Colonic irrigation; is it right up your alley?

[Admin]

Just a quick note (I know it's off topic) but Aspartame is probably the most investigated foodstuff in recent years and in normal doses it is perfectly safe. A lot of concern is over the fact that it also metabolises to Methanol, but in reality the levels produced are less than the levels ingested by eating fruit.

[Cuddles]

Don't understand the question Cuddles ???

You said that colonic irrigationers find more gunge than is healthy inside otherwise healthy people. In what way is it "more than is healthy"? Why do you think that your insides should be sparklingly clean, rather than having a normal amount of stuff inside you at any point?

[Corpse Cruncher]

Ah, now here I can come in as a fan of colonic hyrdotherapy and not a sceptic

Several years ago I suffered from a nasty bout of Diverticulitis. Pouches form in the colon in about 50% of the population, 20% have symptons, and meat and seeds and nuts for example can get caught in there and fester and go bad and you have to go into hospital and have anti b's via a drip or you could be very very seriously ill, as this can be life threatening.

When I had sufficiently recovered I went for a course in colonic cleansing and it did indeed show up some disgusting residue which had been in the colon for a long time, caught in a pouch. The therapy got rid of it, and now I go three or four timesa year to make sure nothing stays there for long.

It's not a painful proceedure and I don't mind having something stuck up my bum if it is going to prevent me going into an NHS dirty old hospital

In fact before the NHS came into being, GP's had colonic machines in just about every surgery, as so many of the 'ills' of mankind can be put down to irregular bowel movements or unexpelled feaces.

There is plenty of evidence for this on the internet, and whilst I realise not everyone has my condition, to be honest, colonic therapists find more gunge inside than is healthy on even those who think they are 100% clean.

And a colonoscopy and a barium enema involves taking a heavy duty laxative before the proceedure, which will keep you on the toilet for 24 hours and just about gets rid of everything so the Xrays or monitors can see what is going on inside without anything else in the way.

Ann

I always thought that this condition was one that was not recommended for colonic as are others?

[JJM]

Post #1 cites the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. This an "animal rights" fanatic group that primarily interested in keeping animals from being food. http://www.acsh.org/factsfears/newsI...ews_detail.asp A healthful diet for humans does not matter to them.

[Julia]

I remember reading that Mae West was a big fan of colonic irrigation - and look how incredibly youthful and slim she remained well into her 80s!

[ZERO]

Had a discussion today with someone today, who works in the fitness industry about the supposed benefits of colonic irrigation.

The argument for it, seems to be based on an assumption that undigested meat stays in the colon for a number of years. I argued that from what I have gleaned from certain sources that medical evidence for this was poor.

After a certain amount of data trawling tonight, the colonic irrigation debate widens to the ‘are humans designed to eat meat’ debate.

I came across this:



On face value it may seem to some to be a convincing argument so I have highlighted certain points which I think use either selective or only confirmatory evidence.

First of all, the dichotomy presented is one of carnivores v. herbivores; note that no mention of omnivores. >:(
Also there is the bit about mouths but no mention of dental profile in humans which show a mixture of characteristics such as the presence of canines as well as molar/premolars.

Sweating is presented as an argument but doesn’t acknowledge other possible explanations such as being covered in fur. ???

There is also an assumption that to fulfill the criteria of predator one needs to use no extraneous instruments. Indeed the definition of a predator as being quick can also be used to describe gazelles and rabbits.

I think this type of sound-bite illustrates the need to stand back and ask questions as to the underlying assumptions being made.

Either that or I just don’t fancy a hosepipe up me bum.

Humans are omnivores. Early homonids were scavengers and did not need speed and strength to obtain meat. Asking if we are herbivores or carnivores is misleading.

Are humans built to digest meat? Simple way of finding out: eat nothing but meat. If you die of starvation, the answer is "no".

Eskimos or Inuit traditionaly had a diet consisting almost entirely of meat.
http://www.straightdope.com/columns/010119.html

[ZERO]

In answer to the OP. Is it right up my alley? Probably not, but maybe I should try it and see if it tickles my fancy.

[SKIRRID5]

I don't know about meat, but I can speak with some authority about how long non-digested things stay in the intestine. Many years ago, while I was having a gold cap fitted on a tooth, the thing slipped out of the dentist's forceps and I swallowed it. That was on a Monday. I got it back on Wednesday, washed it, and went back to the dentist, who fitted it. Actually I ought to have turned up at the surgery with a steaming bucket and said " You dropped it, mate - you find it"

[Melanie]

When my son was three years old, he swallowed a marble. It took three weeks to reappear.

[JJM]

It is refreshing to see that the art of anecdote lives on. However, the colon-detoxifiers are fixated on months and decades, rather than days or weeks.

Of course, an unusual (non-food) object may exhibit an unusual dwell-time; that is part of the nature of being "unusual. "

[Ramontheskeptic]

[quote=median;9981]
Median said:
"First of all, the dichotomy presented is one of carnivores v. herbivores; note that no mention of omnivores. >:(
Also there is the bit about mouths but no mention of dental profile in humans which show a mixture of characteristics such as the presence of canines as well as molar/premolars."

Humans are omniovores but I think more by chance (and cunning) than by design. Sure we have adapted to some degree as meat / dairy has been in the diet for millennia, but our teeth did not evolve as raw dead animal masticators. Our short canines are however perfect for puncture biting into hard fruits for example. Carnivore canines usually extend so much they can't properly move their jaw from side to side, and their back teeth simply chop it into smaller pieces, whereas we can to grind meat instead of nuts or veg if we choose to (I personally don't).

But whatever we eat, if our body finds it nasty we either chuck it up or hurry it through and out. Colonic washouts are pointless from a food hygiene point of view, and could only have any use for the chronically constipated or the kinky.

[SKIRRID5]

Apert from a tendency to swallow stuff at the dentist's (see above), I have diverticulosis, though not yet, thankfully, diverticulitis. In the course of getting it diagnosed, I had a barium enema, and it was quite unpleasant. Before they take the X-Ray pics they blow air up your bum, to inflate the intestine I suppose, and it's painful, like really severe wind. Also, you have to fast for about 36 hours beforehand, which is no fun.
Regarding that stuff about seeds or such getting lodged in the pouches, isn't that what people used to say about the appendix? I'm doubtful about that.
The whole colonic obsession is suspiciously Freudian.

[exile]

Indeed. Having had the tradesman's entrance cleaned out a couple of times out of necessity I have to say anyone who does it voluntarily must be a bit strange.

[FarSideOfTheMoon]

I'm not reading anymore on this thread. ???

[InForAPennyInForApound]

Most certainly not up my alley

Those who believe colon cleansing/irrigation provides health benefits are incorrect in their thinking (you all have freedom of what to think and do) that by removing toxins from your bodies, boosting your energy and your immune systems. But doctors take a different view, as medical research progressed it proved that our colons absorb water and sodium to maintain our body's fluid and electrolyte balance. Therefore, it’s unnecessary; your colon does not need enemas or diet or laxative pills to eliminate waste material and bacteria. Your colon does it for you naturally on its own. It’s seriously harmful to each one of us. Do not interfere with your body's functioning. Too many so called colon cleansing/irrigation programs disrupt this balance, this balance should never be disrupted at all, and it can cause dehydration and salt depletion, causing the patient to suffer severe cramps. Repeated use of colon irrigation or cleansing can lead to health problems such as malnutrition, anemia and heart failure. Loss of potassium and vitamin C is very dangerous as this causes the heart to destabilize. The heart being a muscle needs its daily feeding of much needed Vitamin C and potassium, therefore I would recommend that people stay away from such drastic measures.

If persons suffer from constipation then rather have an enriched high fiber diet and drink plenty of water. We only have one life, it’s so precious, therefore treat it with respect.