As early as 1500 B.C., Egyptians believed in maintaining health by using enemas fashioned out of cat skin to flush their colons of waste. Over 3500 years later, people all over the world use colon hydrotherapy in the belief that it works to rid the body of excess waste and harmful toxins, restoring the colon to optimal function and promoting overall health.
How It Works
A typical hydrotherapy treatment lasts between 30 to 45 minutes, and involves little or no down time. After taking your medical history and performing a quick rectal exam, the hydrotherapist will insert a speculum approximately 1.5 inches into the anus. The speculum is outfitted with two tubes: one for water and one for waste. The hydrotherapist gently pipes water through the first tube into your lower bowel and colon. The water loosens the waste and old fecal matter from the walls of the colon, and flushes it out of the body through a second tube.
Purpose
Practitioners of colon hydrotherapy believe that waste and other debris build in the colon over time, and make it difficult for our colon to function properly. This waste causes the muscles in the colon to weaken, and makes it difficult for your body to properly eliminate waste. The excess waste is also thought to deform the colon, causing additional health problems. Practitioners believe these conditions lead to poor health and disease, and that colon hydrotherapy treatments work to restore health and well-being to the body.
Benefits
Proponents of colon hydrotherapy claim treatments alleviate everything from bad breath and constipation to chronic fatigue and backache. Allergies, sinus problems, diarrhea, gas, acne, bloating, and irritability may improve following treatment. Practitioners claim cleansing the colon also leads to clearer skin, a flatter stomach, increased mental acuity, and all-around better health.
Safety
Practitioners maintain that colon hydrotherapy is a safe and effective way to cleanse the colon of waste and toxins. They assert there is no danger of puncturing the colon during treatment, and that because the equipment is either disposable or thoroughly sterilized after each use, risk of infection is virtually non-existent. Hydrotherapists claim the treatment will not leave you deficient of necessary intestinal flora. While it is true hydrotherapy washes the good flora from the intestines, practitioners also claim the flora immediately regenerates following treatment.
Considerations
Colon hydrotherapy is controversial, and many doctors strongly advise against it. Author and physician, Dr. Andrew Weil, states, "I don't recommend colonic irrigation for "purification." The entire lining of the colon sloughs off and is regenerated every day." He goes on to say that the colon should function just fine if you eat right, exercise, and drink plenty of water. The American Cancer Society strongly cautions against colon hydrotherapy. According to their website, colon hydrotherapy is dangerous and may result in infection or even death. Additionally, they caution that no evidence exists to support the use of colon hydrotherapy to treat disease.
Warning
People with certain health conditions should avoid colon hydrotherapy altogether.
If you suffer from hemorrhoids, Crohn's disease, diverticulitis, an active infection, liver cirrhosis, congestive heart disease, kidney disease, abdominal hernias, colo-rectal carcinoma, you should not undergo hydrotherapy treatments. Additionally, pregnant women should consult a medical doctor prior to colon hydrotherapy treatments.
