Almost spit tea on my monitor. Thanks for the laugh!

Gotta admit, that was a side buster in this context. Very apropos.

Over in one!

Ok really? The lymph system drains INTO the cardiac system FROM the colon and other areas of the body. Why? Because the capillaries can't pick up all the fluid it leaks out, the lymph system handles the rest. And what better place to pick up fluid then an organ designed to drain it out: the colon.

People can get really hurt by these procedures, the membranes of the colon are thin and absorb well leading to perforations and either water toxicity or dehydration. Not only that, they disturb the bacterial flora balance that helps keep you regular.

A much better way to have a healthy colon is to just eat healthy! Detox by never putting it in your body...

@ Chris

Nonsense

Chris ~~ When I was doing nutritional counseling, I would often times recommend colonics for some individuals with colon problems. In the 20-years I had my health clinic, the recommended colonics were always with good results. Of course, one key is to make sure you are referring your patient to an individual who is reputable in the field of colonics.

It's interesting to me that doctors will prescribe a 'laxative' that in turn can strip the colon of flora, as well as irritate the colon, and cause pain. Even some prescribed medications known to rob the colon of natural flora. After certain medications are taken, or colonics are used, or laxatives, most doctors will recommend you eat yogurt for a few days (it has natural flora) or take some form of acidophoilus.

No single form of health care meets every health issue a person has. Sometimes there are several modalities that work well together, and can address various health issues. I think if people keep an open mind, make sure they are going to a professional with a proven track record, and be sure to inform their medical doctor of what ever modes of health care they are currently using, there shouldn't be problems. Each person should educate themselves about their own health issues, rather than just proceeding blindly with whatever their medical doctor, natural health care provider, their pharmacist, or their best friend tells them.

Chris - I believe the summary of the three people who responded before me is that you're an idiot who's wasting his time.

There were probably people 50 years ago that could "play basket ball with teenagers". Not having to take a dump for a few hours has zero effect on that.

Read a book.

I agree with Chris in that colon cleansing is vital to good health. Obviously, going to ill-informed, overzealous colon scrubbers could be dangerous, but the theory still holds.

I understand that many people love the idea of living an unhealthy lifestyle and then just look for a pill to cure the diseases that come forth. The trust that is shown in Big Pharma is incredible. A lot of advertising and Doctor buying seems to go a long way for the uneducated masses.

The use of prescription drugs is the 3rd largest cause of death in the U.S.! And you trust those people? The same people who have no reason to study any natural remedy, effective or not, merely because it's not profitable?! Is this health care!? Is this people helping people to have a better life? What have we become when we can't cure diseases because there is no money in it? Whatever happened to being a good person?

Yet, some of you can't accept that anything natural can help. Naturalists are only after your wallets. Where do you think the billions of dollars that pharmaceutical companies receive to sell us well marketed poisons comes from?

For all you blind nay-sayers who seem to believe the garbage you're sold, Brian said it best:

"Just pull your head out. You'll feel much better."

Sometimes I feel like the only person out there who is an advocate of alternative medicine and therapies, but also knows that, conspiracy theories (that I believe in) notwithstanding, pharmaceuticals can save or greatly improve the lives of people, as well. I'm a crunchy earth-hippie at heart, and I believe that good nutrition is the foundation of a healthy mind and body. I will always suggest (and try) natural, non-drug remedies first.

However, I wouldn't be alive if it wasn't for pharmaceutical drugs and modern medicine, and I'm so thankful that they exist for me and others like me. Everyone needs help sometimes, and that includes Mother Nature. My conditions have no cures. I will need to take pharmaceuticals for the rest of my life. It took me a long time to accept that, but I'm at peace with it now.

My vitamins and supplements (I suffer from malabsorption issues, so it's hard for me to get all the nutrients from my food) live in peace with my pharmaceutical bottles. Maybe they have little parties at night. That would explain my messy desk. Or maybe I'm just a disorganized slob.

...my understanding is that Christ himself recommended fasting one day a week, one week a month and one month a year, plus colon cleansing 'till the water came out clean...

Mind to post the source of that information? Book(s), chapter(s), and verse(s) from the Bible, and/or any other sources that information came from?

artgenta

I agree with SCHARRIS. Before you spout off the "teachings of Christ" you better quote scripture. There are references to fasting all over the Bible, but interestingly enough, there is nothing that I have found that references colon cleansing. Also of importance when speaking of fasting to note, is fasting was instructed to those who's faith was weak. The philosophy of fasting was to subject the body to God's spirit. In other words, if you are having a difficult time in your life, it was good to fast and pray because that gets your "body" in line with the spirit of God; so you could depend on the spirit more than the body. Those are the only reasons given for fasting in the Bible.

I think you need to go to Sunday School and brush up on your knowledge BEFORE you speak out of ignorance.

EG, well stated correction. I'm not a religious fanatic but I do fast once a month, for a day. I think that is more than adequate. We should always remember, moderation in all things.

Ha ha....that's pretty funny. While I have benefited very much from an herbal colon cleanse and I do agree that we are what we eat and I believe in what Hippocrates? said, "Let your food be your medicine and your medicine be your food", I am quite certain that Jesus Christ did not mention those things. :)

@cobock:

Endoscopies?

Sorry, an Endoscopy is where they go down your esophagus into your stomach. A Colonoscopy is where they go up your bum hole into the lower 2/3 of your colon.

I laughed so hard I almost messed myself!

An endoscopy is a generalized term meaning that you are using an endoscope to look inside the body.

So, a colonoscopy is a type of endoscopy.

All colonoscopies are endoscopies, but not all endoscopies are colonoscopies.

Other endoscopies: cystoscopy (bladder), otoscope (ear), colposcopy (cervix), bronchoscopy (lungs), and many more.

The endoscopy to which you are referring (through the esophagus) is called a esophagogastroduodenoscopy.

For sake of simplicity, most people just say "I got an endoscopy".

Cobock - Bingo. That nasty "mucoid plaque" is caused by the product itself. That's why the manufacturers of these colon-cleansing products always say that it takes a few days to take effect. I have ulcerative colitis, so I've had more than my fair share of colonoscopies. During the prep (where you need to take huge amounts of laxatives to empty the colon so it can be properly examined), I have never seen anything resembling those nasty photos in the toilet, and there was nothing "stuck" to the inside of my colon, either. They give you pictures after the procedure.

The whole "mucoid plaque" thing is a scam used to sell crappy (pun no intended) products. Any positive effects of these products is purely psychosomatic, or possibly an effect of simply eating better, which a lot of these people start to do in conjunction with colon cleansing.

I once stumbled onto a website that had people posting pictures of their results from colonic cleansing with herbs....it took awhile before I regained my eyesight! (I'm a RN, the doctor I work for was on a rant about Kevin Trudeau, who apparently also recommends colon cleansing. We checked out Trudeau's website, and then followed a link to a website featuring herbs for colonic cleansing).

My husband recently had a colonoscopy and took Miralax mixed in Gatorade for the clean-out.......he didn't have any "mucoid plaque" show up, and I've seen his colonoscopy pics, his colon was as cleaned-out as it could get. The others are right, any "mucoid plaque" is from the actual product, not what's inside.

Anybody that suffers from "fairly regular constipation" probably needs a little more bulk in their diet, should drink a little more water, and maybe move a little more.

Any psychedelic effects coming with that wonderful shroom pizza? ;)

I thought it was sticking a nose up your ass? Oh wait a minute, I forgot - we are not talking about work...

Healthy, natural things we can ingest....I can remember my grandmother talking about a "spring tonic". It was a hot dandilion salad. She would dig up dandilions in the yard, was them well, boil them up with some vinegar and when cooked, cut up a hard boiled egg into it and eat.

That doesn't sound the least bit appetizing. Anyone want a Tumbleweed sandwich?

Robin ~~ I love dandilion greens either cooked or in my salads. And yes, there are many natural things that help the colon run smoothly.

One post earlier mentioned BENTONITE, with a negative review. Actually, this clay Bentonite, is a great colon cleanse. The liquid suspended form, taken for a few days once monthly can keep the pipes clean.

cobock ~~ Of course, when doctors perform a sigmoidoscopy, or a colonoscopsy the patient has already cleaned out the colon by taking laxatives, liquids etc that the doctor has prescribed 24-hrs in advance, so that the colon can be viewed without any fecal matter. So, naturally there would not be any strange looking stuff in the colon, unless there are diverticula that are impacted.

Fiber, veggies....it aint that complicated.

@Robin--was your grandmother PA Dutch, by any chance? I live in PA, and every spring local churches have ham & dandelion suppers. Dandelion leaves (before it flowers) with a hot lettuce dressing is actually pretty good.

Increasing water intake, eating a high-fiber diet helps to keep things moving, as other have said. Activia yogurt has really been touted in those ads to help with "digestive health". Has anyone done this with Activia? Usually if I need antibiotics, I'll eat yogurt while on antibiotics, it really seems to help prevent the diarrhea that's such a common side effect of antibiotics.

My husband said the same thing last January, when he had to do his colonoscopy prep!

Your (lack of) understanding of the human digestive system is laughable and delusional.

Please do not go about filling peoples' heads with the medieval baloney written above; it is beyond irresponsible. Instead, take some classes on nutrition and physiology at a reputable school.

Dear Madison - how about if you @!$%# 3 meals worth at one time...then your math is completely stupid!!!!

Where are those other 14 meals - been digested? er, water content peed out? er, nutrients used for energy?

OMG - how can anyone seriously believe this colonic cleanse drivel when there are excellent sources on the internet on all sorts of medical facts...not opinions.

I was just thinking...

People with Crohn's disease and other inflammatory bowel diseases often have bowel movements over 6 times a day, even if they don't eat any meals.

Where are all these mystery meals coming from?!

Someone must be force-feeding them meals while they sleep!

Is it aliens?!

Mercury and chicken-sh*t were both used as medical therapies until the 1940s as well.

I don't see anyone sticking mercury on their genitals anymore, do you?

It really is a shame that cancers sometimes spontaneously go into remission and we get stories such as these. All these stories do is scare people away from traditional medicine (and cures!) and suggest that they do horribly expensive alternative therapies that have no medical science behind them.

People die because of people like you, Madison. I hope you are happy with your ignorance.

Cassivella is right.

I have IBS and even if I've gone all day without eating, I can still potentially volcano out one end like a busted fire hydrant.

The human body's digestive is built to operate and survive without any outside tools.

Awesome imagery! LOL

^5 Mechanical

Like Madison says, do your research. Sadly, Madison doesn't follow her own advice. She thinks opinions from charlatans giving foolish advice in order to make a huge profit on their "natural products" are really research. No, research is published in reputable journals after being reviewed by peers of the author(s). And as the article suggests, there is no research to support colon cleansing.

As far as one elimination equaling one meal - I just don't buy it. Fluid is absorbed from your food and the excess is eliminated as urine. Much of the food you eat has nutrients that are absorbed and used by your body, and the rest is eliminated. So not only does Madison not check for research, she also doesn't exhibit much common sense.

Madison, thank you for sharing your cancer survival story. I applaud your efforts to take personal responsibility for your health.

What a shame that your success is being dismissed, and with such vitriol. You would think people would give you kudos and want to know how you did it. The hostility directed at you is disturbing.

Traveler,

Thanks for stating what I was thinking. People can be so cruel, they don't even notice anymore. Shame...

People with Crohn's disease and other inflammatory bowel diseases often have bowel movements over 6 times a day, even if they don't eat any meals.

Boy, do I know this! I have ulcerative colitis, and before I began treatment (with pharmaceuticals that saved my crunchy hippie ass - in two senses of the word), I could have over 60 bowel movements a day. I would starve myself, thinking that if I wasn't eating anything, there would be nothing to come out. I was dead wrong.

I always have to laugh at these "crap every time you eat" people. If you do that, you might want to see a gastroenterologist. That's not normal, and it's certainly not fun!

I wish I knew you. Your wit has made my day.

I just hang mine out on the clothesline where the neighbors can see. Has a nice, fresh scent afterwards!

I'm skeptical of excessive use of these techniques as anyone, but more fiber, more liquid intake and more exercise don't produce adequate results for everyone. I eat plenty of fiber, drink 2+ liters of water a day and at least an hour at the gym doing cardio/weight training every day. Unfortunately all that does jack for my constipation (IBS-C).

Bcolv, have you tried magnesium supplements? Aside from being just great for your general health, it can really help with constipation.

Even if you can digest sugars (the "ose") normally, eating simple sugars can cause gas (by giving your happy bacteria candy), especially in people with IBS, IBD, and Crohn's.

Gas, of course, can cause cramping, and often IBS/IBS/Crohn's sufferer's have problems differentiating the "gotta toot" from the "gotta poop" causing, well, "embarrassing accidents".

If you accidentally misspell the word "chart" when googling, you will find out about this graphically, as I accidentally did one day. LOL

No, J100, do the right thing and have a man-to-man with your son. The sooner, the better.

You don't want him learning about it in some dark alleyway (oops, pun!) or somewhere else, like that poor sod JIMradio in comment 21!

What is humourous is that some people use some of the same equipment (the at-home versions) to insert alcohol into the wrong end of their alimentary canal, thinking that parents/parole officers/etc. won't smell the alcohol on their breath (which is wrong, since most alcohol breath is caused by the alcohol moving from the bloodstream into your lungs and being breathed out).

So, maybe you should tell your son the dangers of colonics LOL.