The colon is the last five feet of the digestive tract or large intestine. It is a hollow tube like organ made up of muscle structure that moves waste along by a wavelike motion known as peristalsis. The primary function of the colon is to absorb water, electrolytes and some vitamins, as well as preparing and storing fecal waste prior to elimination. The colon, along with the skin, kidneys lungs and lymphatic system is a major organ of elimination of toxins and waste. If bowel movements are not regular, the waste products and toxins accumulate and can compromise our health. Good health is as much a function of our elimination status as the quality of the food we eat. Consider that over 400 million dollars are spent annually on laxatives in the United States. Every year 140,000 Americans are diagnosed as having colorectal cancer which is the #2 killer after heart disease. Of this population, 44% will die as a result of the disease. At least two million Americans suffer from colitis, ileitis, diverticulitis and 100,000 Americans have a colostomy each year. Periodic cleansing of the colon could prevent stagnation and minimize the exposure to potential cancer causing agents to the colon wall.
Laxatives are considered to be an irritant and stimulant to the colon. They draw water from the body and produce a thin watery substance that clears only the most recently digested waste from the colon and leaves behind the impacted waste on the colon walls. Enemas are fine to clean out the lower part of the rectum and colon but miss about four feet of colon.
Everyone can benefit from some internal cleansing. Everyday our bodies are exposed to toxins and pollutants in the air we breathe, the water we drink and the food we eat. Our modern life style has taken its toll on our digestive and elimination organs. Refined, processed, low fiber foods, animal fats, a lack of exercise and ever increasing levels of stress all contribute to our current gastrointestinal health crisis. When waste and toxins can be eliminated from the body there is no problem but, when these build up faster than they can be eliminated or when the elimination systems are under-active, these toxins accumulate and create the necessary preconditions for disease in the body.
If any of these symptoms sound familiar, colon hydrotherapy and detoxification may be of great benefit.
The medical dictionary defines this condition as difficult or infrequent passage of feces or it can refer to the hardness of the stool. Those who agree with the natural approach believe a state of constipation can also exist when the bowel movement appears normal in spite of accumulations of waste along the colon. So what is normal? If you go to the bathroom once a day or once every two or three days it may be considered normal but it is not healthy. Consider for instance, that babies eliminate shortly after each meal. Their new digestive systems have not had the time to develop problems caused by improper diets, environmental toxins and stress. If you are eating three meals a day and are eliminating only once, it is prudent to ask yourself where the other two meals are hiding.
Drugs only temporarily suppress the condition then make it worse. The only lasting successful treatment of this condition is a supervised detoxification program, nutritional guidance and colon hydrotherapy.