OVER-reported fad or genuine quick-fix for a tiny waistline? In the first of a two-part series, Tracey Scott braves some very different detox treatments.

DETOX diets have filled the headlines, taken over the lives of celebrity trend-followers, and made their creators a small fortune. But do they really work?

Does depriving yourself of life's "sins" - such as coffee with an extra shot, alcohol in copious amounts, and chocolate by the slab - really clear your skin, increase your mental clarity and make your bowels do the Samba?

With the help of our local beauticians and nutritional experts, I decided to find out...

Juice Fasting A juice fast, as I found out, lasts three days. Three days may not sound like a long time but when you are on strict orders to avoid nicotine, alcohol, sugar, meat, caffeine and dairy produce for a week before you start, you too might lapse.

Preparing myself for this juice fast would have cut my pre-summer beer-garden warm-up short, so, as you can imagine, I had to take a shortcut. But rather then see this as cheating, I look at it as taking the toll to avoid the traffic. I skipped the seven-day preparation procedure and went straight in for the kill. I took the bull by the horns if you like.

For this diet to work you must consume 32-64ozs of juice - the equivalent of 8-9 large apples a day - which, as proud as I am to say, I successfully managed. You must also remember to match one part juice with three part distilled water.

Rather than work myself into a frenzy trying to experiment with an assortment of fruits, I stuck to the same three juice drinks for each of my three days.

Breakfast: Very Berry Breakfast - eight blackberries, eight rasberries and two apples. Lunch: Peachy Beach - two peaches, one mango, half a lemon and one cup of water.

Dinner: Water Fall - One-and-a-half watermelons, one pear, one cup of strawberries and half a cup of ice.

After Effects: Fruit busting does exactly what it says on the tin. After my three days I felt more productive, and lost four pounds because, lets face it, weight loss was my agenda.

Tip: Ease yourself back on to solid food slowly to avoid any adverse reactions. Don't make the same mistake as I did and go straight for an Aberdeen Angus beef burger - with extra fries.

Make a variety of juices to avoid boredom.

Colon Cleanse High five to colonic irrigation. It's painless, offers great results and your dignity remains intact - despite having a tube shoved up your backside.

With the average colon sitting at 5-7 feet in length and 2.5 inches in width, it came as a great surprise when it took just one hour and a half to cleanse. It really was my quick answer to detoxing my inner-temple.

Depending on how squeamish you are, you can see the waste coming away through a viewing window - I must pre-warn you though, the therapist can tell if, over the year, you have over-done it with potatoes and cheese, two of my favourite staples.

Before having 15 gallons of purified water pumped up my rectum, I was feeling sluggish, bloated and slightly irritable. But it wan't until after this colonic hydrotherapy that I was enlightened on the close link between the substances that cause our colon to clog up, and the above bodily disfunctions - thankfully not all of the following were pumped out of me.

According to Angela Close of The Beauty Lounge, a qualified colonic hydrotherapist, colon waste is toxic and poisonous, especially if it has remained in the colon for some time. Materials include impacted faeces, dead cellular tissue, accumulated mucous, parasites and worms - such material can hinder the absorption of vitamins and minerals.

It's no surprise then, after my colon was filled with water and my stomach area was gently massaged to release the waste stuck in my colon I had a flatter abdomen, sharper vision and a better sleeping pattern.

Afterthought: Angela Close, The Beauty Lounge, Bark Street East: "The client will be treated in a totally private room with only you and your colonic therapist present. The therapist will fully maintain your personal dignity at all times, they are trained to help you feel at ease.

"After the gentle insertion of a small tube into your rectum, you are completely covered.

"Colon cleansing is an essential component of colon health - a healthy cleansed colon equals optimum health."

Prices: Intial consultation and treatment, £65, A course of three, £175, One treatment thereafter, £60.

Side Effects: Headaches, shivers, cold, flu like symptoms. It should also be mentioned that this is not an alternative to weight loss, but optimum health.