Colon Cleansing - It's a Dirty Job, But Someone's Gotta Do It!

Colon cleansing is such a vital part to achieving optimum wellness. If you are like me, we spent a large part of our lives taking in foods with little nutritional value and no fiber. All the things I indulged in like white flours and sugars, large amounts of meat, cereals, sweets, candies and cheeses really put a strain on my pipes.

And that's exactly what our gastrointestinal tract is like, a pipe. The food that we eat is processed and moved through the plumbing system of our body. Food is first placed in the mouth, goes down the esophagus and into the stomach. From the stomach the food goes into the small intestine where a majority of the assimilation of nutrients occurs. Finally the food is moved into the large intestine where water is absorbed and the stool hardens to be passed out of the body.

The problem begins when what we eat gets stuck in our pipes, otherwise known as constipation. And when we are constipated we may start to notice a number of health issues, besides just stinky gas.

We may start to notice our skin breaking out, fatigue, headaches, irritability, lack of focus and concentration, brain fog, lowered sex drive, bad breath (it's got to come out somewhere), nausea, joint pain and numerous other symptoms. Constipation causes the colon to swell, which puts pressure on other organs and reduces space in the body. Also, many bacteria, worms, parasites, funguses and other nasty critters are able to proliferate in a clogged colon.

Another complication that arises from constipation is the absorption of nutrients. As stated earlier, most nutrients are absorbed in the small intestine. This is made possible by tiny hairs in the small intestine that absorb nutrients from the food passing through. When the colon is impacted with fecal matter it can cover up and impede the villa from doing their job.

I mean think about, if we are filled up with waste how can we expect our bodies to perform? I like to use this analogy. About 7 years ago I was the owner of a 1984 Oldsmobile Crown Royal. Now it was an old car and had been through a lot, but with a little love and care it performed nicely. But it got to the point that whenever I drove for a long time it would overheat. I would have to stop the car and wait for it to cool down. Eventually I could only drive about 10 minutes before I would have to shut her off.

Now I really loved the car and didn't want to get rid of it, so I took it to my mechanic. The mechanic told me there was a very simple solution. The hoses were basically clogged, and all I had to do was run water through and clean it out. So I took it home and did what he instructed, which was take a garden hose and run water through the hoses in the car.

When I did this I couldn't believe what was coming out. This black stinky gunk just poured out, and it continued for about an hour. No wonder the car was overheating.

So our bodies are the same way. When they are filled up with black stinky gunk they are not going to perform properly. And just like the mechanic said, there is a very simple solution. Clean out the colon and our bodies won't overheat so easily.

So what can we do to clean out this black stinky gunk. Fortunately we have been given a number of ways to restore our colons back to optimal health:

1. Colon Hydrotherapy - This is probably one of the most effective ways to do a colon cleanse. It's basically doing the same thing to your body that I did to my car. The hydrotherapist will stick a tube in the rectum and wash out your pipes. I have seen all kinds of crazy looking stuff come out during a colonic, including parasites. My colon hydrotherapist claims she has even seem tape worms that are several feet long be released. There are also colonic boards that you can use at home, but I have never used one so I can't testify to their effectiveness.
2. Enemas - Kind of like a mini colonic. These are great because you can do them at home. Basically you fill up the enema bag with water, insert the hose into the rectum and fill up. The only limitation is that there is not enough water to clean out the entire colon. The water will only reach parts of the large intestine. Some people put other liquid in with the water like certain herbal teas or wheatgrass.
3. Salt Water Cleanse - One of my favorites! Just take a quart of water and mix with 2 tablespoons of Epsom salt. Mix the salt in with the water thoroughly and drink. Do this in the morning and skip breakfast. The Epsom salt will cause the water to go through the GI tract instead of the urinary tract, washing out blockages in the colon. The only negative aspect is that the salt water is pretty gross. But if you can get it down its works wonders.
4. Herbal Laxatives - There are many herbal laxatives on the market, and some are more effective than others. My personal favorite is Dr. Schultz's Formula #1. If you decide to use this product be sure to eat with it. Otherwise you will experience stomach cramping and nausea due to the fact that habanera peppers are one of the ingredients. Unfortunately their company no longer allows internet sales from other companies, so we don't carry this product. But you can still purchase it from their website. There are also several other herbal laxatives you may want to try.
5. Psyllium Seed Husk - Psyllium seed husk is a natural laxative. When mixed with water the psyllium forms a gel and expands. The psyllium is then able to absorb toxins from the GI tract, and as the psyllium moves through the GI tract the expansion helps to push old fecal matter through. But please be careful when purchasing pysllium. Much of the psyllium in the health stores has been irradiated, so try to purchase non-irradiated pysllium if you can. Also make sure you mix pysllium with ample water, or it can actually have a reverse effect and clog the colon. The proper amount is 1-2 teaspoons to 8 ounces of water.
6. Oxygen Based Cleanser - I have never actually try this one so I don't know how effective it is, but many people claim to get good results. It's basically a supplement that when taken creates a chemical reaction. This reaction causes a release of oxygen that softens and liquefies the hardened stool. The fecal liquid then passes out of the body.
7. Bentonite Clay - Bentonite clay is volcanic ash that is millions of years old. This clay is very unique in that it is negatively charged, which gives it the ability to bind with metals and other toxins that are positively charged. The clay then passes out of the body, bringing the toxins out with them. Bentonite is able to absorb toxins many thousands of times its own surface area, making it one of nature's most powerful cleansing tool. There are a couple of precautions to bentonite. The first is to make sure you mix it with enough water, or else it can actually cause constipation. The other is that many bentonite clays contain high amounts of aluminum. Aluminum is toxic to the body and generally should not be ingested. Some say that the amount of aluminum in bentonite is irrelevant because the clay holds it in anyways, but I always go with a low aluminum bentonite just to be safe.

So these are some of the more common methods for a colon cleanse. Depending on how impacted you colon is, it may take some time to thoroughly cleanse it. It's kind of like if you took a pan with some food in it and let it sit for a week. Just running water over it wouldn't do it because that gunk is really stuck to the pan. You would have to scrub it. You might have to use soap or some other cleaner. But it would take a little time and effort to get it sparkling again.

If you want to cleanse the other organs it is imperative that you clean out the colon beforehand. Most of the time toxins that are dumped from the other organs in the body must leave through the intestines. When the intestines are clogged those toxins are going to get stuck and cause even more problems. If you are thinking of doing a cleanse make sure you have a happy colon first.

So if you have some enthusiasm and a little patience it will pay off. Your colon will be squeaky clean, and your body will thank you for it.

I wish you joy, happiness, health and peace. Always peace.