Colon Cleansing

From what I've heard, colon cleansing is a kind of ritualized starving. I would only recommend it for people will really bad digestive problems like really bad IBS, Crohn's, or people who've just been diagnosed with Celiac's, or people with a gluten intolerance that don't quite qualify for Celiac's.

Standard IBS or mild to moderate digestive problems... I wouldn't recommend it.

I"ve "cleansed" in the past and you feel so "good and empty" You do lose some weight but it just comes back.
This whole colon cleansing just seems like another gimmick to me. More money spent on weight loss secrets. The "secret" to weight loss is eat less and move more. That simple

Read more than what the people selling you something offer!

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

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/colon-cleansing/AN00065

http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/colon-cleansers-are-they-safe

http://www.johnshopkinshealthalerts.com/reports/digestive_health/865-1.html

Great information - thank you.

To be clear, the Herbal Cleanse that I mentioned in my earlier post is not a colon cleanse. It is 10 days worth of soluble & insoluble fiber drink, probiotics and herbal extracts to help get rid of impurities throughout the body.

These are some of the things that are mentioned in the links that you provided. I am excited to see that Mayo Clinic Drs are seeing encouraging results with the supplements that I use.

Better to see a doctor before self-medicating for any medical problem. There are ways to get more regular before doing anything this drastic. Sometimes slow digestion is the result of a food allergy or intolerance. Or too little exercise. Nothing gets you regular like a good long run or even a long walk - the faster you move, the more you shake things up inside you. Runners actually need to eat less fiber so they don't need to take pit stops.

The only time you really need to clean out your colon is before a colonoscopy. So the doc can get a better view up there. But until you're 50 or so, you don't need to worry about that. When you're 50 you can look forward to cleansing your colon (with yummy castor oil - I do believe) and enemas every year.

As for claims that having no food waste in your body will make it run more efficiently, that's a lot of crap -no play on words intended. If you're not eating right - that is, normally - you'll get that heady feeling that you get from a fast. Ever tried running a few miles on that? How did that feel?

Your body runs most efficiently on carbs. If you need proof of that, find out what top athletes eat when they're training - they don't do colon cleansing. And if any bodies run efficiently, it's world record holding athletes.Think that Lance Armstrong cleanses his colon before the Tour de France? Give me a break.

I would be weary of any artificial "colon cleansing." Generally, this is something that you want your body to do on its own, naturally. Our body has a delicate system, and beware of something that "forces it clean." The last thing you want is your system out of whack. And even less, a system that may become dependent on an outside source to do the work its supposed to. If there is a problem with a slow system, then maybe it's more fiber that you need. In any case, a doctor is probably who you need to consult with if there is a problem. In the mean time, remember to treat your body kindly, you deserve it.

I have to agree w/ Yellow Pepper. The human body is made to "de-tox" itself; this is what the liver & kidneys are for. And if one eats a high-fiber, healthy diet, the GI tract will function like a charm. If it doesn't function correctly (normal range for bowel movement is up to 3-4 days some people) even with the healthy diet, this is when a doctor should be consulted.

What?! 3-4 days? You need to be poopin' EVERY day. If it's not comin' out it's not comin' off!

And who is getting to 20-30 g of fiber without supplementing? That's alot of veggies! I'd like to know your healthy diet that is working like a charm. Sure the human body is made to de-tox itsellf, but really, unless you are growing your own organic foods in your back yard and eating them as soon as you pick 'em, you are getting alot of junk and losing alot of nutrition.

I heard IBS mentioned, gotta be careful with the fiber. Some IBS patients have trouble with fiber. Soluble fiber may be OK, but insoluble fiber just makes things worse. Every one can benefit from Probiotics; they are the good bacteria that we all should have in our GI tract, they chomp up the gunk in the folds of our intestines. But things like antibiotics kill that good flora off and that's when the sludge builds up. People who suffer with IBS do very well with Probiotics. And yes you can get it in yogurt, but how much yogurt do you think you would have to eat, and now add up the calories and fat, not to mention those poor folk with Celiac, IBS, Crohn's or some other form of gluten or dairy intolerance.

Recently, IBS and gluten intolerence has been a hot topic for me. I did some research, you can read about it in my April blog at http://AdvocareTeresaInBeaumont.blogspot.com/. I quote some Nationally recognized Doctors.

There is nothing wrong with supplementing our diets, especially when we are cutting back our intake to cut calories - that also cuts back on nutrition.

Sure our bodies should be able to do it naturally, our Grandparents didn't need this stuff, but our Grandparents weren't super sizing at Mickey D's and sitting at home playing video games.

I hope this is helpful.

What an interesting topic. :laugh: I have to say that I am 41 years old and have had constipation problems all of my life and I do mean all of it. Up until my early 30s, going 2-3 weeks without a BM was normal. Then I decided that, that is what was keeping my weight on too. So, I started using laxatives to help out. So, until 3 months ago, I used laxatives about twice a week. Then, I started eating Fiber One cereal, mostly the honey clusters and having an apple in the late morning for a snack and other veggies throughout the day. I have, for the first time in my entire life, been pooing on my own, everyday or every other day for 3 months. Oh, and sometimes for an afternoon snack I'll have a Fiber One bar (oats & chocolate or oats & caramel). They have 9 grams of fiber alone, the cereal has 13 grams of fiber. I just hope my body doesn't become used to this and this doesn't work anymore either. But so far, it's been working great.