Colon Cleanse / Colon Cleansing

Whether to release evil spirits from the body, balance the four humours, or to prepare for a colonoscopy, the concept of colon cleansing dates back to ancient times.

People have had an “on again, off again” love affair with colon cleansing in its various forms over the years and, based on recent popularity, it seems as if the affair has rekindled.

Just what is colon cleansing? Is colon cleansing something that you need to do? What is the best way to do colon cleansing?

This article discusses the pros and cons of colon cleansing so that you can decide for yourself.

A brief medical lesson on the colon before moving onto colon cleansing

The colon, also known as the large intestine, is a morsel of food’s last stop in the digestive tract before it leaves the body.

Did you know that doctors and physiologists actually consider the digestive tract as being outside the body? That is because the entire digestive tract, from mouth to anus, selectively absorbs and excretes substances, just like the skin.

While some substances we swallow are readily absorbed across the GI tract, like sugar or water, other things, like fiber, pass right through the entire tract and never entering the body itself.

Some places in the GI tract are better equipped to absorb things than others.

Contents within the stomach are barely absorbed at all, while the small intestine absorbs almost everything that travels through it.

The colon, or large intestine, falls somewhere in between the stomach and small intestine in terms of absorption. The colon absorbs some nutrients, but it is very adept at absorbing water. In fact the main purposes for the colon are to store feces and capture water from it.

The one exception to this absorption rule is at the very end of the colon in an area called the rectum.

The rectum is surrounded by a large number of blood vessels with rather thin walls. Contents here are absorbed more readily than in any other part of the colon. This is the main reasons that rectal suppositories work so well.

Colon cleansing methods

There are dozens of variations and versions of colon cleansing, but all methods of colon cleansing can be categorized into two main types, “from the top” colon cleansing or “from the bottom” colon cleansing.

“From the top” methods of colon cleansing are those that involve swallowing substances orally to cause the bowel to empty. This colon cleansing is the approach that is used prior to a colonoscopy, for example.

The “from the bottom” methods of colon cleansing involve substances that are placed into the rectum or colon. High colonics (flushing out the bowel with water via a hose inserted upward through the anus), is an example of a “from the bottom” colon cleansing approach.

There are various oral substances that can be taken to cleanse the bowel.

Many of these are appropriately called laxatives and each type of colon cleansing works by one of three different mechanisms to clean the bowel.

• The so-called bulk-forming laxatives, like psyllium husk travel from mouth to anus without being absorbed into the body. As the fiber travels through the GI tract it sort of acts like a sponge, drawing water from the body into the intestines. The more fluid that is in the intestine, the faster the GI tract moves and more stool is produced. Bulk-forming laxatives work reasonably well for colon cleansing but remove all stool from the colon.


• Osmotic laxatives, such as Golytely can work extremely well for colon cleansing when taken as prescribed. They work in a similar fashion to bulk laxatives except that they draw fluid into the GI tract by osmosis. Unfortunately many people find the taste of osmotic laxatives unappealing and have trouble swallowing the four liters (nearly one gallon) of fluid necessary to fully evacuate the bowel for colon cleansing to be achieved.


• Stimulant laxatives like senna cause the bowel itself to secrete fluid into the GI tract. While stimulant laxatives are occasionally useful, they are not the colon cleansing technique of choice since these drugs can be irritating to the gut and people can develop a tolerance to them.

The “from the bottom” colon cleansing methods that are often used are enemas or high colonics.

An enema is performed by inserting a fluid into the rectum. After holding the fluid in the rectum for a certain amount of the time, the person then uses the bathroom to evacuate the bowel. Enemas are usually only good for clearing out the last part of the colon in a colon cleansing.

High colonics colon cleansing, on the other hand, deliver large volumes (up to 20 liters) of fluid, usually water, to the entire length of the colon. The watery contents of the colon are removed with a tube. High colonics for colon cleansing offers the advantage of being a cleaner procedure with fewer odors than enemas, when done right and without accidents.

Why choose colon cleansing?

The reasons for colon cleansing are as varied as the people that choose to do it.

• Many feel that they have an unhealthy buildup of undigested meat, mucus, or impacted stool in the colon and that this state is unhealthy. They see colon cleansing as a way to fix this.


• Others believe that their medical issues are caused by a buildup of toxins in the colon thus flushing the toxins out via colon cleansing can achieve a state of health.


• Still others simply feel bloated and constipated and would like their bowels to move more rapidly, and believe colon cleansing will achieve that for them.

Does colon cleansing make sense medically?

Well, yes and no. The answer on whether colon cleansing makes sense medically depends on the situation.

There are numerous health benefits associated with consuming a reasonable amount of dietary fiber each day. One health benefit of fiber is a decreased incidence of colon cancer, for example. Keeping your bowels moving regularly is helpful for maintaining a healthy balance of electrolytes in the body.

From a medical standpoint it is rarely useful to engage in aggressive colon cleansing, however. One notable exception is the preparation that is required prior to bowel surgery or colonoscopy. In these cases, having a colon that is free of fecal debris is quite important, so colon cleansing has a vital role to play as a pre-surgery preparation. Aside from this, there is very little scientific evidence to support the use of aggressive colon cleansing methods.

Then again, there is little scientific evidence that states that colon cleansing with high colonics are harmful either (except in people with bowel disease).

The pros and cons of colon cleansing

The pros of colon cleansing are very patient specific.

Proponents of aggressive colon cleansing, such as high colonics or osmotic laxatives, report that they feel refreshed, revitalized, and healthier after they are finished with a colon cleansing treatment. It is hard to argue with those sorts of rewards.

Since most of the contents of the bowel are destined for expulsion anyway, it is also hard to demonstrate that cleansing the colon with certain fluids represents a real danger, either.

The assumption that the colon holds undigested meat, toxins, bad humours, etc. is not really based on what we know about the gastrointestinal system, and therefore does not support the use of colon cleansing.

It is true that nearly a third of feces is comprised of bacteria, however not all of the bacteria are harmful.

Also, using colonics for weight loss is not effective; virtually everything we eat has been absorbed by the body by the time it reaches the colon anyway - so colon cleansing wont really help you lose weight, but you may have a slightly slimmer belly for a day.

Having said that, to those that have tried colon cleansing using high colonics and have found them useful and helpful I say, “Good for you” and “Be careful.”

There are several reasons to be cautious when having an aggressive colon cleansing procedure, such as a high colonic.

One worry with high colonic colon cleansing is that, despite large amounts of fluid being introduced into the colon, the body itself may become dehydrated. Depending on the fluid that is infused, a high colonic colon cleansing can cause electrolyte disturbances.

How can colon cleansing cause electrolyte disturbances?

The colon acts on the principle of osmosis and diffusion. If the contents of the colon are very salty and the colon cleansing colonic is highly concentrated, water will tend to be sucked out of the body by osmosis into the stool. On the other hand, if pure water is used, electrolytes from the body may move into the GI tract.

While the high colonic may be composed of all natural substances (but whatever definition is used) if the solution is not “isoosmolar” or “isotonic,” there is a potential for problems with fluid and electrolyte imbalances. If your colonic hygienist does not understand the meaning of these terms, find someone else to do the colon cleansing service.

Another word of caution is that not all bacteria are bad bacteria, and we shouldn't try to remove the good through colon cleansing.

Have you ever had real yogurt? Then you have eaten quite a bit of bacteria that are considered good for your digestive system.

These good bacteria live quite comfortably and innocuously on the inside walls of your colon, minding their own business for the most part, eating a small bit of the nutrients that pass by them.

The excellent role that these good bacteria are playing for you, however, is to prevent other, harmful bacteria from making a home in your colon.

If the good bacteria are there, they put out a “No Vacancy” sign for the bad bacteria, who just keep on moving.

After an aggressive colon cleansing, some of those good bacteria can be physically flushed away while others might be killed by the fluid itself.

With the good bacteria gone following a colon cleansing, the sign changes to “Vacancy” for any bacteria that travels by next, good or bad.

The other thing to be cautious about is that the end of the colon, at the rectum, absorbs things very rapidly, so most dissolved materials (such as being flushed out in a colon cleanse) that pass by this area will be absorbed by the body.

What is most dangerous about this situation with colon cleansing, is that anything that is absorbed here goes straight into the main bloodstream. By contrast, things that are absorbed by the small intestine (like food) first pass through the liver before entering the blood stream. The liver has a chance to break down these things.

Substances introduced through the rectum are fully potent in the blood. So the risk is that if you are flushing out toxic material, you are doing it in one big hit, and are exposing your blood stream to heightened concentrations of the toxins you may be trying to get rid of in the colon cleansing procedure.

Things to ask before colon cleansing

You will want to make sure about a few things before you submit to a high colonic colon cleansing.

These things should be asked of yourself, of your doctor, and of the person performing the high colonic.

Is your constipation or health trouble being caused by a serious medical condition?

You should probably visit a physician before attempting an aggressive colon cleansing activity.

Your physician may run some tests to determine if you are healthy enough for colon cleansing.

Am I relying on colon cleansing to make up for chronic constipation?

People that require many colon cleansing visits may be masking a bigger GI problem.

While it is true that the movement of the bowel slows down as we age, chronic constipation could be a sign of too little exercise, too little fluid intake, or not enough dietary fiber in the diet.

Some colon cleansing methods, like stimulant laxatives, can lead to a form of dependence and can become less effective with heavy use.

What exactly is in the colon cleansing high colonic solution?

Remember not to put anything into your rectum that you would not otherwise put into your mouth. The rectum can absorb all sorts of things which could go straight into the blood. Also remember that just because natural or herbal medicine comes from nature, they are not always safe in all people. Check with your physician.

Is the colon cleansing colonic solution isoosmotic/isotonic?

Hyperosomolar, hypertonic, hypoosmolar, or hypotonic colon cleansing solutions could lead to medical problems.

Is the colon cleansing colonic equipment sterile or only ever used by one person?

Infections can be passed among people by using unclean, unsterile equipment, during a colon cleansing.

Am I getting enough water and electrolytes orally?

Proper fluid intake can help move the bowels. It is a good idea to drink plenty of fluids if having a high colonic.

Depending on the composition of the colon cleansing solution, you might want to drink a beverage with electrolytes, like Gatorade.

Colon Cleansing in Summary

Even physicians find it difficult to come up with good reasons for their patients not to have colon cleansing (aside from people with certain medical conditions).

If colon cleansing is important to you, make sure that it is healthy in your particular case.

Most people will be able to partake in colon cleansing of some sort.

It is usually best to stick with the gentlest from of colon cleansing available.

Stimulant laxatives are rarely a good idea for colon cleansing and should not be used for long periods of time without consulting a doctor.

High colonics colon cleansings are okay if you know exactly what is in the infused solution, understand that some of it may be absorbed into your body (quickly and directly), and that all the colon cleansing instruments are either sterile or single-use devices.

Colon cleansing main write and research by Michael T. Sapko M.D., Ph.D., minor rewriting by Donald S. Urquhart, pyschologist.

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