Eddie Van Halen believes alternative medicine cured his cancer — but if a new report is accurate, it also basically blew up his intestines.

According to the National Enquirer, the Van Halen guitarist’s recently reported emergency surgery was complicated because of some painful-sounding (and rather frightening) side effects he suffered after embarking on the Master Cleanse diet.

As Radar reports, the program “temporarily replaces food with a liquid consisting of water, fresh lemon juice, maple syrup and cayenne pepper” — a concoction that apparently didn’t sit well with Eddie’s gullet. According to the Enquirer’s sources, Eddie’s “abdominal region was a disaster area” and the diet “touched off an explosion in his intestines.”

The Enquirer went on to quote a doctor (who, we hasten to add, did not treat Van Halen) as saying, “The stress of fad diets increases pressure on the colon, and if the person has diverticulitis there may be leakage from the bowel into the abdomen.”

As previously reported, Van Halen spent three weeks in the hospital following his surgery for diverticulitis, and he’s expected to take up to six months to fully recover. Here’s hoping he watches his diet while he recuperates.

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