Detox diets: Health regimen or latest fad?

(CNN) -- A body detoxification program that urges people to "Be your own doctor" is growing in popularity -- but some doctors say the regimen doesn't do anything that the body doesn't do naturally.

"You can't live in a dirty environment, breathing dirty air ... eating food that's contaminated with poisons and pesticides and be healthy," said John Wood, a co-founder of the "21-Day Detox" program in California.

Organizers of 21-Day Detox say the "full-body detox" program eliminates from the body toxins encountered in daily life -- polluted air and water, hormones in some foods, even harmful chemicals in cleaning products -- by modifying diet.

"[People are] not relying on medicine to cure all their ills," Wood said. "It's a time when people are really taking back their health."

Books and tapes about different detox and fasting programs abound, with claims that include age reversal, body cleansing and stopping disease.

At the American University for Complementary Medicine in Los Angeles, program participants attend classes led by Dr. Richard DeAndrea and learn about recipes, health-food store shopping and meditation, among other things.

DeAndrea said that it's possible for the body to heal without a prescription.

"I've actually seen people reverse conditions like psoriasis, arthritis, nagging conditions," said DeAndrea. "Things they've been told they'd have to take pills for the rest of their lives."

Going vegan, fasting

During the course of the three-week program, the group avoids animal products and dairy and go vegan. The program even includes abstaining from confrontation with others, billing itself as a holistic detox.

Participants start off on a plant-based diet, move on to raw food and then go on a blended liquid fast for seven days, under physician supervision.

The blended liquid is a greenish concoction called "energy soup," which Wood and DeAndrea say supplies all the body's daily nutrients.

Some participants twist their faces at the mere mention of the soup, yet most admit during weekly meetings that it bolstered their flagging energy.

Star Hansen said the program put her on a path to restored health.

"I feel very, very good," Hansen said. "My head is much more clear, I have a ton of energy. Just really refreshed, rejuvenated."

She said the detox also improved a skin condition and helped her kick a serious sugar habit.

"Before, it was really easy to focus on the sugar or focus on the bad things," she said. "But with this you're so busy finding foods that are fueling your body and are good for you, that you really aren't looking for those avenues anymore."

Hansen admits that the detox was not always easy. Other participants admitted experiencing serious lapses in energy, with one person saying she felt dizzy at times.

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