Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, the NFL's reigning MVP, says he recently finished a 12-day cleanse involving butter, laxatives, and abstaining from sugar, sex, and alcohol.
Rodgers said on the Pat McAfee Show that he completed a Panchakarma, a period of reflection meant for cleansing the mind and body.
The Panchakarma is rooted in a traditional healing practice from India called Ayurvedic medicine, which promotes health and wellbeing by balancing the elements or energies with lifestyle, diet, and meditation.
It is intended to "lubricate" and cleanse the digestive system, and should be done only with a trained practitioner, according to the Ayurvedic Institute. Rodgers said he felt a sense of gratitude after the cleanse and it helped him relieve stress.
The cleanse typically includes a strict diet and avoidance of vigorous activity
The exact process of the Panchakarma can vary, since different people are likely to have different needs based on their unique energy balance, according to the Ayurvedic Institute.
However, the basic recommendations for the cleanse include drinking two ounces of warm ghee (clarified butter) in the morning and herbal laxatives at night. Practitioners eat mainly mixture of rice, mung beans, and vegetables known as kichari, cooked with more ghee and seasonings like ginger, turmeric, and coriander.
Foods to avoid during the cleanse include sugar, alcohol, caffeine, drugs, dairy, and cold food or beverages, according to the Ayurvedic Institute. During the cleanse, practitioners should avoid any stimulating activities like exercise, music, television, or sex, and spend time resting and reflecting in a warm, quiet place.
In some cases, the process may involve "therapeutic vomiting," enemas, and bloodletting.
There's no evidence you can remove toxins with a cleanse, and risks include dehydration and digestive upset
While there may be a spiritual side to the Panchakarma, there's no evidence-based health benefit to undertaking a cleanse diet, according to Bonnie Taub-Dix, registered dietitian and the author of "Read It Before You Eat It - Taking You from Label to Table."
"We were given livers and kidneys to help with detox, we don't need to do something like this to make yourself healthier," she told Insider.
One 2009 study found that, while there was no evidence of major health benefits of Panchakarma itself, the cleanse may make people feel healthier. However, Taub-Dix said there's a risk of dehydration and electrolyte imbalance from consistent use of laxatives and ghee, which also has a laxative effect as a concentrated form of saturated fat.
Instead of undertaking a rigorous detox process, Taub-Dix would recommend most people to try small, consistent changes that balance their diet.
"Cleanses are short term practices that bring unrealistic results. The focus is to lubricate your system and push foods out, when you should be focusing on what you're putting into your body," she said.
