Junger - Clean

I dedicate this book to my daughter Grace,
my greatest teacher and doctor. She provided the most
profound experience of my life, which is also the
most powerful healing medicine: unconditional love.

Contents

I always thought that I lived a fairly healthy lifestyle, but then I think, as it is with a lot of people, one situation started me down the slippery slope to bad habits. The outcome was chronic insomnia, dull and puffy skin, a few extra pounds, headaches, and more colds. I had absolutely no energy or lust for life, and a terrible sweet tooth to boot. I thank God that this very important book by Dr. Alejandro Junger was brought to my attention. I read this book in one sitting and began to really believe that I could at last do something about how I felt.

My often bumpy ride through detox was aided by the help and support of the Clean Team and the online community. They are a great resource for information, recipes, and encouragement. They really were my cheerleaders, and have sparked a new and avid interest in all things healthy.

Twenty-one days is all it took to change my life around. I thank Dr. Junger from the bottom of my heart. I feel amazing. To sleep a deep sleep throughout the whole night is pure bliss. I have so much energy. Ive lost the puffiness AND six pounds. I have toned and tightened up all over.... My skin is smooth and clear, seemingly with no pores. The sugar cravings have left me. I also am so much more aware... my head is clear and Im no longer on autopilot. In fact, I have discovered that my body is incredibly smart, and Ive learned to listen.

Today is the last day of detox. Ive been dancing and singing all day. My face is sore because I cant stop smiling. My boyfriend called me a radiant, beautiful, and joyous bundle of energy. THAT right there folks, is the most amazing compliment I have ever received. Oh joy.... life feels great!

I have traveled the world for the past 30 years of my life, and my mind, body, and soul have never experienced such a wonderful and enlightening journey as this one. The journey had its share of rocky roads, but I would have endured much, much more to experience the LIFE I feel right now. The destination you all have in mind is such a wonderful place to be!

Keep strong people, because it is SO worth it.

Sally-Ann Webb, 47
Auckland, New Zealand

The single most important resource that keeps me strong when on the Clean Program is the practice of mindfulness. More correctly, my Zen mind helps me with the Clean Program, and the Clean Program helps my Zen mind. How? Clean is a powerful tool of mindfulness training. Its a workout in patience and restraint, in discipline and concentration. Food is life, and the way we take our food reflects our take on life. So much of ourselves is manifested in the way we approach the plate. With Clean, I am invited to approach each meal with attention and moderation, with gratitude and respect, with a mind aware of the grand pictureof our privileges and the global injusticeswhile totally dedicated to savoring the food that gives me energy and life. With Clean, the time and energy that are freed from obsessing about food can now be spent exercising the mind to stay in the moment, and to learn to deeply and joyfully live itto the tiny bite. Eating becomes an important, almost solemn, activity. As such, it makes sense to start it with a deep breath, a little bow, and a smile. By doing soalong with eatingit is my whole attitude toward life that I am training. I bet that you can bring yourself to ban self-indulgence, overconfidence, and wastefulness in your life if you learn to eliminate these evils from the way you eat. During Clean, you unclutter your body and mind. The found lightness is a terrific gift (especially to a humble martial arts student like myself ) that enables me to find my center, and to stay centered in body and mind. Not to mention that my enhanced supply of patience, restraint, discipline, and concentration allows me to efficiently and successfully steel my resolve in any task I have before me (including staying on Clean!). Its a virtuous cycle!

Paola Ferrari, 46
Houston, Texas

Hi fellow CleanersFor those of you just starting or contemplating starting, I want to give you a glimpse of what you have to look forward to.

In twenty-one days, Clean changed my body, cleared up my skin, and brightened my eyes. I am now sleeping through the night without clenching or grinding my teeth, and this has eliminated my need for a night guard. My chronic TMJ pain is gone. I would have done the cleanse for this benefit alone. I feel more rested and positive. Clean has helped me form a new relationship with food, and it has opened my eyes to what true health is.

I am now on day forty. I have changed very little in my diet since my initial twenty-one-day cleanse because I feel so wonderful! Really I cant say enough about this program. Clean is so simple and effective! I love it!

Thank you to everyone on the message boards and to Dr. Junger, of course!

Darrick Draper, 33
Astoria, New York

What a great gift. I never thought it would be possible, nor did I ever think I could be capable of breaking my cravings and dependencies. Clean is a POWERFUL program that exceeded my expectations. In turn, I was able to exceed my own expectations to what I am capable of doingphyscially, mentally, and emotionallyrunning up the hill that makes me cry every time we try to run up it, going for the bigger set of waves and committing, swimming a mile without flinching, going after clients I was too scared to go after before, providing advice, suggestions, and strategies where before I wouldve taken a backseat, meditating a peaceful start to the day, and being proud of myself, enjoying more from each day than I have ever done before, being grateful for all the things in my life, big and small.

Ria McVeigh, 35
Santa Monica, California

F ernando visited me three years ago from Uruguay on the recommendation of my sister. He was concerned about a nagging health issue for which his doctors didnt seem to have any answers. He was diagnosed with a condition called fatty liver. In many cases this condition is associated with alcohol consumption, but Fernando did not drink. His doctors told him that his case was severe enough that it might end up damaging the livers functionality. He was warned that he might need a liver transplant. After the appointment, his doctors sent him home and asked to see him in a few months to check his liver function and to monitor the progress of his disease.

Fernando flew to the States and stayed with me for three weeks. When I first saw him, he was slightly overweight, looked older than his age, and reported being extremely low in energy. I recognized the problem immediately and started him on the Clean Program. I explained that his liver was retaining fat to defend itself from the irritation of toxic chemicals. His body was experiencing a significant toxic overload and the fat, which had developed as a defense mechanism around the liver, was slowly destroying it.

A healthy liver regulates fat metabolism, is the primary fat-burning organ in the body, and is where the bulk of the critical detoxification work occurs. A fatty liver stores fat when it should be burning it and removing it from the body. Storing more and more fat, the liver is soon unable to function and toxins accumulate. If the cause of symptoms is not found, the severely compromised liver will have serious consequences for long-term health.

Fernando was an ideal patient and closely followed the Clean Program. Within a few days he started feeling better and by the time he left he had lost close to twenty pounds, his lethargy had completely disappeared, and he looked many years younger. As soon as he returned home, he visited his doctor for new blood tests and a liver scan. His doctor initially had told him not to come in as it was too early to re-test, that nothing could have changed enough to make a difference in such a short period of time. But Fernando insisted. When he showed up at the doctors office, the doctor was so shocked by the immediate physical change he saw that he decided to test him anyway, and to his amazement, there was no sign of fatty liver whatsoever.