|
FAQ
Today, due the cost and the lack of availability of health care in the US, we are beginning to realize the importance of self-responsibility for our health. In doing so we have returned to and for many investigated for the first time, the time honored traditions using holistic and natural methods of healing. These remedies included cleansing the colon.
To achieve this in ancient times, they used gourds or reeds and plants to form tubing in order to introduce the water into the colon and then expelling both the water and the waste form the body. Later, in the 20th century, a more sophisticated method of colonic equipment was developed.
We have listed below some of the most frequently asked questions taken from the book written by Mark A. Baker, DC; Colon Irrigation: A Forgotten Key to Health.
How Great! I keep hearing about colonics and how great they are, but I’ve never been able to find out much about them. Maybe for starters, I should ask what is a colonic irrigation?
Also known as a “colonic” , “colon lavage””, “colon hydrotherapy” or “high colonic”, a colon irrigation is a safe, effective method for cleansing the colon of waste of material by repeated, gentle flushing with water.
And colon, what is that again?
The colon, or large intestine, is the end portion of the human digestive tract (carrying passageway extending from mouth to anus). The colon is approximated 5 feet long and 2 ½ inches in diameter. Its functions are to eliminate waste and to conserve water. Also, there are bacteria living in the colon which synthesize valuable nutrients such as vitamins “K” and portions of the “B” complex.
What is the purpose of getting a colonic?
Well, waste material, especially that which has remained in the colon for some time, (e.g. impacted feces, dead cellular tissue, accumulated mucous, parasites, worms, etc.). pose several problems. First this material is quite toxic (poisonous). These poisons can re-enter and circulate in the blood stream making us feel ill, tired or weak. Second, impacted material impair the colon’s ability to assimilate minerals and bacteria-produced vitamins. And finally, a buildup of material on the colon wall can inhibit muscular actions causing sluggish bowel movements, constipation and the results of these disorders.
How can I tell if I have toxic material in my colon?
This condition is prevalent in all civilized societies, and particularly in America. Common signs include headaches, backaches, constipation, fatigue, bad breath, body odor, irritability, confusion, skin blemishes, abdominal gas, bloating, diarrhea, sciatic pain, and so forth. As you can see, intestinal toxicity is part and parcel of many people’s everyday experience.
It sounds to me as though intestinal toxicity is a common condition?
Yes it is, but toxicity is not limited to just the colon. Toxic material is found throughout the body, particularly in fat tissue, joints, arteries, muscles, liver, etc. Colonics effectively eliminate large quantities of toxic waste, affecting the condition of the entire body.
But the colon isn’t the only organ of elimination, what makes the colonic so important?
While the lungs, skin, kidneys and liver also serve to eliminate toxins, people have experienced throughout history that when they ensure that the colon is cleansed and healed, the well-being of the whole body is greatly enhanced. Colonic irrigation has been found to be the most effective process available to accomplish this work quickly and easily.
Okay, is it appears to be important to cleanse the colon but why not use enemas, suppositories or laxatives instead?
Well, everything has its proper place, but those things really aren’t substitutes for colonics. Enemas are useful for emptying the rectum — the lowest 8-12 inches of the colon. Usually, one or two quarts of water are used to do that. Suppositories are intended to accomplish the same task. Laxatives, particularly herbal laxatives, are formulated for various purposes, such as: to undo the effects of temporary constipation, to build up the tone of the colon muscle, etc. But the Rolls Royce of colon cleansing without question is colonic irrigation.
What makes a colonic so special?
In a 30 to 45 minute session as much as 20 – 35 gallons of water is used to gently flush the colon. Through appropriate use of massage, pressure points, reflexology, breathing techniques, suggestion, etc., the colon therapist is able to work loose and eliminate far more toxic waste than any other short-term technique. Having an experienced colon therapist available as an assistant can be likened to having a professional mechanic repair your auto’s engine. The second, and subsequent colonics, will remove more. How many you may wish to have will depend upon your personal objectives.
What will colonics do to the colon?
Specifically, a colonic is used to accomplish the following:
Cleanse the Colon: Toxic material is broken down so it can no longer harm your body or inhibit assimilation and elimination. Even debris build up over a long period is gently, but surly removed in the process of a series of irrigation. Once impacted material is removed, your colon can begin again to cooperate as it was meant to. In this very real sense a colonic is a rejuvenation treatment.
It Exercises the Colon Muscles: The buildup of toxic debris weakens the colon and impairs its functioning. The gently filling and emptying of the colon improves peristaltic (muscular contraction) activity by which the colon naturally moves material.
It Reshapes the Colon: When problem conditions exist in the colon, they tend to alter its shape which in turn causes more problems. The gently action of the water, coupled with the massage techniques of the colon therapist helps to eliminate bulging pockets of waste and narrowed, spastic constrictions finally enabling the colon to resume its natural state.
It Stimulates Reflex Points: Every system and organ of the body is connected to the colon by reflex points. A colonic irrigation stimulates these points, thereby affecting the corresponding body parts in a beneficial way (similar to reflexology).
Are there any additional benefits I might expect from a colonic?
Yes, there are several. Working with a skilled therapist, a colonic can be a truly enlightening educational process. You will learn to expand your awareness of your body’s functioning by including signals from your abdomen, your skin, your face and even from that most taboo of natural products, your elimination. You will find that you can spot the beginnings of developing conditions through clues form these body regions before they become serious. You can deal with them sooner and more easily than you otherwise might if you waited until they produced effects seen elsewhere in your body.
Also, the solar plexus is the emotional center of the body and the transverse colon passes right through it. If an emotional event is left uncompleted, it often results in physical tension being stored in the solar plexus, which affects all organs of the area, including the colon…. Not only do colonics alleviate the constipation, they can assist you in recognizing and releasing the stored emotion causing the problem. In effect, colonic assist you in creating a fully holistic view of your body’s functioning, leading better quality of life.
You’ve been talking a lot about messed-up colons, and I can certainly relate to some of the signs of toxicity you mentioned. What I would like to know is what are characteristics of a healthy, well functioning colon?
Healthy babies, animals and adults not subjected tot he “refinements” of civilization (i.e. aboriginal peoples have bowel movements shortly after each meal is eaten. So, assuming there is sufficient fiber and water available to the colon, one characteristic is a bowel movement shortly after a meal is eaten. Once the urge to eliminate is honored by a trip to the toilet, the elimination should be easy and take no more than 10 seconds.
The stool will be long, large in diameter, light brown in color, without offensive odor and should float or sink very slowly. When the toilet is flushed, the stool immediately begins breaking apart by the action of water movement. As incredible as this may sound, it is true and commonly experienced in cultures where people live more naturally.
How can I tell if I would personally benefit from a colonic?
Does your colon now exhibit the sings of a well functioning colon? If not, one or more sessions with a knowledgeable colon therapist may bring you great dividends.
Ok, Sounds like a colonic may be good for me, but will it be painful?
It rarely is. Usually, painful experiences are the result of resistance and tension. A professional colon therapist is skilled at putting you at ease and minimizing discomfort. Most people actually enjoy the colonic and are especially pleased with the unaccustomed sensation of feeling lighter, clean and clear afterward. Sometimes during a colonic, the colon muscles will contract suddenly expelling considerable amounts of liquid and waste into the rectum. This may feel like cramping or gas, and may create a feeling of urgency to empty the rectum. Such episodes, if they do occur, are brief and easily tolerated.
Is it embarrassing to get a colonic?
No, you will maintain your personal dignity. You will be in a private room with only your therapist, who fully appreciates the sensitivity of the colonic procedure and will help you feel at ease. Your emotions will be acknowledged and honored. After the gently insertion of a small tube into the rectum, you are completely covered. Rubber tubing carries clean water in and waste out in a mildly pressured system. The mess and odor sometimes present during an enema simply does not exist with a colonic.
Is there anything I need to do to get ready for a colonic?
Since your abdomen will be massaged it is a good idea to eat or drink lightly in the 2 hours immediately preceding a colonic. Also, emptying the rectum with an enema or a substancial (sic) bowel movement just prior to the colonic saves time and permits more to be accomplished.
I am a woman. What if I’m having my period?
No problem. It’s perfectly safe and beneficial to have a colonic during your period. In fact, some women find having a colonic on the day their period starts reduces the amount of menstrual discomfort experienced. While we’re on the subject, many women have noticed that after completing a cleansing program (also known as detoxification) that menstrual discomfort has been eliminated or substantially reduced from that time on.
I am worried that I could become dependent on colonics. If I get too many, the colon may stop functioning on its own. Are colonics habit forming?
The colonic is a tool intended to be used to create a clean and healthy colon. A colon therapist who is dedicated to your health will encourage you to set a goal of having a well-functioning colon. Our fulfillment comes from assisting you in healing your colon, not in making you dependent upon colonics. Actually, one its its better features is that a colonic can be used to tonify the colon muscle so that the colon doesn’t perform so sluggishly.
Many people have sluggish colons. It may take days for bowel movement to return after a good colonic. This is when people think they are becoming “dependent” on colonics. One good colonic is worth 20 to 30 regular bowel movements, so it may take sometime for fecal material to build up in the colon once again if one has a sluggish colon.
When the colon is sluggish and bowel movements do not return for a few days after one colonic, it an indication the extensive colon work is needed to remove the debris that the bowel has built up over the yeas. This build up of fecal material ahs decreased the muscular action in the colon. Once a series of colonics is completed, the colon will begin to function more like Mother Nature had intended.
Colonics give you a feeling of being lighter, cleaner and healthier with a sense of well-being. Cleansing and building programs offer preventative measures so that you can be in control of your own health. Dietary changes are usually necessary to ensure long lasting and vital health.
Suppose I have been suffering from constipation for a long time, will colonics help?
We want to state that constipation can be successfully treated with natural, harmless techniques, including the use of colonics. Constipation is one of what may be termed “civilized man’s diseases”. While a typical American has 5 o 6 bowel movements per week, it is not unusual for a rural African to have 3 a day.
There are three factors involved in having a well functioning colon: diet, exercise and attitude. All three must be in balance for the colon to function well. Often, however, because the colon has been sluggish for so long, it has become severely weakened due to being constantly bathed in toxic waste, stretched form holding excessive stool, and frequently, constricted by chronic tension in the colon.
The process of colonic irrigation is excellent for cleansing and healing the colon sufficiently so that changes in diet, exercise and attitude are then able to produce their effects. Many people find the relief provided by colonics stimulates the motivation and enthusiasm to institute positive changes in their lifestyle.
I have heard that I shouldn’t get colonic’s because it upsets the electrolyte balance. What is that all about?
Electrolytes are the minerals in the body (mainly sodium and potassium salts ) which maintain the proper electrical charge and pH balance (acid and alkaline balance) in the various organs and tissues of the body. Each one of these tissues, organs and body cavities ahs a certain proportion and balance of minerals to maintain the necessary pH balance. For example, the stomach should maintain a n acid pH and duodenum (first part of the small intestine) should be alkaline (basic) in order for proper digestion to occur. If this balance is disrupted, then digestion will be impaired.
The pH electrical balance in the colon is very near neutral, ideally being slightly acid. A strong acid or alkaline environment is not necessary because digestion does not take place in the colon. Rather, a major function of the colon is to re-absorb the fluid from the unformed stool which is passed into it form the small intestine. After the fluid is re-absorbed and stool is formed, the colon moves the stool into the rectum and out of the body.
The majority of material released during a colonic is formed stool that has already had the fluid and electrolytes removed from it, so that amount lost is very minimal and easily replaced by the body from the food and fluid we ingest.
Some people say that colonics wash out intestinal flora and valuable nutrients. Is this
The truth is that the washing out of putrefied material in the large intestine, which is only partially reached in any colon irrigation, increases the good intestinal flora. Good bacteria can only breed in a clean environment.
|
