Is Colon Cleansing Safe?

What is Irritable Bowel Syndrome

IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome) is such a nebulous condition it can be difficult to identify as a distinct illness at all. The most common symptoms are abdominal cramping, bloating and gas, and diarrhea or constipation. With such normal signs as that – which can occur with dozens of other, more serious conditions – it can be hard to diagnose IBS.

Yet, physicians and researchers regard this syndrome as among the most common disorders and often distinguish it as much by what it is not, or by the absence of signs of other diseases. Unlike more serious ailments, like Crohn’s or colitis for example, IBS does not produce inflammation of the colon. Neither does it increase the odds of colorectal cancer, as those diseases can.

Because the symptoms themselves are so varied – indeed sometimes contradictory, such as alternating bouts of constipation and diarrhea – it is difficult to narrow down the presence of IBS. However, it is a chronic condition – occasional cramping or gas is completely normal and doesn’t merit a special name – and so it receives a specific tag.

As semi-digested food (called “chyme”) moves into the colon, where water is extracted and helpful bacteria create vitamins B and K, the intestinal muscles contract to keep it going. We’re normally not aware of that contraction, called peristalsis. In IBS, those contractions can be spasmodic and stronger than normal, causing food to move too quickly or too slowly. The first often leads to diarrhea, the second to constipation.

There is research to suggest that some individuals are hypersensitive to that movement. They sense more clearly the stretching of the bowel produced by gas or bloating. That can lead to stress that tends to amplify the ill effects. Since women are more prone to IBS, some studies believe that hormones play a role, as well, particularly since symptoms often worsen during the menstrual period.

Since diet plays a role – some experience IBS after consuming chocolate, milk, or alcohol – it is possible to modify the symptoms in some cases. Reducing intake is an obvious method, but diet alterations help, too. Eating yogurt, for example, which contains organisms that break down lactose sugars, can help counter the effects of drinking milk for those who are lactose intolerant.

Controlling stress is often more difficult than simply an act of will. Education and counseling can provide techniques to reduce the anxiety and feeling of being overwhelmed that are typical of the condition. That often leads to a reduction or even elimination of the symptoms of IBS.

Nearly one in five American adults are believed to suffer from Irritable Bowel Syndrome yet, because it is so easy to confuse with normal stomach upsets, fewer than half seek professional diagnosis and treatment. The condition itself is not particularly serious and certainly not life threatening. But the overlap in many of the symptoms warrant a visit to the physician if they persist. That will help individuals discover if a more serious underlying condition is at fault.

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.

What is Colon Cancer?

Colon cancer affects over 100,000 people per year, according to statistics from the American Cancer Society. Over 40,000 additional new cases of rectal cancer are diagnosed annually. Combined, the two cancers form a group called colorectal cancers.

Like all cancers, the causes are known only incompletely. Many begin as benign clumps of cells called polyps, which resemble small mushrooms in the intestine. Some of them go on to develop into carcinomas. Healthy cells become misshapen and reproduce too rapidly until they form tumors.

In many affected individuals symptoms may be non-existent for quite some time. When they do develop, they’re frequently in the form of changes in bowel movements, such as constipation or diarrhea. That may be accompanied by abdominal pain, or the pain may occur by itself. Persistent gas or cramps are another sign.

Over time, symptoms may worsen to include rectal bleeding (often a side-effect of straining during periods of constipation, but may result from lesions) and bloody stool. Unexplained weight loss can occur, as well as excessive fatigue. Of course, since any of these symptoms can occur with dozens, even hundreds, of other diseases and conditions, only a professional diagnosis can determine whether they’re due to colorectal cancer.

Like most cancers, risk factors are diverse and numerous. Increasing age ups the odds of nearly every form. More than 90% of colon cancers are diagnosed in persons over 50. Certain diseases or conditions, like Crohn’s or colitis, increase the odds of secondary medical problems like colon cancer. Genetics plays a role, with some families more prone to cancer than others. Having diabetes increases the odds of developing colon cancer.

But there are also a great many controllable risk factors.

Diet can affect your chances of developing colon cancer. High fat, low fiber diets are strongly correlated with increased odds of cancer of many types, including colorectal. Whether eating red meat and processed meats increases the odds is still a very uncertain and controversial position and research is ongoing on the subject.

What is known is that individuals in Western Europe and the U.S. are more likely to develop them and the effect is strongly correlated with diet. Exactly what aspect of that diet is the culprit is still unknown, though.

Related to both diet and exercise, obesity ups the odds of colon cancer, as it does with a whole range of diseases. The odds of the cancer being fatal also rise with increasing levels of obesity. High alcohol consumption is both related to that statistic and an independent risk factor, as is heavy smoking.

Fortunately, there are many thorough and relatively low discomfort screening tests for colon cancer. A stool blood test is completely painless, since it’s non-invasive. A colonoscopy may be mildly uncomfortable to some individuals. A barium enema, followed by an X-ray regime can detect polyps or cancerous tumors over a certain size.

Like any cancer, early detection and treatment is both the least painful and offers the best prognosis. See your physician to examine your options.