Colon cleansing: skeptics change their minds!
By Bob Condor
It’s easy for some doctors to completely dismiss colon cleansing as an option for someone struggling with digestive issues or as a preventive health measure. “There’s no research to support it” is a common reply, and that’s without any medical badmouthing.
While American research is thin, the enterprising doctor will acknowledge that scientific studies about colon irrigation—another term is colonic therapy—are more accessible in European research literature. One example: In a 2005 Netherlands study of individuals with “defecation disturbances” (including obstruction, chronic constipation and inability to control bowel movements), researchers determined the success rate of retrograde colon irrigation for patients who received no relief from medications, biofeedback and other measures suggested by physicians. Forty-five percent of the patients cleared all symptoms with the colon irrigation. That’s a formidable success rate considering these are patients at wit’s end medically and, no small thing, emotionally.
It’s harder to dismiss that finding and others like it from Europe and even the U.S., such as a Oregon Health Sciences study showing that vital electrolytes (potassium, calcium, magnesium) are not dangerously lowered or eliminated through colonic therapy.
And that is before the anecdotal evidence. People who have found relief from colonic therapy are the best reasons to consider its value in your personal health program. One friend of mine stoically endured digestive disturbances for years, finally tried a colonic, felt better almost from the finish of the first treatment and now schedules them on a set basis.
“I just feel so much better after getting it done,” says my friend. “It gives me a lift that hard to explain. Everyone should try it.”
My friend, the inquisitive type, spent some time researching the best colonic therapists in his city, then did the same in-depth process all over again when he moved from the Midwest to the West Coast. It is important to seek out trusted health practitioners and friends to find a colonic therapist. And the same goes for trying any colon cleanse products that don’t require clinical irrigation but involve you fasting/eating little and emphasizing the fluids.
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Even before deciding upon a colon cleanse program, there are some basic steps you can take to improve your digestive health—and, with it, seriously upgrade your quality of life.order generic cialis online
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“The principles of good colon health are simple,” says Dr. Jamey Wallace, a naturopathic physician and clinical medical director at Bastyr University, the Seattle-based medical school considered one of the world’s best for natural care. “The problem is, people just don’t get them right.’
Here’s what you need to know: The ideal “transit time” of your food/drink from eating to eliminating is somewhere between 18 to 30 hours, says Wallace. That is how long it takes the body to break down fresh produce, beans, grains and other whole foods, using the nutrients and sending the rest to waste.
If the transit time is longer, say, 48 hours if you regularly eat processed foods or longer if you have bowel movements every third day or longer, then the colon can become a dump for toxic substances.
Eating plenty of dietary fiber (plant foods noted above, plus nuts and seeds) is a major step in the right direction. Dietary fiber absorbs moisture to help waste increase in size so that intestinal muscles can grab onto it for elimination. Softer stools is another benefit.
Water is the universal elixir, we know. And we probably all know drinking, in ounces, about half our body weight number, is a healthy habit. What is less known is that water helps recruit hormones in the colon that signal the intestinal muscles. It’s more than simply flushing.
One more thing that will change your colon for the better: Exercise. You don’t have to be a speed demon or heavy lifter. Brisk walking is going to help, even for as little as five to 10 minutes twice a day, especially following meals. Colonic therapists also recommend using a mini-trampoline or rebounder to keep things healthy and regular.
Just keep it gentle—and your colon will respond in time.
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“Bob Condor is the Daily Health Blogger for Barton Publishing. He is also the Living Well columnist for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. He covers natural health and quality of life issues and writes regularly for national magazines, including Life, Esquire, Parade, Self, and Outside. He is a former syndicated health columnist for the Chicago Tribune and author of six books, including “The Good Mood Diet” and “Your Prostate Cancer Survivors' Guide.” He lives in the Pacific Northwest with his wife and two 11-year-old kids.”
