[John Chapman (OP)]

As far as I know the colon (also called the large intestine) is well designed for it's job. The waste food passes along it due to peristaltic contractions and mucus from the intestine wall ensures it slips along smoothly. As water is absorbed from the faeces they shrink, facilitating their passage. And if you look at a poo the surface may be wrinkled, showing that it is a composite of many smaller nuggets of poo all moulded and compressed into a larger stool, but it's surface is relatively smooth indicating it's easy, clean passage. I assume this also indicates that the lower colon is left relatively clean once the stool is ejected.

So what is colonic irrigation all about? I've heard people claim that it removes toxins from the body and can visibly improve the complexion and even leave a person looking radiant. But is there any scientific evidence of this? Does colonic irrigation form part of mainstream medicine or is it an alternative therapy? Excluding recreational uses, are there any health benefits to enemas?
 

[_Stefan_]

Colonic Irrigation is a completely unscientific alternative therapy. It does not work, and can be harmful.

[lancenti]

I actually read about this in a magazine while waiting to see my doctor. It seemed like the idea was that your stool is very dirty, and that when you defecate you only remove a small amount of the total stool in your body. By irrigating, it removes up to 2 kg of weight and 'cleans your system'.

Arguably, this also removes nutrients that your large intestines reabsorb from the stool, so I have no idea how they came up with this. For rich people with money to burn, it seems to be a good sales pitch, the loss of 2kg that is

[John Chapman (OP)]

According to About.Com’s alternative medicine section:

http://altmedicine.about.com/od/coloncleanse/a/colonic.htm

Health professionals are divided over the use of colonics. The majority of conventional health practitioners do not feel colonics can improve overall health. They believe colonics should only be used before certain medical procedures, such as a colonoscopy, or occasionally for constipation.

Proponents of colon hydrotherapy believe that fecal matter can accumulate and harden in the colon. They believe this buildup of fecal matter may:
•   Prevent the absorption of water and nutrients
•   Lead to constipation
•   Allow harmful colon bacteria and yeast to grow
•   Cause stagnant toxins to be absorbed into the bloodstream through the colon wall (called autointoxication)

[Bored chemist]

"Proponents of colon hydrotherapy believe that fecal matter can accumulate and harden in the colon. They believe this buildup of fecal matter may:..."
They may also believe that there are fairies at the bottom of the garden, but unless they can come up with some evidence, I don't understand why anyone else beleives them.

[_Stefan_]

1, I wouldn't trust anything coming from a proponent of Supplemental, Complementary & Alternative Medicine (SCAM). They do not base their thinking on evidence.

2, Real doctors are not divided over the use of colonics. Colonics, like most non-scientific medicine, is useless if not downright dangerous.
http://www.ebm-first.com/?cat=12

[John Chapman (OP)]

Ha ha ha

So I take it, Stefan and Bored Chemist, that you remain a little sceptical about it's benefits. Stefan, it was interesting that the first article in your link was titled "Gastrointestinal Quackery". And I love your 'scam' acronym.

[RD]

On a similar theme: sh1t transfusion ...

Fecal bacteriotherapy, also known as fecal transfusion, fecal transplant, or human probiotic infusion (HPI), is a medical treatment for patients with pseudomembranous colitis (caused by Clostridium difficile), or ulcerative colitis which involves restoration of colon homeostasis by reintroducing normal bacterial flora from stool obtained from a healthy donor.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fecal_bacteriotherapy

Possibly unintentional "fecal bacteriotherapy" could occur via the colonic irrigation apparatus, which may be responsible for beneficial effects.

[BTW "bacterial flora" is not a type of margarine  [] ]

[Bored chemist]

RD, it's not often that something gets me to laugh out loud but
"[BTW "bacterial flora" is not a type of margarine   ]" managed it.
Ironically those who preach the virtues of colonic irrigation are full of sh**

It seems thhe only possible benefit it could offer is an accident that would only arise if they didn't do their job properly and clean the equipment.

[John Chapman (OP)]

Incidentally, as an aside, I once had a prostate examination by a doctor who stuck his finger up my bum! I told him that I found the situation a little harrowing and he confessed that he found it very unpleasant too. At that moment a strange thought occurred to me:

You know how when people die traumatically their ghost is supposed to reflect their circumstances when they died? (Someone who was guillotined will become a headless man walking the corridors, for instance). Well I thought if some maniac with a machine gun burst in and showered us in bullets at that moment me and the doctor would probably spend the rest of eternity hobbling round the corridors, me bent over with my trousers round my knees and him with his finger up my arse.

This is the reason why I’ll never have a colonic. What if I have a heart attack just at the moment of expulsion?
 

[Don_1]

Don't miss this fantastic opportunity:-
 [ Invalid Attachment ]

[Madidus_Scientia]

lol @ "Ironically those who preach the virtues of colonic irrigation are full of sh**"

[crisma]

I am also dubious about colonic irrigation. I would like to agree with Lancentti's point of view regarding that. I have never tried going on such a treatment cause I use the more safer and natural way through the use of REMOVED, a herbal supplement formulated to promote good digestive health. I learned that stuff from SPAM REMOVED