Colon irrigation may help greatly in enhancing the ability to absorb many vitamins, minerals and essential fatty acids.
In our medical clinic we find colonic irrigations are one of the most important treatment modalities available for a multitude of health problems. Many health authorities feel that disease begins in the colon. To be in optimum health, the colon must be functioning normally.
I believe that the colon is one of the most neglected areas by the medical establishment. One of the major indications for colon hydrotherapy is constipation. Before discussing the effects of constipation, I will first give a description of how a colonic irrigation is carried out (some technical aspects about the colonic machine) and what some of the benefits would be from such a treatment.
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The usual colonic treatment lasts approximately 45 minutes. A small speculum is inserted into the patient's rectum. This speculum is then attached to a plastic hose which connects to the colonic machine. The colonic therapist then adjusts the volume and temperature of the water coming out of the machine which runs through a plastic hose into the patient's rectum and through the entire colon.
The patient is temporarily filled with a certain volume of water to individual tolerance. This will induce peristaltic contractions in the colon, and the patient will begin to expel fecal matter through the colonic hose which leads back to the colonic machine and through a clear plastic viewing tube.It is quite interesting to see what is expelled during a normal colonic treatment.
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One may see mucous, parasites, and very old feculent material (noted by its dark black color) pass through this tube. This old feculent material may have been lying in the patient's colon for years. It looks like vulcanized rubber and has that kind of consistency.
In addition, the patient may experience sensations of warmth due to the presence of toxins in the feculent matter.While the patient is receiving the colonic treatment, the colonic therapist lightly massages various parts of the abdomen to help loosen and dislodge areas of fecal impactions.
It is very important that the therapist use proper amounts of water. If the therapist uses too much water, the treatment may be uncomfortable or painful and may lead to negative results. If this therapy is conducted properly, it should not be painful or uncomfortable.
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In addition, when less rather than more water is used, the patient's colon is forced to do more work, which is an important first step in restoring normal peristaltic activity to the diseased colon. It should be noted that most patients need a series of colonic irrigations, not just one.
The patients may expel considerable gas during the first few treatments. It usually takes a few treatments before one starts dislodging old encrusted feculent matter. One should remember that it usually takes years for the colon to become clogged up with its own waste products.
Therefore, one should not be impatient when pursuing a therapeutic course of colonic irrigations.
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Indications for Colonics
Who can benefit from colonic irrigations? Constipation is one of the major reasons people pursue this form of treatment. I will discuss this very important problem later in this article. Colon problems such as colitis, ileitis and diverticulitis affect conservatively two million people in this country.
These problems can be directly addressed by colonic therapy.Anyone who suffers from bloating, abdominal distention, gas pains, stomach aches or someone who gets filled very quickly after eating and can only eat small amounts of food may be a candidate for colonic irrigations.In our clinic, we find that people with all kinds of skin problems, i.e., acne, psoriasis, eczema, etc., usually can benefit from a therapeutic course of colonic irrigations.
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The skin is the largest excretory organ in the body. When the colon is sluggish or clogged up or there are a lot of toxins in the body, the skin may act as a major excretory organ. Unhealthy skin is usually a sign of an unhealthy colon and no amount of antibiotics or skin creams or medications will alleviate the problems until the cause of the problem is addressed.
In addition, Vitamin A plays an important role in skin health. When the colon is adequately cleansed, Vitamin A can be more effectively absorbed through the intestinal tract.I have found that arthritis patients may be helped tremendously with a series of colonic treatments.
This may be due in part to the fat that arthritis patients suffer from some form of internal toxemia whereby toxins are continually being absorbed into their systems (i.e., the colon) causing further inflammation and aggravation of their joints.A third group of patients who may benefit greatly from colonic irrigations are cancer patients.
We know that cancer patients have a tremendous problem breaking down and assimilating proteins, but they may also be extremely deficient in many vitamins, minerals and essential fatty acids. They may also suffer from constipation and other varied digestive disorders. Colon irrigations may help greatly in enhancing their ability to absorb these various macro - and micronutrients.
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In addition, it is very important that a cancer patient eliminate efficiently and effectively all internal toxins. This is especially true in the case of a cancer patient who is on and integrated metabolic program. When on such a program, the cancerous tumor may start breaking down resulting in the release of cancer cells and various toxins throughout the body.
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Colonics may perform a very important function in helping to expel these toxins from the body. Dr. Max Gerson described a comparable situation when he first started treating cancer patients with an intensive dietary approach.
He stated that he lost a number of cancer patients because of toxemia. They literally died from their own internal pollution. As their cancerous tumors were being broken down they were unable to eliminate these toxic products effectively or efficiently with dire results as a consequence.
However, it is very important that a cancer patient be under competent medical supervision. One would not want to administer these colonic treatments to a patient who was too weak, whereby the colonic irrigations may weaken them further. In addition, colonics would be contraindicated in a patient with a tumor in the rectum or large intestine. Also, colonics would be temporarily contraindicated in any patient whose intestinal tract is too acidic. When the mucous membranes in the colon become too irritated or friable, the colonics may be too harsh a treatment. The patient should be put on a metabolic program to reduce the patient's acid state before beginning the colonic treatments. At our clinic, we do special testing to test the body pH (i.e., urine and saliva) before making specific recommendations about colonic irrigations.
Constipation
The expression constipation is derived from the Latin word "constipatus" which translated means to press or crowd together, to pack, to cram. Consequently, to be constipated means that the packed accumulation of feces in the bowel makes its evacuation difficult.
However, state of constipation can also exist when movements of the bowel may seem to be normal, in spite of an accumulation of feces somewhere along the passageways of the colon.Many health authorities believe that constipation is the number one affliction underlying nearly every ailment.
This means that constipation would be the most prevalent ailment affecting the civilized world. It is vital to stress that constipation affects the health of the colon, upon which the health of the body in its entirety depends.Constipation contributes toward the lowering of body resistance predisposing it to many acute illnesses and the creation of a great many degenerative and chronic processes.
Almost every human ailment has been attributed to a malfunctioning colon, i.e., one that cannot perform its normal, regular and efficient functioning.Intestinal constipation causes cellular constipation. It also increases the workload of the other excretory organs - kidney, skin, liver, lungs and lymph.The functioning of these organs becomes depleted and overworked.
The cellular metabolism becomes sluggish, repair and growth are delayed, and the ability to eliminate waste materials is lowered. The cells, instead of being alive and active, become dead and inactive. This process results in a decline in tissue and organ functional ability.There are two crimes against nature which civilization indulges in as a daily routine, which may be direct causes of constipation.
One is the consumption of devitalized and refined foods which fail to nourish the organs responsible for the evacuation of waste matter. The other which is most prevalent particularly among young people, but not much less among the older and more mature, is neglecting to stop everything we are doing when the urge to evacuate the bowels should drive us headlong into the bathroom.
Bowel movements every two or three days are considered normal and acceptable. It is my professional opinion, as in the opinion of many wholistic health care professionals, that we should have a bowel movement for every meal that we eat, each and every day. For example, if we eat three meals per day, we should have three bowel movements per day.
If we are having less than two bowel movements per day, food residues are lying in the colon for more than twelve hours. Consequently, the fecal material in the colon becomes putrefied and fermented. Any nutritional elements present in the fecal matter would pass into the bloodstream as polluted products. What would otherwise be nutritional becomes in fact, the beginning of toxemia.
Toxemia is a condition in which the blood contains poisonous products which are produced by the growth of pathogenic or disease producing bacteria. Pimples for example are usually the first indication that toxemia has found its way into the body.
A number of years ago, fifty-seven of the leading physicians of Britain met in London and discussed before the Royal Society of Medicine this problem of autointoxication caused by a toxic colon.Autointoxication is defined as "the poisoning of the body, or some part of the body, by toxic matter generated therein." Twenty-two poisons were identified as originating in a toxic colon.
They are as follows: Phenol, Cadaverin, Agamatine, Indol, Sulphurretted Hydrogen, Creson, Butyric Acid, Botulin, Putrescin, Urrobilin, Histidine, Ammonia, Muscarine, Methylmercaptan, Indican, Methylgardinine, Indoethylamine, Sulpherroglobine, Ptomarropine, Pentamethylendiamine, Neurin and Sepsin.
These are some of the many types of poisons which can be found in a toxic colon. Some of these poisons are highly active and may produce the most detrimental effects--even in very small quantities. In many cases, these toxins can seep out of the colon and poison the rest of the body.
Here are a few examples:
Poisons from the colon can do the following:
Weaken and stress the heart.
Go to the skin and cause blemishes, paleness.
Psoriasis, liver spots, wrinkles, and other facial conditions.
Irritate the lungs and cause foul breath
Go to the brain and disturb mental function and cause senility.
Go to the joints and cause pain and stiffness.
Go to the muscles and cause weakness and severe fatigue.
Rob you of your youth, ruin your health, and cause you to become old long before your time.
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