Is Colon Cleansing Safe?
July 29, 2009 by Admin
Filed under IBS - Free Content
The colon is the portion of the digestive tract responsible for temporarily holding waste before it exits the body. Substandard colon health can impede the body’s ability to properly dispose of waste. In fact, a contaminated colon can potentially lead to other medical conditions including:
Digestive DisorderConstipationDiarrheaProblem Skin (acne)Fatigue
When properly administered, colon cleansing has proven to be very safe, especially with recent updates in equipment and technique. Enemas were the old-fashioned answer to the colon cleansing dilemma. Unfortunately, enemas are also to blame for many concerns over colon cleansing safety. Enemas differ from bowel irrigation in their value; enemas typically cleanse only the lower 20% of the colon. With roughly eighty percent of the large intestine left untreated by an enema, the procedure doesn’t provide the same effectiveness as modern colon hydrotherapy. Some of the health benefits associated with colonic irrigation:
Removal of Trapped Fecal MatterExpulsion of harmful bacteriaEncouraged growth of beneficial intestinal floraImproved colorectal muscular activityExpulsion of harmful organisms
Other than water irrigation, many variations of digestive health treatments have emerged with colon cleansing being the chief aim. In fact, you can now obtain colon cleansing supplements featuring organic compounds to help the colon cleanse and heal itself. For example, Oxy-Powder® works by activating oxygen within the intestinal tract and is an excellent choice for helping to maintain colon efficiency along with your colon hydrotherapy sessions. Even though colon hydrotherapy has existed for years, the ultimate question remains—is colon cleansing safe?
Frequent Colon Cleansing Safety Concerns
When it comes to the question of safety, there are a number of common colon cleansing concerns:
Pain: Some individuals base their decisions on a simple idea—does it hurt? Colon hydrotherapy is routinely described as “reinvigorating” or “refreshing.”Penetration of Treatments: Just how deeply the colon cleansing apparatus enters the body is another top safety concern. Enemas affect only the first eight to twelve inches of the colon. Colon cleansing treatments penetrate more deeply so as to provide a thorough cleansing for the entire length of the colon, but are relatively safe if administered by a hydrotherapy specialist.Risk of Infection: Perhaps one of the biggest concerns with colon cleansing concerns potential exposure to harmful bacteria and viruses. Modern advances in colon cleansing equipment, like the use of disposable pre-sterilized hoses and tips, help ensure a germ-free colon cleansing experience.
But Is Colon Cleansing Safe?
Colon irrigation promotes no direct side effects. Nonetheless, the process of eliminating toxins can cause some minor intestinal problems. Once the mucous buildup begins to leave the body, minute amounts may be reabsorbed along the way. The toxin absorption can result in cold or flue like symptoms (which may include nausea, headaches, and dizziness) but will ultimately reverse itself once the outflow diminishes. In fact, getting rid of all that toxic debris can lead to increased energy, mental clarity, and overall feelings of wellbeing.
Proper Colon Cleansing
Variations in bowel irrigation techniques also promote increased safety. For example, modern hydrotherapy systems, like colon cleansing board kits, utilize temperature-controlled water for cleansing the colon. Recent developments include a specially designed speculum to assist in delivering the water into the large intestine gently to reduce the possibility of tissue damage. Additionally, colon hydrotherapy equipment also maintains the water pressure and temperature so the cleansing is conducted at a uniform rate. Therefore, via a combination of advancements in material technology and the application of the cleansing by a professional, you can be assured colon cleansing can be a very safe procedure indeed!
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By: The Colon Cleansing & Constipation Resource Center
About the Author:
The Colon Cleansing & Constipation Resource Center is sponsored by Global Healing Center, Inc. The Resource Center’s website features information on constipation, articles on colon cleansing, and research on the latest treatments. For more information, please visit The Colon Cleansing & Constipation Resource Center.
Should I consider Colon Irrigation – Pros and Cons
Colon cleansing, irrigation, colon hydrotherapy… there are many names for the procedure. They all come down to the same thing. A fluid is introduced into the colon through the anus in order to flush out the large intestine. Advocates sometimes claim it’s among the most healthful procedures around. Critics disagree, some saying it’s positively harmful. What does research say?
The practice has been researched for decades and the general consensus is that colonics have few or none of the health benefits claimed. Whether it does actual harm depends, not surprisingly, on personal circumstances, including how the procedure is carried out.
In the usual setting, a person dons a loose fitting, hospital-style gown and lies on a table. A therapist then opens the anus with a disposable speculum and inserts a plastic tube. Fluid, sometimes purified water, other times water with salts or other compounds, is put gently up through the rectum and into the colon. The resulting mixture then drains out through the tube and is disposed of hygienically.
Even following best practices, though, there is little scientific evidence for the claims some advocates make. Colons very rarely become impacted with feces and normal digestive processes do a very good job of eliminating waste material. When that process breaks down it is the result of disease that is not caused by the impaction nor cured by a colon hydrotherapy.
The basic hypothesis on which the practice is based is equally faulty. Studies do not support the notion that ‘toxins’ are retained by or build up in the large intestine that can only be removed by colon hydrotherapy. The body has several natural mechanisms for preventing that, or curing it if it were to happen.
Of course, intestinal diseases do occur – ranging from Crohn’s disease to colorectal cancer. But the presence of these conditions disqualifies a person from being a candidate for irrigation anyway. No reputable therapist will knowingly give such a person a colonic.
Still, done properly, it is a very low risk procedure and many experience benefits. Those benefits may be chiefly psychological (a result of ‘feeling clean’) but they are no less real for all that. Extreme care is warranted, however. An improperly performed colonic can do harm even when it doesn’t actually rupture anything.
Clearly, the digestive system has evolved to work normally as a one-way process. Introducing water up through the anus can flush out some material, but it is material that would have come out anyway. It is also not a proper treatment for intestinal parasites, as some practitioners of alternative medicine claim.
Some individuals who undergo the procedure can experience abdominal discomfort, or even nausea, for several hours afterward. In rare cases, it’s possible to cause kidney damage if, for example, a laxative like sodium phosphate is used in the irrigating fluid.
Like any therapeutic procedure, it’s always advisable to check with your physician beforehand. Then, be guided by professional medical advice, not the claims of some Internet article… including this one.
Keeping Your Colon Healthy
It’s a myth that 90% of disease starts in the colon. But it’s still true that this section of the large intestine is one major factor in overall health.
Making up most of the five feet or so of the large intestine (along with the rectum, the final six inches), you can help keep yours in top shape with proper diet. That means, this is no myth, adequate fiber. Good sources include bananas, oats, and a wide variety of other foods. Supplements (like Metamucil) can help, when not overused.
Another unfounded health claim is that colon cleansing (also known as irrigation, colon hydrotherapy, or a colonic) is essential to keeping it free of toxins. Toxins can build up in the colon, but that occurs as a result of disease, which disqualifies a person from having a colonic anyway. Seek professional medical attention instead.
On the flip side, when health advocates claim that probiotics aid intestinal health, they are right. The popular yogurt variety Activia, manufactured by Dannon, does have clinically tested and real-world proven benefits. There are lots of others, too. Whether in the form of natural foods, food additives, or supplements probiotics either add or encourage the growth of the beneficial flora that live in the gut and perform a vital role in digestion.
There are, unfortunately, some organisms that can live in the colon that are not helpful. Intestinal parasites the world over account for millions of upset stomachs and worse annually. A variety of protozoans (one-celled animals) and helminths (parasitic intestinal worms) can have health effects that range from mild to fatal.
Some of those organisms are thought to play a role in the development of colon cancer. There are many other contributing factors, some of which are themselves produced by bacteria, such as ulcers, Crohn’s disease, and many more.
Less serious conditions, like irritable bowel syndrome, can still produce unpleasant symptoms, even when they don’t represent a serious ailment. Bloating and painful spasms are only two among many. To make matters a little more obscure, as is often the case in health issues, those same symptoms are present in more serious conditions like colitis, diverticulitis, and ulcers.
In order to distinguish one intestinal ailment from another, physicians will often perform a colonoscopy, frequently in conjunction with other diagnostic procedures. In a colonoscopy, a long tube is inserted into the intestine to allow for direct visual examination.
That exam and its results can be supplemented by X-rays taken after ingesting or flushing with a barium liquid (a mildly radioactive compound that provides a contrast dye for the images). To check things out from the other end, doctors may perform an endoscopy, including using a very clever pill (called a capsule endoscope) containing a tiny camera that takes photos on its way through the digestive tract.
Fortunately, you can do a great deal to judge (and promote) your own colon health. Proper diet, appropriate exercise, and maintaining a good attitude will go along way toward that, while promoting overall well being. And that’s no fairy tale.
