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THE GUILD OF COLON HYDROTHERAPISTS
COLONICS ANCIENT ORIGINS
Colonic irrigation is an ancient method of healing and it would never have
survived until the present scientific age if it were without value. It
is a curious fact that medical practitioners seem to be either in favor
of this treatment (and usually quiet about it) or vehemently opposed to
its use. The objectors never have any experience of it. Every grown creature
probably has an instinctive dislike of its own waste products, and this
may explain why the physician is generally so remiss in examining the feces
of his patients. There are indications from ancient documents that the
Egyptians and the Greeks practiced colon irrigation therapeutically, although
their ideas and the benefit to their patients are unknown to us. Hollow
reeds and gourds were used to introduce water through the rectum.
The Reputation of Colonics
I first heard the term colonics as a young doctor practicing in California.
Immediately, I knew that it was a form of quackery. 1 It is self-evident
that the bowel excretes the waste products of digestion regularly, naturally
and automatically. There is no need to interfere with nature. This pre-formed
opinion (and I am uncertain how it came to be so firmly formed in my mind)
was reinforced when I read comments from an official source, that I can
no longer identify, condemning the use of colonics by lay practitioners
in the state of California and, in due course, the medical association
lobbied for its banning through the legislature. This surprised me a little.
If something is useless and harmful, why is it necessary to make laws about
it? We don't have laws against swimming in sewage nor do we lobby our legislators
to make such laws. The only sensible thing any person would do with sewage
is dispose of it as hygienically as practical. This dilemma hung in my
mind for a number of years. Since then, I have assiduously prescribed diuretics
to my patients who retain water, laxative to those who were constipated
and, personally, I brush my teeth every day. Think about it for a moment.
Which is the cleaner part of your alimentary canal (The alimentary canal
is the pipe through which the food passes in your body from mouth to anus)?
The mouth is cleaner than the rectum, and yet it is the mouth that I clean
with a toothbrush, with paste, and even flossing. Why clean the clean end'
I think, in final analysis, the answer is that it is esthetic. The dirty
end should be beneath our dignity; or should it?
My Own Experience
As I have explained in previous newsletters that much of my learning about
alternative medicine has come from my patients. To them, I shall be eternally
grateful. Learning about colonics is no exception. Patients have told me
how their health, their malaise, their fatigue, their abdominal distention,
their chronic bowel disturbances, and their dermatitis cleared up through
the use of colonics. The first few times I heard the story I knew that
the patients were either crazy or the improvement was coincidental. How
many times can you hear of such an account and continue to avoid the obvious
out of sheer obstinacy' In my case, it was about half a dozen times. My
resistance to quackery was diminishing through my experience with chelation,
nutrition and, of course, mostly through my experience with orthopedic
medicine. Was it conceivable, was it perhaps even possible, that this rather
unsavory business with the dirty end of the bowel had something to do with
health' I think I resisted recognizing the benefit of colonics longer than
my resistance to recognizing other alternative medicine as therapeutic
tools because of what I would like to call the sewage aspect of the bowel.
It is strange to have to admit that the conversion and the prejudice occurred
when I read a non-medical book. Erewhon, by Samuel Butler 1898, describes
a topsy-turvy world where people are ashamed to eat, and do so in privacy,
while they deal with and discuss their financial matters in public; the
exact opposite of our own habits. Even Samuel Butler did not deal with
the sewage aspects, but he did point out that the habits we have are not
always quite logical. Once one overcomes the sewage aspect, or what I should
really call the sewage prejudice, it actually is rather obvious that just
as we clean our skin in bathing, our teeth with brushing, our nails with
clipping, our hair with shampooing and combing, it is perfectly logical
to clean our colon with irrigation. One might argue that it is not natural
in some Wordsworthian or mystical primitive sense, but the same can be
said for bathing with soap or using a toothbrush. Having dispensed, therefore,
with the prejudicial aspects of this issue, we now need to ask more seriously
what do colonics do, when should they be used, what is the evidence that
they are effective, if any, and if there is a benefit, how might it be
useful' Dentists will tell us that keeping the teeth clean protects the
hygiene of the mouth and reduces the incidence of cavities. I think they
are probably right. I do know that in people with certain illnesses, enhancing
excretion of water and electrolytes through the kidneys can improve their
health. The most important example of that is when dealing with fluid accumulation,
anasarca or edema, for instance in heart failure. It is also quite obvious
that if a person is unable to move his bowels, flushing the inspissated
(dry and hardened) contents can open the passage so, here, we have a clear
indication. If the person's bowels are blocked due to dried up feces, flushing
them out will obviously restore the ability of the bowels to move; and,
it goes without saying that without bowel movements, obstruction and illness
will ensue.
Subtle Conditions
There are many cases where alternative medicine looks at mild degrees of
conditions generally accepted in medicine and enhances the public health
through catering to them - what in a sophisticated way one might call a
forme fruste of an illness, and I have alluded to, in previous newsletters,
many such examples. Is constipation good for you' Well, obviously not.
How often should the bowels move' In medical school I was taught that there
is no rule on this matter; that if the bowels move once a week, that is
sufficient for some and normal; contrariwise, two bowel movements a day
might be normal for others. I now know better. Most people are better off
if their bowels move two to three times a day. How do I know' Having developed
an interest in nutrition and the function of the bowel, I have developed
the habit of asking my patients about the frequency of their bowel movements
and can assure the reader that in general those whose bowels move two-three
times a day fare better in their health and nutrition than those who are
more constipated. I do admit, however, that there is no absolutely hard
rule on the matter. In the next section of this newsletter, I would like
to discuss some theoretical considerations regarding what I propose to
you are the benefits of colonics in certain situations. How might it work'
Effluent Enhancement
Which organ of our bodies is most responsible for waste disposal' It goes
without saying that it is the bowel. Yes, in some ways, waste products
are excreted by the lungs (carbon dioxide), by the skin, (scaling), sweat,
by the kidneys (water and chemicals). The vast majority of waste products
of life, however, are passed through the bowel. Some of this waste product
is what I call pass through. Frankly, however, the majority of what appears
in your stool is excreted, or altered, and therefore not simply a passive
'pass through' product; but, for the purpose of the 'pass through' products,
we can reasonably think of the bowel as a pipe, for a first approximation.
The Bowel as an Excretory Organ
The large bowel itself serves to concentrate the contents passed into it
from the small intestine, through the resorption of water into the circulation.
Bacterial fermentation occurs in the colon. Several products of fermentation,
some of which are only slightly understood, probably serve as useful nutrients
when reabsorbed. I phrased this concept in a negative way because it is
clear to me that, even in these days of know-all science, a great deal
of information is lacking regarding the details of this process. We do,
however, know from respectable physiological studies, that many products
are excreted into the lumen of the intestines and reabsorbed therefrom
to circulate back-and-forth, usually through the liver via the venous blood
system from the intestines to the liver, called the portal circulation.
This enterohepatic circulation, as it is called, plays a very important
role in balancing products between the bowel and the liver. An excess of
these products in the bowel, for instance bile salts, can provoke diarrhea
and, contrariwise, failure of adequate excretion can lead to the retention
of toxicants which, in turn, are dammed back into the circulation and can
be associated with disease. In this context, we often speak of liver or
hepatic failure. We should remember that the liver is the major detoxifying
biochemical factory in our bodies and that its waste products are passed
through the bile passages (and sometimes with temporary storage in the
gallbladder) into the duodenum, thence into the small intestine and colon.
You see, now, how there is an inherent relationship between the excretory
function of the bowel in general, including the colon, and the biochemical
excretory factory, the liver. It is not at all surprising, therefore, that
by enhancing excretion through the bowel we can indirectly enhance excretion
by the liver, the main detoxifying factory of the body. On thinking this
over, these observations make such plain common sense, based on simple
knowledge of anatomy and physiology of the gastrointestinal and hepatic
tracts, that in retrospect, I am amazed at my own stupidity of not working
these things out for myself many years ago. It was, therefore, a salutary
experience to read references about this in some books lent to me by a
colon therapist friend, Dirk Yow, CCT, GOK, that these ideas are by no
means new. 2, 3, 4. We might next ask how might colonic therapy increase
the excretion of waste products through the pipe we call our colon?
Increase in Peristalsis
We know that a lot of movement in the pipe the body occurs through peristalsis.
The acts of the muscle of the heart is one such example although, of course,
the blood does not go backwards into the chambers because of the action
of the valves. These valves are flaps of fibrous tissue that come together
and stop return flow. Valves are present in the veins, as well, directing
the blood in the appropriate direction. The lymphatic system has valves,
and the term valves is also used in reference to the pipe we call our gastrointestinal
tract, or gut. Muscles contract in a rhythmic manner, causing a wave of
contraction down the pipe. This is seen be on inspecting the movements
of the esophagus and the small intestine; but as these organs do not have
one-way valves, like those in the heart, fluid can travel back-and-forth
in spite of these peristaltic waves. Indeed, the digestive processes in
the gut are dependent on slushing the fluid, the digestive juices, mixing
them and churning them and, therefore, this peristaltic phenomenon is not
exclusively unidirectional. Peristalsis as such, however, is not a prime
feature of the large bowel. Here we speak of contractions of the whole
organ or, at least sections of it, particularly contractions of the longitudinal
fibers, and large quantities of contents are propelled forward, and occasionally
backward, through what is called mass action. Most people are familiar
with the phenomenon that the urge to move their bowels occurs sometimes
after a meal, typically breakfast, and very often after ingesting a stimulant
such as coffee. This is an example of a generalized contraction of the
organ (the colon) that propels the contents into the vestibule where it
is held temporarily before evacuation. The contents of the small intestine
pass through the sphincter that separates it from the first part of the
colon, called the 'cecum' (on the left side of the abdomen), and the circular
muscle at the lower end of the terminal ilium, the small bowel, is indeed
mostly contracted or closed. The liquid contents of the small intestine
are squirted in small quantities, following peristaltic activity, into
the cecum. The cecum itself serves predominantly as a reservoir, the site
where the dehydrating process begins and the site where bacterial fermentation
begins and occurs predominantly. The cecum is, to a certain extent, a dead
end; and its appendage, the appendix, is a complete dead end. It is here,
of course, that chronic inflammation and infection occurs most frequently,
hence the disease of appendicitis. It is interesting that there are accounts
of instances in which casts of the lining of a colon are reputed to be
excreted en masse; almost certainly these represent mostly a combination
of shed lining from the cecum with contents which had become inspissated
and adherent to the lining of the cecum, the continuous flow of contents
from the small intestine into the bowel beyond the cecum, passing through
these concretions. There are multiple, though infrequent, accounts of people
passing contents from their bowels that are recognized to have been ingested
a long time earlier. Almost certainly these concretions are held, therefore,
in the periphery of the cecum while the otherwise continuous flow of contents
passes through the center of the cecum into the ascending colon. It is
also not unlikely that some of this phenomenon of sluggishness, of stasis,
at the bowel surface can occur in the ascending and transverse colons,
as well, with the contents merely going through the center and being propelled
through the phenomenon of mass action. Is it an advantage for a person
to have longstanding concretions in this organ' Of course, it is not. I
must report, however, that in the process of inspecting the lining of this
organ with a colonoscope, a procedure that I have had occasion to perform
many times, one does not ordinarily see large residues in this site. How
might this be' How can it be that there are reliable accounts of these
casts that are not seen by the endoscopist' I have come to the conclusion
that the answer is that, in preparation for endoscopy, the patient invariably
is asked to take a strong purgative to clean out the contents of the bowel
so the endoscopist can indeed inspect the lining. Almost certainly these
purgation's remove any material that might have been static in this situation
and therefore not observed when the endoscopic inspection is performed.
Stimulation of the Lining
The process of irrigating the bowel can, almost certainly in many instances,
have a stimulatory effect on the cells lining this organ. As the business
of these cells is to provide mucous and facilitate much of the excretion,
it is not surprising that stimulating enhances this effect. Can they be
stimulated merely by contact with water? Probably to a slight degree; but
it is more likely that bringing them in contact with certain herbal, and
possibly chemical agents, enhances this effect. For instance, it is well
known in conventional medicine that the addition of magnesium sulfate to
the contents of the bowel causes the lining to pass more water into the
lumen, and the patient develops diarrhea. This is a purgative effect. A
number of herbal agents are known to have other effects on the linings.
Terms such as carminative, mucous enhancing, relaxing, stimulating, and
enhancing excretion, are all used, and a number of specific herbs have
a number of specific actions on these lines, this is not mysterious. If
you were to drop some lemon juice into your mouth, would you not experience
an increased flow of saliva' Does peppermint note clear the passages by
causing shrinkage of swollen lining' Why should these botanical preparations
not have a similar effect on the lining at the other end of our gut' They,
of course, do. Experience in colonic circles is growing with the use of
a number of specific herbal agents that can be mixed gently into the warm
water passed into the colon for irrigation; so that individuals with a
tendency to spasm are given relaxing agents. Contrariwise, individuals
whose bowels are too relaxed might benefit from a mild contractile stimulant.
You see that none of these considerations are particularly mysterious.
The skill and experience of using the right herbs in combination is, however,
still something of an art and not all individuals respond equally to all
herbal stimulants. The skillful colon therapist will, therefore, introduce
small quantities of proposed remedies at a time and evaluate the response
before proceeding with more.
Other Bacteriologic Consideration
I have alluded to the nature of the bacterial contents of the bowel. Ordinarily
we carry an enormous load of bacterial species, both quantitatively and
in the multitude of varieties. The fermentative process that occurs in
the bowel bears a relationship to health and disease. The contemporary
habit of using large quantities of pharmaceutical agents that alter the
nature of the bacterial contents, antibiotics in particular, has a strong
effect in changing the composition of these internal residents. It was
believed, and in certain circles is still believed that, with the exception
of the bowel, the inside of the body is entirely sterile. From Enderlein's
research, and that of others, we have come to recognize that the endobiontic
relationship in the cells is more complex and that almost certainly life
forms (microzyma's in Bechamp's terminology) are present in fact in most
living cells. They are, however, in a form (or valency, to use Enderlein's
term) that does not encourage independent proliferation. That is why, when
cultures of cells (for instance, of the blood) are taken from healthy people
bacteria do not ordinarily grow out on the culture medium, or the plate.
This contrasts with culturing the contents of the bowel. It is, however,
believed that in certain circles - those that I might reasonably call the
pleomorphic medical subculture - that there is a relationship between the
bacterial forms overtly present in the intestine and those covertly present
in the intracellular milieu. This is one of the reasons that the use of
antibiotics, particularly when they are taken by mouth, is considered to
be deleterious. It changes the composition of the bacteria in the intestine,
probably encouraging the development of cell-deficient forms that probably
interact, or penetrate, into the intracellular environment with greater
facility and thereby probably accelerate the degenerative process, in Enderlein's
terminology raising the valency of the endobionts. There is little conventional
hard research on the detailed composition of the bacterial contents of
the bowel. The problems relate to the difficulty in culturing the bacteria
and separating the species in an artificial environment and quantifying
them on culture plates, etc. The anaerobic bacteria (those that thrive
without oxygen, are fastidious organisms in the laboratory environment,
but the culture of the aerobic bacteria sometimes give us useful clues
about unfavorable changes in the composition. This, incidentally, is one
reason why nutritionally oriented physicians often ask for bacterial cultures
on specimens of stool. What effect do you think irrigation might have on
this zoo of organisms' Almost certainly it dilutes them, removes concretions
of residual material, and probably facilitates a freshening up of the fermentative
process and participants. The introduction of the bacteria that we ordinarily
regard as favorable to the intestine, such as the Lactobacillus, is best
done at this time, and some clinics afford the colon therapist an opportunity
to introduce appropriate instillation of bacteria, particularly in this
category, at the end of treatment.
Other Ways of Manipulating the Colonics
Changes in the volume of fluid, the pH and salinity can, of course, have
an effect on the bowel. The colon therapist can also judge the temperature
of the irrigating fluid, to a small extent, further altering the behavior
and reaction of the cells of the lining of the bowel.
Stretching
When fluid is passed into the colon, and particularly when it is passed
in skillfully, without introducing any gas, such as air, there is a gradual
distention of the organ. It should be remembered that the colon is a flexible,
irregular tube contained within the flexible, irregularly structured abdominal
cavity. An increase in the pressure of the lumen of the bowel has an instantaneous
effect on the pressure of the rest of the abdominal contents. From this
point of view, the relationship to each other is like that of fluid in
a hot water bottle. Is stretching the colon a good idea? My answer is a
clear yes. And here, I take the liberty of making a comparison with stretching
the fascial layers of the body elsewhere. After all, what is the colon'
It is a fascial bag with an outside lining called the 'serosa' and an inside
lining called the 'mucosa'. There are some muscular thickenings within
the fascial bag called 'circular' and 'longitudinal' muscles, (tenia) the
action of which we have already discussed when reviewing the weak peristalsis
of the colon and the strong mass action (longitudinal bands) earlier. When
we stretch the body itself, the fascial layers of the trunk and the limbs,
and those around the axial skeleton improve the alignment of the contents.
The stretching evens out tensions and restores function. We sometimes speak
of the tensegrity model, when discussing this, because there is a relationship
amongst the tension of all the components of the system to all others.
Does this consideration apply to the internal organs' Of course, it does.
One way to improve the overall function and integrated action of the colon
is by stretching the organ, and it is quite plain that the only available
way for stretching is through the installation of water gradually under
slight-to-moderate pressure through the anal canal. Almost certainly this
is the reason why colon therapists report that after these irritations
they retrain the bowel.
Retraining the Bowel
An important benefit of colon therapy is this business of retraining the
bowel. In 'civilized' society there is a tendency to defer the urge to
defecate for social reasons. A person might be in a board meeting or any
other assortment of social engagements. The mass action that might have
been initiated by the mid-morning coffee, loading the rectum, is ignored.
The contents might either stay in the rectum or shift back into the descending
colon. Further inspissation and toxic absorptions are now likely to take
place and, after ignoring the urge to stool repeatedly, the phenomenon
of a regular bowel evacuation occurs less frequently. The bowel is trained
in bad habits. It is true that the fermentation in the bowel is apt to
lead to flatus in the circumstance, but many civilized men ignore that
stimulus, as well. Almost certainly the phenomenon of rehydration and stretching
the colon, particularly when combined with education of the subject that
a call to stool should not be ignored and in fact solicited from the bowel,
so to speak, two-three times a day at regular intervals will restore normal
colonic function and indirectly enhance the person's health substantially.
Accordingly, it is an important role of the colon therapist to educate
patients in combating constipation and generally improving bowel habits.
Many of these benefits can be permanent after a series of, say, 10 treatments
at, say, one-two treatments a week. It is up to the physician, in my opinion,
to select the patients in whose cases this treatment should be recommended.
Colonic Illnesses
Is there a place for the use of colon irrigation (colonics) in patients
who have illnesses such as ulcerative colitis, chronic diarrhea, chronic
dilatation of the bowel (such as Hirschprung's disease), a tendency to
spasms (often called irritable bowel syndrome) and diverticulitis? My answer
to these is affirmative in all the cases. It is, however, true that the
colon therapist needs to be skilled. Excessive distention, in the case
of diverticulitis or ulcerative colitis, may theoretically pose the risk
of leakage, although one has never encountered such a case. The use of
remedies in the contents of the bowel needs to be practiced with skill
and experience.
Conclusion
In summary, I have come to the conclusion that colon therapy is not mysterious,
is a useful adjunct to detoxification in a variety of illnesses in which
the accumulation of toxins plays a major or contributory role to a person's
ill health; therefore, washing the lining of the bowel is just as sensible
as maintaining cleanliness in other parts of ourselves and, in the modern
living environment, there is a tendency for the accumulation of toxins,
increased constipation, increased concentration of the residue in the bowel
because of a shortage of roughage in the diet; thus cleaning and irrigation
is an advantage.
Technique
Before concluding this article, a comment about technique. The modern colon
therapist will use an instrument that allows a continuous exchange of fluid
in and out of the bowel, and irrigation. It will allow the therapist to
have continuous inspection, through a glass component of the outflow pipe,
to inspect the contents of the effluent, and the experienced therapist
will learn to recognize when the effluent indicates enhanced excretion
from the bowel proper, from the liver indirectly through the bowel, or
merely when particles of stool are washed out. With modern technology,
the procedure is both comfortable and entirely hygienic without unpleasant
aromas or any spillage. The practical details vary little between therapists,
but essentially a small tube is passed, with the individual in side-lying
position, into the individual's rectum. Most colon therapists then choose
to place the patient on his back, and the irrigation takes place in this
position. Typically 10 colonic treatments, perhaps, at four-six day intervals
are recommended for most conditions, and many people who have significant
but not inherently destructive disease, such as the examples given above,
can obtain life-long benefit from a series of colon therapies without the
necessity to follow-up, although certain individuals do benefit from infrequent
follow-up long term.
by Thomas Dorman, M.D.
Exploring Issues of Philosophy and Conscience
in Contemporary Health Care
August 2000 - Vol. 5, Issue 8
References:
Gastrointestinal Quackery: Colonics, laxatives and more. Stephen Barrett,
M.D. at http://wwwquackwatch.com/01quackaryrelatedtopics/gastro.html.
Colon Therapy. J.E.G. Waddington, August 1940.
The pH in Colonic Therapy. B.R. LeRoy, Jr., A.B., D.O. Pub. Fidelity Pub.
Co.; Fidelity Bldg., Tacoma, WA 1933.
Chronic intestinal toxemia and its treatment with special reference to
colonic therapy James W. Wiltsie, A.B., M.D. Wm. Wood & Co. Baltimore
1938.
Colonic Excellence
All contents Copyright (c) 1998-2007 David Newman. All rights reserved