Colon Cleanser -How and Why

It is not a new concept - colon cleansers.

Once upon a time it was spring tonic.  You got the tonic even if you didn't want it.  The taste was less than desirable and the effect was quick and confining.  You didn't dare stray too far from a bathroom.

Like all preventive folk medicine this practice lost favor.  Modern science told the enlightened that it was not necessary.  Some doctors even went so far as to say that a colon cleanser was dangerous.

Many years ago I knew a very nice lady.  She was old world and went only to the local "doctor" (not a medical doctor) and was pretty darn healthy to my eyes.  However, one week she did not show up for work and I did not see her for two weeks.  She had gone in for her monthly colon irrigation and cleansing.  The staff set her up in the bathroom potty stall and went about their business.  Regretfully they forgot about her.  She was found a couple of hours later, lying on the floor with the irrigation hose still stuck up her bottom.  She recovered nicely after a brief stay in the hospital to treat her head injury. She was also treated for dehydration.

For years polite society did not discuss bathroom issues any more than women problems.  The older colon cleanse generation eventually died off.  The practice also died off as did leeches and maggots for cleaning out infection.

Everything old becomes new.  Doctors are now relooking at leeches and maggots and they are definitely in favor of a good old fashioned colon cleanse.

Of course, the doctors cannot agree on how or when a colon cleanse should be done.  In the USA, the most popular product is psyllium. You can find this natural product at every drug store and grocery store in town. The most common problem with taking psyllium is that it requires a lot of fluid, hopefully water, to work effectively.

People suffering from constipation often turn to psyllium products.  Sometimes, they find their problem has increased.  When you take psyllium, you must, absolutely must drink a full large glass of water with the capsules.  It is the action of the water and the psyllium that moves the bowel.  Not enough water and you just increase the blockage.  Since it is often the lack of water that caused the constipation in the first place, you have no so called cure.

These same people then turn to laxatives.  Sorry but laxatives are habit forming.  They stimulate the bowel to move but used on a consistent basis they stop the normal muscle movement of the bowel.  Let's say that every time you wanted to move your left arm someone moved it for you.  It would not take very long before you could no longer move the arm on your own.

There was a young person at our drug rehab facility that used a fleet enema every day.  She did not have the physical ability to have a bowel movement without assistance.  She administered it to herself. Needless to say she was anorexic, still felt fat and still had a drug problem.

There is a time and place for a laxative. But the time should be infrequent.  If you are hooked on laxatives, see your doctor. It won't be an easy quick road back to normal healthy bowel movements but it is possible.

Colon cleansers are necessary and done properly are healthful to your body.

You might feel that a colon cleanser is not necessary for you.  You have a regular bowel movement, your diet is high in natural raw vegetables and you consume several glasses of pure water every day. You get plenty of exercise and you feel great.  Why are you reading this article?

My grandmother would have insisted you take a spring tonic anyway.  Just as she did spring house cleaning getting into all the corners and cupboards that normally don't get cleaned, she knew that the large intestine had little pockets of very old toxic material. Getting rid of toxic waste in your body can only be a good thing.

A good colon cleanse can help everything from acne to allergies to your ability to fight off the flu.  A clean healthy colon supports the entire body.  You don't get much clean air from a dirty stopped up air filter and you don't get the proper absorption of nutrients from your food from a dirty clogged intestine.

• Common herbs in colon cleansers
  
  Common Herbs in Colon Cleansers If you get your colon cleanse information from TV you may believe that all natural products consist only of psyllium.
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