What Are the Benefits of a Colon Detox?

A century ago John Harvey Kellogg (an early holistic doctor best known as the inventor of corn flakes) said that "90% of diseases are due to improper functioning of the colon". That thought is still a guiding principle in alternative medicine.
Everything we eat, drink, or otherwise consume passes through the colon. The colon, or bowel is connected to virtually every part of the body. If wastes and toxins accumulate they'll be reabsorbed into the bloodstream, causing the body to function inefficiently.

Significance

• You are what you eat, not only today, but what you ate last year. The intestines can store partially digested food, drugs and other toxic chemicals for years or even decades. Elvis Presley was famous for his music and infamous for a diet high in fast food and drugs. His autopsy showed his colon jam-packed with white, chalk-like fecal material.
  If toxins and waste accumulate they can harden and stick to the walls of the colon and your immune system is weakened. You can experience a wide range of symptoms that decrease the quality of life such as backache, bloating, cold hands and feet, constipation, diarrhea, fatigue, gas, headache, hemorrhoids, indigestion, insomnia, irritability, joint pain, menstrual pain, or migraines, as well as a variety of illness such as asthma, allergies, arthritis, colds, or depression.
  Colon cleansing removes these toxins, boosting energy and strengthening the immune system.

Benefits

• Once the colon is free from accumulated toxins and waste it can start to function efficiently once again. Often immune and circulatory problems clear up when the colon is able to function efficiently.
  Among the benefits of colon cleansing is improved bowel function, improved absorption of nutrients, and relief from any number of ailments listed above.
  Additional benefits include an increase in energy, more stamina, weight loss, sound sleep, concentration, a reduction in mood swings and anxiety, an improved sex drive, better absorption of nutrients and clearer skin.

Types

• There are a variety of ways to cleanse a colon and you'll find a number of products on the market to facilitate the cleaning process in the form of drinks, herbal teas, enzymes, laxatives, pills, powders and capsules. Colonic irrigation or hydrotherapy is the fastest and most efficient way to cleanse the colon. In this procedure, water gently washes the intestines which softens and loosens old fecal matter and toxic buildup.
  Once the colon has been purged of old wastes and toxins, adjust your diet to include raw fruits and vegetables, and avoid processed foods, refined sugars and alcohol. A change of diet alone is not enough to cleanse the colon.

Warning

• It is important to choose the right methods and products to cleanse your colon. Choose natural products that are not habit forming. Even a herbal laxative can be habit forming if taken for an extended period of time. You don't want to become dependent on any product to function normally.
  Colonic irrigation is not advised for people with internal hemorrhoids, heart and kidney diseases, ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease, and rectal, anal or colon diseases unless advised by your physician.
  Be wary of Internet sites offering free colon cleaning products. Often you just pay shipping and handling and later discover you have signed up for a trial program that is difficult to discontinue. Read the fine print before you sign up.

Expert Insight

• Most colonic irrigation practitioners utilize disposable and sterilized equipment so there is no danger of contracting infections.
  In addition both the temperature and pressure are regulated and the process is risk free if proper equipment and procedures are used.
  A variety of serious illnesses are related to problems with elimination, such as colon cancer, bowel obstruction, Crohn's disease, diarrhea, diverticulitis, colitis, polyposis, irritable bowel syndrome, Hirschsprung's disease.