While herbal self-cleanse kits make for very effective, engaging and empowering preventive medicine, they are by no means the only method for internal cleansing. Dr. Dipasquale has many patients who respond well to a 7-day diet modification regimen, which can be done as a Spring and Fall cleanse.

The program involves daily elimination of a food group from the patient’s usual diet. On the middle day of the program, the patient should be consuming only liquid foods—broths, juices and teas. Then the eliminated food groups are gradually added back. The regimen is as follows:

Day One: Eliminate animal protein, and eat vegetables, fruit, grains, nuts and seeds, beans and other plant proteins.

Day Two: Eliminate the plant proteins, nuts and seeds; and eat only vegetables, fruits and grains.Day Three: Eliminate the grains and eat only fruits and vegetables.

Day Four: Eliminate all solid food; consume only broths, juices, miso soup, water and tea.

Day Five: Add back fruits and vegetables.

Day Six: Add back grains.

Day Seven: Add back plant proteins, nuts, seeds. Thereafter patients who eat animal proteins can do so if they so choose.

“People are really successful with this, and they come out of it feeling great. They sometimes find that they don’t even want McDonald’s anymore.”