Special Water Regiment to Cleanse Colon

Doing a colon cleanse can mean getting a colonic or doing enemas at home. The purpose is the same: to introduce water and other liquids, such as coffee or aloe vera juice, into the large intestine to remove waste.

The idea is to detoxify the colon. As a detoxification practice, it is important to use filtered water without heavy metals and water-borne parasites, such as giardia. The Environmental Protection Association has set safety limits on allowable amounts of bacteria and heavy metals in drinking water.

Benefits

• Moving waste from the colon by cleansing with a colonic or enema can alleviate occasional irregularity. Most health professionals believe a daily bowel movement is the minimum detoxification for most healthy adults. Some people report having only two or three bowel movements per week. That might mean they are overeating, eating foods without chewing thoroughly or eating too little fiber to move the waste on a daily basis.

Water Sources

• Generally a colonic in a colon hydrotherapy clinic might cost $75 to $110 and last for an hour. All of these clinics use filtered water to make certain that no water-borne parasites or heavy metals such as methylmercury or arsenic are transmitted to clients.

  The National Institutes of Health reports that giardia is the "most prevalent" water-borne parasite in the world and can be "life-threatening" to infants and the elderly. It causes severe diarrhea as a sign of intestinal distress.

  Tap water in the U.S. can have parasites such as giardia. Boiling the water first can be done, but that would also only concentrate heavy metals.

  Instead, patronize colon hydrotherapy clinics that can assure you that their water is filtered. At home, use a water filter that can be placed on the tap (read the manufacturer's guarantee about what the filter removes from the water) or a special water filter custom-made and installed by a contractor.

Water Test Kits and Water Filters

• Before installing a water filter, consider buying a water test kit to determine what is in your tap water. These kits can be purchased online or in some health food stores and cost $16 to $35. Some may include a vial in which to send a sample of tap water to a lab to be evaluated and others may use pH paper strips and other tools.

  Test kits can measure bacteria or harmful substances.

  Water filters that can be attached directly to the water faucet can cost about $40 for a filter and one refill. These filters typically use charcoal to catch impurities. Most will require you replace the actual filter every three to six months for a cost of about $20.