HELP! MC not "working"

[rawrunnergirl]

this is my 3rd day on the MC, and I'm not sure it's "working"...i'm happy to keep going w/ it - but i have some concerns...

first of all, i'm not having any "bm's"...and i just re-read how important that is! I don't know why but it's not making me "go" at all! I mean a tiny bit...and only when i've done my enemas. the salt water flush does nothing - even though i've doubled the amount of salt! I'm too scared to put more than that in...

which brings me to my next thing - the only elimination i've had has been like i'm "leaking" - i don't know how else to describe it. other than my enemas (which was basically the water just coming out anyway) the only "bm" i've had has been like i'm leaking!! SO gross...and SO strange! and that was only yesterday - today - nothing at all.

i'm feeling tired, and a bit hungry, but not bad at all...haven't lost any weight, but that's not my concern here...just trying to give you backround on how my body is responding. the only detox symptom i can tell is that my face has completely broken out!

so my question is - do i keep doing this? is this normal? i cannot do more salt flushes if they're not working - i don't want to add more salt. all i'm doing is peeing all day long, and being hungry. WHY isn't this working? (as far as being able to detox by actually eliminating all the YUCK from inside me!!!) Should I try a different type of fast?! I'm so frustrated!!!

please help!

[misslinda]

Rawrunnergirl,

When you abstain from food, bowel movements cease. Grant it, so me people will have bm's.

There's no right and wrong with the style of bm or the kind that comes out. Are you doing the flush everyday?

[rawrunnergirl]

Rawrunnergirl,
Are you doing the flush everyday?

well this is my 3rd day and i've done it every day - today doing double the salt...i could hardly stand it and felt nauseated all day, and still...nothing. i can't imagine doing more salt. or even that much - again!

[lavendarJ]

I think our bodies react differently to different cleanses. I think the MC is more strict in comparison to a juice fast. I am doing the MC for the second day time now. The first time was in in January for just over three weeks I think. I did this one to celebrate Spring and I am also doing it to give my digestive system a bit of a rest as I plan to begin the transition to raw in May. For the second MC, this is day 24 for me. My energy is really low and I completely understand what you are saying about the BM's. I know that part of the "slowing down" in the colon is due to not taking in regular foods. Yet, I am like you and want to still have some action going. Personally, I don't do the salt water flush, tried it the first time and just had a real moral problem with drinking all that salt. I don't like the sea salt or the epsom salt. For me, it feels like I am swallowing poison and it just makes me feel sick afterwards and does not produce results. It sounds like everything is a part of the cleansing process. I would monitor the BM's however. I don't know how everyone else feels about it but I am a devout believer in the saying that life and death begin in the colon. I am concerned about toxins that are being released being trapped in my system. This second time around. I did not have success with BM's...usually abdominal massage and a enema if needed will do the trick. This time nothing worked and I could feel the mass when I did the abdominal massage but couldn't get it to move. So I called my C.I. because it had been about 22 days then and she freaked out and we scheduled an appointment for a colonic. I had my colonic treatment yesterday and boy oh boy what a difference a day makes. Although I have been doing this MC for 24 days now, I knew there was some old food in there somewhere from before beginning the cleanse. I feel much better now. I do think that your symptoms can be said to be related to the MC...just be careful and make sure to drink enough water. Other than the sluggish bowel movements, I don't really have anything else going on other than having low energy and being more tired than usual. Just listen to your body and drink plenty of water. Also factor in everything else you are doing in you day-to-day activities. I know now that this type of cleanse is best when I am not so busy. I am on the go constantly and stand all day at my weekend jobs and so I think that is why I feel extra drained. There have been days when I have had to reschedule things just because I was too tired. So just make sure this MC won't tip the scales too much, have to try to keep a healthy balance. I've been a bit hard-headed at times - meaning too busy to squeeze a lemon and so just not drinking anything for hours at a time. Sometimes I have just let a day or two go by without drinking anything because I was too busy...bad choice; so just make sure you take care of you and only you can determine how long you want to do the MC.

[rawrunnergirl]

so then - why is the MC so important if the toxins can't be released? Is it better to do a different cleanse where i can detox and heal? I don't know too much about this - i'm just asking...cause i'm not doing a cleanse just to let my body rest...i NEED to cleanse! I've been constipated for 10 years!! So, I'd really like to do a cleanse that will make a difference, you know? I guess that's why i'm frustrated...

[misslinda]

Rawrunnergirl, given your history and this is only a personal take on it but I don't think something this strenuous for you is conducive. I mean, the salf flush can have poor results for folks with certain kinds of digestive/bowels issues.

;) If I were in your shoes, I would juice fast for a few days. Take some really good probitoic supplement and flush on the 3rd day with something soft like Mag powder. Colon timing is so off for you right now.

Can I ask what your stomach feels like overall when you eat?


Be gently with your digestive system--it's very sensitive

[misslinda]

so then - why is the MC so important if the toxins can't be released? Is it better to do a different cleanse where i can detox and heal? I don't know too much about this - i'm just asking...cause i'm not doing a cleanse just to let my body rest...i NEED to cleanse! I've been constipated for 10 years!! So, I'd really like to do a cleanse that will make a difference, you know? I guess that's why i'm frustrated...

Toxins are released thru skin and colon. The flush or whatever is used as eliminator, expels it.

[Rawkinlocs]

rawrunnergirl,

First, I'd like to commend you for doing this and going 3 days...I don't think I've ever gotten past day 3 when attempting to do the MC.

I know that Mr. Burroughs is deadset against enemas, but when I DID do the MC, that was my elimination method of choice because the salt flush made me sick and I just couldn't down it. The tea, I just don't care for laxative teas. So, I did enemas.

It could be one of two things...either you don't have much in you to eliminate or you are just that (sorry for the terminology here) plugged up. I know I used to be severely constipated and backed up prior to doing enemas and going raw. I don't do enemas anymore...don't really feel the need to, but if I were doing the MC or even juice fasting, I'd do one daily as long as I was fasting to eliminate because as Linda stated, when you're only on liquids with no fiber, there is nothing to "push stuff out".

If you can keep it going, keep going and if YOU feel comfortable with doing enemas instead of the salt flushes, then do those. It might take more than 3 days to get going...you might have the elimination of a lifetime on the 7th day or something...never know! Just my lil' ole .02

[aromaticwings]

Here is what I would do...

No be it known I am no Dr. and have not been doing this long myself... this will be my short version as I wrote this once and my pc died and lost it all...heavy sigh.

I would drink a quart to a gallon of green smoothie a day along with the "lemonade". In this green drink which is blended with good dark greens like spinach and Kale and dandelion greens.. add to the blend two apples. I have read that the natural pectin in the apple is a natural helper in moving the bowels. Now to me and my body it has also been SAD for a long time 47 years.. I will be 50 in June.. This form of a "fast" of sorts has helped clean me out. but I also got nutrients my body needed, enzymes to help digest the foods, and the pectin to move the bowel. The amount of green smoothie and the lemonade will move and churn up any crud you have. The lemonade will also help move fats in the system.. Also might want to take extra enzymes that are sold on Alissa's site.

Just a thought..

[lavendarJ]

It may not be for you; there are a million ways to cleanse and I now know that for future references I wouldn't do the MC back to back and will just stick to my daily cleansing rituals. I can relate to the constipation thing. I have had chronic constipation for over 10 years now (started in my 20's and now I am in my 30's) and I have a lot of that SAD food plugged up. Make the best choice for you and hang in there :)

[rawrunnergirl]

thanks for all the advice! I haven't done the flush the past 2 days, so i haven't been nauseated at all - still yesterday I felt AWFUL! Had a migraine all day and through the night - couldn't sleep...but i finally did a bit, and woke up this morning (day5) feeling better! However, i'm finding it very difficult to function on this! And i'm not sure if i can continue cause i have a 1yr. old and a 3 yr old - so i have to have energy! oh my - i'm struggling w/ this...and given my chronic constipation, i want to do what's right. do you think it would be okay to only do 5 days - then start w/ lots of juicing and green smoothies? so i won't be eating a lot - but i'll still be eating - but healing w/ all the juicing and smoothies? any other reccommendations? i feel like i should know what's best for my body, but i don't!!

[jenjenn]

I'm having a very similar experience to you and I put a post up about it in the fasting section.

So how are you doing now?

WHAT did you decide to do?

[samadhisoul]

i would suggest you stop those salt water flushes! when I did it, they did NOT work for me but the tea did--u can also try an enema, as Cherie suggested--
if u are peeing all day, you just MAY be losing weight, i did have a similar hurdle around days 6-8 (of 14) until I realized that I was not drinking water along with my lemonade, this is very important.
stick with it!, and good luck to you.
adding the green juice is an excellent idea...of course, then it won't be the Master cleanse but a cleanse nonetheless

[luvnraw]

Rawrunnergirl,

Sorry you are feeling so badly. I did 5 days on the MC (no syrup) doing the salt water flush and the tea in the pm and did go even though I have issues with that when not raw......I then did 8 days of raw foods and just broke doing a 12 day MC yesterday.....the salt water flush is horrible and I was doing it every other day and by like day 8 stopped altogether.....as far as energy I finally had a tolerable amount on day 10-12.....congrats for getting as far as you have! I agree with others though, there are many ways to fast and heal and maybe MC isn't for you? Hope you feel better soon! Christi

[jenjenn]

So how you both doing now?

Luvin raw did you lose weight this time on the MC, what did you use instead of the syrup , I feel it's too sweet tooo but I don't know what else to use becuase they say that maples the best because it has the minerals we need since we're fasting.Tommorrow will be my 8th day and I've only lost about 1 lb. but more than that I feel clogged up in a way , my waist is smaller so I know it's all water but still I had a better experience with a juice fast I just want to finish this mc since I started it.