What are your thoughts on colon detox diets?

Rosplosion

I am a bit biased on this subject (as it seems MANY are). I am a colon hydrotherapist and have done colon detox a couple times. Never this particular brand.

Firstly, colon detoxes are NOT diets. Their purpose is to assist in removing nasty built-up *kitten* out of your colon. Also most people have an imbalance of flora in the colon (read: harmful bacteria has overgrown and beneficial bacteria is lacking) and these cleansers help to create an environment where the beneficial bacteria can flourish....IF YOU SUPPLEMENT and CHANGE YOUR DIET.

Senna IS a stimulant laxative and very harsh on the body. I don't recommend it.

If you are experiencing constipation - most people do as we are supposed to have a BM for each meal - I would suggest eating more raw foods (foods that have their natural digestive enzymes intact), juicing raw foods, taking a probiotic supplement (beneficial bacteria), and either getting a home enema kit (cheap) or having a colonic (not so cheap) or both!!!

Fiber is great but if its not coming from raw foods its not going to help much if you're already suffering from constipation. In order to fix this problem on a permanent basis your diet has to change PERMANENTLY. I know from experience.

I drink raw juice or a smoothie each day and that helps a lot. I hope this helps you and good luck.

bathsheba_c

I'm coming at this as someone with a touchy GI tract. Fiber is important for keeping regular, but so is getting enough fat and water in your diet. If you are dehydrated or on a low-fat diet, that could keep things from moving as they should be. Using a colon cleanser to fix those sorts of problems are like using a sandblaster to exfoliate your skin.

A lot of people experience some sort of poop-related issue when they start making changes to their diet. You might want to do a search in the forums for past discussion threads on the topic to get some more, um, gentle ideas on how to handle it.

Rosplosion

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110801122948.htm

"The procedure, sometimes called colonic irrigation or colonic hydrotherapy, often involves use of chemicals followed by flushing the colon with water through a tube inserted in the rectum. It has ancient roots, but was discredited by the American Medical Association in the early 1900s, yet colon cleansing has staged a comeback.

"There can be serious consequences for those who engage in colon cleansing whether they have the procedure done at a spa or perform it at home," says the paper's lead author, Ranit Mishori, M.D., a family medicine physician at Georgetown University School of Medicine. "Colon cleansing products in the form of laxatives, teas, powders and capsules with names such as Nature's Bounty Colon Cleaner tout benefits that don't exist." She also says it's important to remember the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has no authority to monitor these products.

Mishori and her colleagues examined 20 studies published in the medical literature published in the last decade. She says that while these reports show little evidence of benefit, there is an abundance of studies noting side effects following the use of cleansing products including cramping, bloating, nausea, vomiting, electrolyte imbalance and renal failure."

YES the AMA.....sigh. Proper Colonics do not use chemicals. But the AMA uses primarily chemicals in all their therapies; that or surgery. This is OLD propaganda.

wellbert

Milk of magnesia will clear everything out of your colon. There aren't big lumps of built up garbage in there that need to be flushed out. Your body actually does a pretty good job of it. Look at a video of a colonoscopy or a sigmoidoscopy.




Any kind of 'cleanse' has the potential to disrupt intestinal flora as well, and that ain't good.

Sarauk2sf

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110801122948.htm

"The procedure, sometimes called colonic irrigation or colonic hydrotherapy, often involves use of chemicals followed by flushing the colon with water through a tube inserted in the rectum. It has ancient roots, but was discredited by the American Medical Association in the early 1900s, yet colon cleansing has staged a comeback.

"There can be serious consequences for those who engage in colon cleansing whether they have the procedure done at a spa or perform it at home," says the paper's lead author, Ranit Mishori, M.D., a family medicine physician at Georgetown University School of Medicine. "Colon cleansing products in the form of laxatives, teas, powders and capsules with names such as Nature's Bounty Colon Cleaner tout benefits that don't exist." She also says it's important to remember the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has no authority to monitor these products.

Mishori and her colleagues examined 20 studies published in the medical literature published in the last decade. She says that while these reports show little evidence of benefit, there is an abundance of studies noting side effects following the use of cleansing products including cramping, bloating, nausea, vomiting, electrolyte imbalance and renal failure."

YES the AMA.....sigh. They've cured....NOTHING....since polio?

What on earth does that have to do with anything?

And is this one better? Or are they not up to your standards?

http://www.johnshopkinshealthalerts.com/alerts/digestive_health/JohnsHopkinsHealthAlertsDigestiveDisorders_520-1.html

"The bottom line on colonics. Today, experts in the medical community—including doctors at Johns Hopkins—look on colonics as a questionable procedure, and advise against its practice because of concerns about the potential for side effects of colonics. While we are not opposed to alternative and complementary health practices that have been proven to be safe and effective, we do not advise colonics because it goes against a basic medical principle: First, do no harm."

Crayvn

I should add, I want to do it because my system hasn't been running smoothly despite proper amounts of fibre intake.

what is your definition of proper amounts of fiber?

http://www.livestrong.com/article/396538-how-much-fiber-should-you-have-in-your-diet/

Males from 14-50 should look to get about 38g daily.
Women from 14-50 should look to get about 25g daily.

"These recommendations are based on evidence indicating that consuming at least 14 g of fiber for every 1,000 calories results in a significantly decreased risk of heart disease." (quoted from the website link provided)

thanks but i knew the answer..i just wanted to find out if the OP knew..many ppl *think* they do

lwagnitz

I mean, if all you care about is the number on the scale, then sure you'll lose weight. Because all you're doing is getting rid of fecal matter basically. Your body fat isn't going to change. But, to each his own.

Firefox7275

I am a bit biased on this subject (as it seems MANY are). I am a colon hydrotherapist and have done colon detox a couple times. Never this particular brand.

Firstly, colon detoxes are NOT diets. Their purpose is to assist in removing nasty built-up *kitten* out of your colon. Also most people have an imbalance of flora in the colon (read: harmful bacteria has overgrown and beneficial bacteria is lacking) and these cleansers help to create an environment where the beneficial bacteria can flourish....IF YOU SUPPLEMENT and CHANGE YOUR DIET.

Senna IS a stimulant laxative and very harsh on the body. I don't recommend it.

If you are experiencing constipation - most people do as we are supposed to have a BM for each meal - I would suggest eating more raw foods (foods that have their natural digestive enzymes intact), juicing raw foods, taking a probiotic supplement (beneficial bacteria), and either getting a home enema kit (cheap) or having a colonic (not so cheap) or both!!!

Fiber is great but if its not coming from raw foods its not going to help much if you're already suffering from constipation. In order to fix this problem on a permanent basis your diet has to change PERMANENTLY. I know from experience.

I drink raw juice or a smoothie each day and that helps a lot. I hope this helps you and good luck.

You can fix the imbalance without the colonic or enema, lifestyle modification is highly effective. And relieve constipation without raw foods, plenty of people eat cooked foods and have a healthy digestion, fibre is not destroyed by cooking. Do you have any scientific evidence we are supposed to have a movement for every meal?

Craigamears

@fox, I believe the cooked part is referencing the enzymes and beneficial flora found in foods. Your point that fiber is fiber is correct but cooking does impact the enzymes and flora. That is the basis of pasteurization. That is also why we don't use microwave ovens in hospitals to defrost human plasma or Packed Cells. It kills the cells.