If you have been paying attention to the ads on many web sites and blogs today, you probably have noticed that many of them pertain to colon cleansing or colon irrigation. I certainly have seen a lot of them recently. This has prompted me to look this thing up and find out if it really has health benefits. After all, if many people are interested in it, it should count for something, right?
What is colon cleansing anyway? It is basically a process wherein your bowels are cleansed thoroughly by ingesting supplements that will loosen and remove build up in your colon. As a result, you would have to do number 2 a lot.
Proponents of colon cleansing believe that the process has a lot of health benefits. These range from removing toxins from the body to boosting energy to lessening the risk of cancer. Yet do doctors have the same view?
Based on my research, it seems that medical doctors have not really found scientific evidence as to the purported health benefits of colon cleansing. According to Michael Picco, M.D., they do not recommend colon cleansing for better health or disease prevention. The rationale behind this is:
• It’s unnecessary. Your colon doesn’t require enemas or special diets or pills to eliminate waste material and bacteria. It does this naturally on its own.
• It may be harmful. Your colon absorbs water and sodium to maintain your body’s fluid and electrolyte balance. Some colon-cleansing programs disrupt this balance, causing dehydration and salt depletion. Long-term or excessive cleansing programs can lead to problems such as anemia, malnutrition and heart failure.
I guess I am not going to try this method for now.
Originally posted on May 15, 2008 @ 10:31 am