Colon Cleanse

Scam or Constipation Remedy?

When people say they do a "colon cleanse", they 1. fast , 2. eat stuff designed to get rid of "wastes" in the colon, 3. pump liquids into their butts to "wash".

As I am only interested to know if "cleaning the colon" combats or prevents constipation, I won't talk about fasting here.

That brings us to the huge market of commercial colon cleanse products. Among the two popular reasons given for the need to clean the colon is : humans tend to accumulate old fecal matter in their bodies and feces that stay too long in the body can poison us thus causing diseases. Many consumers can tell you about the gunk they pass out, some believed to have been staying in their colons for years. Some practicers of keeping the colons clean this way who are addressed as "doctors" are said to overcome cancers and live to ripe old age. If you care to observe though, Wikipedia categorizes this concept under "alternative medicine" and "Pseudoscience".

Going to the other side of the fence of medical science, I think the best person to comment is the doctor who sees live colon in action on a daily basis. He is the gastroenterologist who performs colonoscopy and surgery. Unfortunately, gastroenterologists have not found any ancient feces so far. They do meet a patient who had impacted feces of less than one pound which is enough to make him bleed in great pain and they have to give him an operation.

Talking about pounds. I laughed when I read a pamphlet quoting an anonymous Japanese source:

"Even if you do not suffer from constipation or other bowel-related problems, the body's waste material is ultimately accumulated in the colon. Research in Japan reported an average of 6-10 lbs of stubborn stools accumulating in the intestines of people who showed no signs of constipation."

I bet all women who have given birth would laugh too. I mean, don't these people take note of the tummy of a woman pregnant with a 7 lb baby inside? Man, anything more than 7 lb inside would make a person's tummy bigger than a pregnant woman!

How about the notion that long transit time of fecal matter can cause self poisoning? The cells of your colon renew themselves every three days so there is no chance for feces to be stuck on them - for too long. If you are worried about the "poison" residing in the colon within the three days, don't forget you have friendly bacteria in the house. These bacteria metabolize and thereby detoxify food wastes. If you still worry that you don't have enough friendly bacteria there and then, the mucous membranes lining the intestinal wall can block unwanted substances from entering the body's other tissues. On top of that, your liver protects you against self-poisoning by neutralizing toxins.

As doctors learn more about the body's capability in eliminating toxins as stated above, the ancient concept of accumulation of old fecal matter and self-poisoning termed "autointoxication" becomes obsolete academically. I write academically, because autointoxication is very much alive in colon cleansers' infomercials making big money and we all know it is very difficult, even for the truth, to fight against big $.

As for the long elastic things expelled by consumers : well, some products are formulated to produce these so-called mucoid plaque. People who have tried psyllium husks experience the effect of the husks forming gel in their colons which softens and collects their fecal matter. Add bentonite clay to psyllium, you get a more elastic consistency. Add ground herbs, you get stranger, more dramatic results. Check and see if these are the ingredients in your colon cleanse products.

It seems that colon cleansing refers to cleansing from the other end also called colonic irrigation or a water enema that flushes out the colon. I prefer to put this one under enema pages. Meanwhile, I beg you to read how Sir John Hargrave plays a prank by giving himself a colon cleansing. I find his "ordeal" most enlightening.

My personal experience: Remember the silly pamphlet I mentioned above? It is actually an high quality product of dietary fibre and friendly bacteria in a convenient packet. However, it is marketed by an MLM company that has resorted to the autointoxication "scare tactic". I have never tried colon cleansers that make me pass out colourful stuff. I don't mind taking dietary fibre and friendly bacteria once in a while when I am constipated, but I really wish they haven't sold it by telling me a false bowel story.

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