ALEJANDRO JUNGER
It’s a true pleasure to share this inspiring conversation with Dr. Alejandro Junger, the visionary Uruguayan-born physician behind the wildly popular Clean Program. Known as the go-to cleanse in Hollywood, the Clean Program has won the hearts (and health) of A-list devotees including Gwyneth Paltrow, Zoe Saldana, Naomi Campbell, and Demi Moore. Gwyneth even dedicated a section of her best-selling cookbook It’s All Good to Dr. Junger’s philosophy, crediting the program with transforming her health.
As someone who is currently midway through my second Clean program, I can personally attest to its powerful impact. I’m excited to dive into the inspiration behind the program, what makes it so effective, and why it continues to resonate with so many people around the world. The Clean Program redefines what a cleanse can be: not a punishing reset, but a gentle, nutrient-rich path to rebalancing the body, with weight management as a welcome, but secondary, outcome.
AJ: When I was born in Uruguay in 1964, and growing up there, supermarkets didn’t exist. We made all meals from scratch. Everything was organic by default. That was my foundation. My earliest mentor and inspiration was my dad. He was a Holocaust survivor. He didn’t know how to read or write until his 40s, but had an innate wisdom that still blows my mind 20 years after he passed. Before any clinical studies on garlic, he was talking about how healthy and important it was. Maybe because he was born in Transylvania…
STIL: What was the pivotal moment in your life when you realized conventional medicine wasn’t enough for your own health?
AJ: When I moved to NY for my specialty studies after medical school and got really sick. I was diagnosed with three diseases and given seven prescriptions to kill the symptoms. That was my pivotal moment. Not out of curiosity, but need.
STIL: You trained as a cardiologist. What was the hardest part about stepping outside that world to embrace integrative and functional approaches?
AJ: I was offered very lucrative positions in prestigious medical practices. The toughest part was convincing my Jewish mama that I was instead moving to a monastery in India to learn how to meditate and work as a cardiologist for free.
STIL: Gut health has become a major focus in the wellness world, with growing recognition that the state of our gut can influence everything from immunity and mood to chronic inflammation. Long before it became mainstream, you were one of the pioneers drawing attention to this vital connection. What first led you to explore the link between gut health and overall well-being, and how has your understanding evolved over time?
AJ: Long before I said anything about the gut, Hippocrates said it more than 2,000 years ago: health and disease start in the intestines. Even before him, in Chinese medicine, Ayurvedic medicine, and other Eastern modalities, the gut is the most important pillar of health. Things come and are forgotten in waves. I just caught this latest wave a little earlier than mainstream. And I did because I observed it in myself and learned so much in the monastery.
STIL: In a nutshell, could you briefly explain the core principles and goals of the Clean Program?
AJ: To create the conditions for the detoxification system to work efficiently and for the repair mechanisms to allow the restoration of gut health.
STIL: How does the Clean Program align with or challenge traditional medical views on detoxification and gut health? Some in the medical community are skeptical about the need for detox programs since the body already has organs like the liver and kidneys to handle detoxification.
AJ: Modern Western allopathic (conventional) medicine divides the body into organs. The cardiologist has minimal knowledge of kidney problems. The dermatologist knows nothing about the brain. Functional medicine thinks in systems. All systems are connected. And disease happens for two main reasons: 1) something is blocking normal functioning (toxic chemicals, for example), and 2) something is missing (nutrients, for example). The medical community is lagging behind in understanding the body as a whole. It’s just ignorance. And it shows in their results for chronic diseases. They have no idea what they’re doing - just killing symptoms and cutting pieces off. Modern medicine is great for acute problems, which are 10% of the health problems people suffer from. The chronic problems - the other 90% - it’s a disaster. Thank goodness for functional medicine (you can learn more at www.ifm.org).
STIL: Alejandro, you often talk about eliminating "toxins" as a key part of your Clean Program. But what exactly do you consider a toxin? And how do you separate real science from wellness trends or misinformation when it comes to detoxing?
AJ: A toxin is any molecule that harms, blocks, injures, or prevents normal functioning. CO2 is a toxin. So is lactic acid, homocysteine, uric acid, and many others that are waste products of our metabolism. These are toxins we generate inside - endo-toxins. Then there are the exo-toxins, harmful molecules that come from the outside: in the air we breathe, the water we drink, the cosmetics we use, the medications we consume, but mostly in the food-like products we eat. This is pure science. It doesn’t get more scientific than this. The problem is that modern medicine is “toxin-blind.” Because it started slowly, it got normalized and now it's just invisible to them. It is true that lots of people talk about detox and have no idea what they’re doing or saying. So the issue is distinguishing the source of your information, not whether it’s a trend or not. Ayurvedic medicine is more than 5,000 years old and detoxification is the main pillar of their practice, panchakarma being just one of the methods.
STIL: Could you share your perspective on how gut permeability contributes to inflammation in the body? What does this inflammation do?
AJ: Inflammation is an adaptation and survival mechanism. Without it, you would die. But nature didn’t intend for it to be turned on chronically and systematically. Since the immune system (the system that controls inflammation) is mostly within and around the gut, and the gut is our most affected part of the body in modern life, inflammation is turned on for most people, most of the time. Because everyone in the modern world is walking around with some degree of gut injury.
STIL: How does the Clean Programme alleviate inflammation?
AJ: It doesn’t "alleviate" inflammation directly. It just makes it unnecessary by creating the conditions for gut repair and optimal detoxification.
STIL: The Clean Program includes supplements and proprietary shakes. If one cannot afford your supplements, can they do the Clean Programme without them? (Currently the supplements are only available in the USA, so what should one substitute with in the UK?)
AJ: My book, Clean, explains how to do it with no supplements. In fact, the best way is to do it with no supplements. But it takes commitment, determination, and certain skills. So I created the supplement kit to make it easier, or even doable, for many people.
STIL: What role does emotional and psychological health play in toxicity and gut dysfunction - and vice versa? Does the program address and help with mental wellness in any way?
AJ: The number one factor in gut injury is not toxins. It’s emotional trauma and stress. Hugely important. An injured gut, on the other hand, can cause stress because of the imbalance that results in neurotransmitters (dopamine, serotonin, GABA), 90% of which are manufactured in the gut, which has more neurons than the brain in your skull.
STIL: And allergies, say one suffers from a common allergy, hay fever, or allergic rhinitis, would following the Clean Programme alleviate symptoms?
AJ: I see them completely reversed all the time. Even autoimmune diseases. Repair your gut, repair your life.
STIL: There’s debate around intermittent fasting and elimination diets potentially causing stress or disordered eating. How do you mitigate that risk in your program?
AJ: I recommend it on an individual basis. If humans were living according to the way nature designed us, fasting would be part of life - imposed by nature. But people’s metabolisms become stiff. No flexibility. So I need to understand the patient’s life and organism first before I prescribe longer fasting or consistent intermittent fasting. It’s a very useful thing, when used correctly.
STIL: What are the key biomarkers or outcomes you ideally want to see improve after someone completes the 21-day Clean Program?
AJ: How people feel and look. How they sleep. And most biomarkers improve, sometimes unbelievably so.
STIL: How do you personally maintain "clean living" in a modern, often toxic world - especially while traveling or under pressure?
AJ: There are many times I don’t. And I do the Clean Program when I start paying the price. Then I last for a while, and then I fall off the wagon again. But it’s possible. It takes commitment and planning.
STIL: To enjoy the benefits of Clean, is it enough to follow the programme once a year, or does one have to follow a restricted version continually?
AJ: If you shower once in a while and then you jump in the mud, you will need a shower immediately. If you keep yourself away from the dirt, you need a shower less often. Think of Clean like that. It is more important what you do between programs than during it.
STIL: You recently said that sugar cravings can actually be an emotional response. How would one beat the cravings in this case?
AJ: Know thyself. Develop your inner tools. Learn to be present and endure your emotions. I won’t go into this subject because it’s a whole other book. Read The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle. Or the million other books on the subject.
STIL: Much of your work focuses on helping people return to a natural state of balance in body and mind. If you could design a "clean" lifestyle not just for individuals, but for an entire city or community, how would it look? What would change in how we eat, live, and relate to our environment? And how do you see the role of emerging technologies, like AI or personalized genomics - in shaping the future of detox and healing programs?
AJ: To answer simply, a community that eats real foods and not food-like products. A community in which people have a purpose and a sense of connection. It’s already happening. Take a look at the Blue Zones. That is what I would say.
STIL: What does your typical day look like, in terms of meals, movement, mindfulness, and supplementation?
AJ: It differs depending on where I am, what’s available, what season it is, what else is going on with my health, my relationships, my life. I don’t have a routine to tell you about. I am a gypsy.
STIL: Has spirituality played a role in your healing journey? If so, what practices have brought you the deepest healing in your own life?
AJ: Yes. In so many ways. I am writing a book about it. I’ll tell you when it’s out.
STIL: Please do - What do you ultimately want people to feel after finishing the Clean Programme - not just physically, but emotionally or spiritually?
AJ: I want them to feel good, to help them heal. To have a better life.
STIL: With all the work you do helping others achieve health and balance, what are some of your favorite ways to unwind and recharge in your own life?
AJ: Spending time with my kids.
STIL: Alejandro, is there a vacation destination that always draws you back?
AJ: Not really. Anywhere with sun and nice water to swim in.
STIL: Do you ever enjoy a glass of wine or alcohol of any type?
AJ: I don’t like the taste of alcohol. Never did.
STIL: Do you read novels? If so, what’s your favourite novel of all time?
AJ: I love Jeffrey Archer. Kane and Abel is probably one of my favorite books of all time. I have read every single one of his books. I also love Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Love in the Time of Cholera is a masterpiece.
STIL: What would you like your legacy to be?
AJ: Happy, healthy children. I have three of them, and so far, so good. Also, tools for people to heal.