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Liquid Diet Newest Hollywood Rage

Local Desert Spa Drawing Rich And Famous

POSTED: 4:29 pm PST February 5, 2002
UPDATED: 6:23 pm PST February 5, 2002

A strict regimen of colonics and raw vegetable juice may not sound like your ideal vacation, but Hollywood celebrities and supermodels can't get out to the desert fast enough for it, 10News reported.

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The routine is being offered at the We Care Holistic Health Center, in Desert Hot Springs. Stars like Ben Affleck, Matt Damon and Mariah Carey claim to have been transformed there.

One of the most striking aspects of the spa is its distinct lack of food. Breakfast, lunch and dinner can be poured into a glass. Guests at the spa spend a week fasting, drinking only vegetable juice and herbal tea concoctions.

Spa representative Susana Lombardi said that each drink serves a different purpose.

"You get 13 different drinks throughout the day: something for the liver, something for the kidneys … every drink has a different purpose," Lombardi said.

"Impurities" are flushed out with a series of colonics. The spa describes a colonic as " a deep cleanse of the entire large intestine." They are similar to enemas, except a little more intense.

Carol LeBeau pours a glass of vegetable juiceLombardi said that guests are "rejuvenated" by the program, and the Spartan diet helps the individual shed pounds in a hurry.

Michael Sinel came to the spa from Los Angeles. He told 10News that he was concerned at first about the program but by the second day of the program his energy level had shot up dramatically.

"I felt mentally sharper, and it continued through the week," Sinel said.

However, many dieticians would advise against such a program. Diet expert Dr. Ken Fujioka told 10News that a combination of fasting and colonics could lead to a dramatic loss in potassium and minerals. He also said that extended periods of fasting could be unhealthy.

"It can be dangerous and harmful, particularly with patients who have medical problems," Fujioka said.

The spa told 10News that it had no history of guests developing health problems after treatment. Clients pay upwards of $2,000 a week to visit the spa.

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