alcohol. You end up spending much less money. Roberts is currently offering a $100-rebate on the cleanse that she administers.

How do I prepare?
Assess your own health first. If you’re on medication, going through a very stressful period or have chronic or acute symptoms acting up, it’s not the right time for you. Make some small changes first to purify your diet first before you do a detox.

One to two weeks before the cleanse, start by eliminating dairy, wheat, processed and fast foods. Start eating organic, local, in-season foods that you prepare for yourself. Next, eliminate stimulates—coffee, alcohol—and drink purified water. (This can be from a Brita or similar filter, doesn’t have to be bottled.)

What will the cleanse be like?
Depending on your pre-cleanse condition, you will experience severe detox symptoms such as headache, flu-like, coughing, nose running, rashes, chills, fever. These are the effects of the toxins leaving your body.

It doesn't feel good, but it's worth it.

Is there any way to lessen the effects?
Visiting a sauna, skin brushing, sweating, all of these exhilarate it. Go in for colonic. These will all help you move through that symptoms quicker.

Does it really work?
Roberts said she has many patients who start out skeptical. They ask when will it work, will it work, are there side effects, do I have to do this forever. And when it works, she says, they can't believe it. “They’re like ‘this stuff really works!’” she said, adding, “Well, why study it if I don't believe it works?”

If you are more interested in exploring cleanses, Roberts is hosting a detox information session at 117 Washington St. on Saturday from 3 to 5 p.m. She will discuss all of the detoxes and cleanses out there—including the three-week Standard Process Purification Program that she administers through her practice—and the benefits and potential side effects of each version.