Colonic
Irrigation
The
desire for good health is something we all
share. We spend countless thousands of dollars
treating the symptoms of disease and a portion
of our income on health insurance to cover
our expenses for cancer, heart disease, etc.
in the event our bodies should succumb to
these diseases. Yet very little is invested
in the prevention of disease, which costs
far less than the treatment. One example of
this is cancer of the colon. We dont
hear much about it, yet it is second only
to heart disease as the most common cause
of death in the United States. In fact, the
American Cancer Society recently released
information stating that cancer of the colon
and rectum has now taken over first place
as the most common form of lethal cancer in
the United States. This need not be so.
While
few would argue the importance our diet plays
in our health, the removal of toxic waste
from our bodies is important, too. You see
good health is as much a result of how well
we eliminate wastes from our bodies, as how
carefully we choose what we eat.
How
the health of our colon affects our total
health
The
colon is a tube approximately five feet long
and 2 1/2 inches in diameter. A healthy colon
is uniform size and tone. It extends from
the cecum where it joins the small intestine,
up and across the abdominal cavity and down
the left side of the body until it reaches
the sigmoid and rectum. The three main functions
of the colon are:
1.
The final digestion of our food
2.
The elimination of digestive residue
3.
Discharge of toxins and wastes from body
We
experience better health and well being when
the colon is clean and functioning normally.
When the colon is congested with stagnant
wastes, poisons backup into our system and
pollute the inner environment. This is called
autointoxication, which literally means "self-poisoning."
All
of the bodys tissues are affected by
the autointoxication.
Poisons
backed up into the nervous system affect irritability
and depression.
Poisons
backed up into the heart affect weakness and
poor circulation.
Poisons
backed up into the stomach affect bloating.
Poisons
backed up into the lungs affect foul breath.
Poisons
backed up into the skin affect sallow color,
pimples and wrinkles.
Poisons
backed up into the glands affect fatigue and
lethargy.
Autointoxication
can be a causative factor in numerous serious
diseases and is considered by many to be the
underlying reason for disease.
There
are many contributing factors to autointoxication
from a toxic bowel. Improper diet, insufficient
exercise, stresses, smoking, drinking, medications,
ignoring the urge to defecate, and even overeating
can all lead to bowel problems.
Most
of us, for instance, have had years of poor
to average nutrition. Much of our food is
subjected to chemical exposure and processing
which includes refining, frying and overcooking,
saturating the mineral elements of our food
with oil or grease. As a result of this food
processing, the digestive organs cannot process
the minerals efficiently and they are passed
out of the small intestine into the colon
as wastes. The consumption of mucous-producing
foods such as meat, dairy products and flour
cause dense, sticky bowel movements. Excess
mucous in our system is a sign of trouble.
Mucous stools are difficult for the body to
eliminate. When they are expelled, they leave
behind a glue-like coating on the wall of
the colon, which accumulates layer by layer
into a hard rubbery crust. The body cannot
eliminate the layers of hardened mucous on
its own. They are carried for the duration
of the persons life as toxic burden.
Incompletely
digested food ferments and putrefies when
remaining in the colon longer than a day.
When this fermented waste combines with the
bodys own bile acids from the liver,
carcinogens can form. We already know carcinogens
can ultimately develop into colon or rectal
cancers. Enhancing the colons ability
to expedite the elimination of waste reduces
the risks of developing colon-rectal cancer.
Constipation
is one of the first signs indicating to us
that our bowel is not functioning properly.
When a person is constipated, the walls of
the colon are often encrusted with accumulated
fecal matter. The inner diameter of the colon
is reduced like a waterpipe blocked by mineral
deposits, and eventually the opening becomes
narrower and narrower making it more difficult
to pass wastes through. Since the encrusted
feces line the colon wall, the colon is unable
to absorb nutrients from our food in the last
phase of the digestive process. Wastes from
the blood stream, which should normally be
drawn into the colon through the colon wall,
are reabsorbed by the body along with other
toxins resulting from the fermentation and
putrefaction of incompletely digested food.
Subsequently, intestinal stasis often follows
which occurs when the muscular contractions
known as peristalsis can no longer sweep the
hardened feces along the digestive canal.
A
person can even have several bowel movements
a day and still be constipated. The movements
are usually smaller and occur more often because
the inner diameter of the colon is smaller
than it should be. The body reacts to this
constricted bowel by stepping up the frequency
of the peristalsis wave action to allow the
waste to exit the body. Taken to its limit,
the effect can be diarrhea, which is when
the body moves out the waste so fast, the
bowel doesnt have time to remove the
water and consolidate the waste into stool.
The
concepts of colon cleansing go back to ancient
times and were very popular until replaced
by drug therapy in the 1930s. Recently
there has been a resurgence of interest in
this natural cleansing procedure.
For
answers to many questions about Colonic irrigation,
please see...
FAQ
About Colonics
Colon Therapists at Harmony Healthcare...
Linda Atwell CCT, RMT, MTI
Michael Keliehor CCT