Colon Cleansing: Unraveling the Myths and Embracing the Truths
From its historical roots to the modern skepticism it faces, the concept of cleansing the colon has been met with both praise and criticism. Here I aim to unravel the myths surrounding colon cleansing and shed light on the truths that often get overshadowed.
It’s one thing to have a legitimate reason for saying some therapy or procedure is dangerous or not effective but it’s another thing to say it just because you don’t understand the therapy, have no experience with it and no evidence it’s problematic.
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The Body’s Innate Intelligence
A common argument against colon cleansing suggests that the human body possesses inherent mechanisms to maintain the health of the colon. These arguments point out that the digestive system diligently eliminates waste, toxins, and bacteria, rendering colon cleanses redundant.
Critics, including some medical professionals, insist that interventions like colon cleansing are unnecessary as the body is already equipped to preserve and eliminate all on its own.
We can assist the body with many of its innate functions in several ways…
Your body burns fat all on its own – maybe we shouldn’t exercise or move our body more since it already does that by itself?
The body sweats to also excrete waste – then don’t bother with known beneficial therapies such as sauna or activities that increase sweat output.
The body breathes all on its own – then don’t bother yourself with doing breathing exercises to improve your respiratory function and influence your entire systemic function.
Your mouth has the proper environment to keep itself in balance – so why bother with doing any kind of oral hygiene at all then?
Just because your body does something on its own does not mean you shouldn’t mimic that process and remove any additional obstacles to that very function.
Colon cleansing, particularly through enemas, is another method to assist the body in its natural functions, especially when faced with overwhelming exposures to harmful substances.
Most people are not walking around with tip top organ function. Most have been constipated for years or have a history of gallbladder issues like gallstones (stagnant calcified bile) or intestinal permeability, inflamed bowels, neurological impairments affecting motility and secretion of gastric acids and enzymes or many other issues.
Most take pharmaceuticals and specifically antibiotics periodically that compound that issue even more impacting normal flora and microbial presence in the gut. Most are eating and living in a way that worsens all of that on top of it.
So yes people may want to help clean out their bowels, to move out the months or years old stool, the mucous and to bring in movement to inflamed tissue that is in desperate need of deeper repair.
There are many ways to do this and several factors compound the issue, but enemas are one way to remove obstructions. Yes, the body WOULD be doing it beautifully well intrinsically if we lived in absolute balance. Last checked, that’s not the current situation.
Historical and Cultural Context
In the 1900s, American hospitals and doctors’ offices routinely utilized colon irrigation machines, recognizing the potential benefits of colon cleansing such as relieve headaches, fatigue, colds and more.
Enemas were once an accepted part of mainstream medical practices and were even employed by royalty for aesthetic and cognitive benefits. It’s been said that Louis XIV used many enemas over the course of his life for good complexion and to keep the mind sharp. Makes sense if so.
African and Asian cultures have been using enemas for centuries including with their children. In fact, there is hardly a region of the world where people did not adapt the use of enema therapies.
In Ayurvedic medicine therapeutic enemas (basti) are administered. It’s considered one of the most important treatments to address all the three doshas and balance the body. There are thousands of variations of herbal and oil enemas.
Modern Criticisms and Risks
Like any therapy, colon cleansing is not without potential risks.
However, when performed correctly, adverse effects are rare. You can find a case here or there in the literature but it’s uncommon. There are approximately 40 pubmed articles on coffee enemas, a few of which consist of rectal burning over the course of 50 years.
If you want to start exercising at home for example. You could fall, hit your head and suffer an intracranial hematoma.
If you want to start dieting or restricting certain foods, you could stress your body too much and cause a rapid change in your blood pressure or electrolytes.
All therapies and lifestyle changes pose some risk so should be done well and with care.
Anything you do you should do it well, do it right and follow basic common sense instructions.
When it comes to enemas you shouldn’t put burning hot liquid up your bum. You should not perform an enema when you’re already dehydrated or feeling very unwell. You should not carelessly handle the nozzle causing any kind of damage to the lining of the rectum.
Enemas have been used in my practice for years and I have been utilizing them in my own healing for over a decade. I’ve healed from chronic GI issues, chronic neurological ailments and years of poor health overall. Enemas were a major part of that process. On the more acute side, I have taken myself out of sudden and severe abdominal pain within 30 minutes of doing enemas.
Conclusion
While critics argue that the body can maintain colon health on its own, it’s clear that we can assist the body in many types of ways to support elimination. Colon therapies have been used across the world in every type of ancient medicine.
The key takeaway is that when done correctly and with caution, colon cleansing through enemas offer many benefits and few dangers when done with care.