Is Colon Cleansing Safe?

What Is Colon Cleansing?
The idea of cleansing the colon and flushing it of waste has become popular in recent years as they claim to clear out the colon and cure constipation. Some people have claimed to lose up to ten pounds of waste that is stored in the colon, which can lead to toxins flowing through the blood. Colon Cleansing Diets claim to rid the body of these toxins and purge the intestines. As a result, people will weigh less and be free of blood-poisoning toxins.

What Is Involved with Colon Cleansing?
Colon cleansing basically consists of juice or liquid fasts, taken in conjunction with special pills or powders mixed in to the liquid. Most of the contents of the powders are laxatives. Some colon cleansing diets also utilize enemas. This rids the body of wastes.

According to many of these diets, you eat nothing for seven whole days while you cleanse the colon. The makers of these diets claim you won't be hungry, though, because you'll be taking an intestinal cleanser made of psyllium seed. This powder attaches itself to the walls of the colon and loosens the waste within it, making it easier to pass.

In addition, people who go on colon cleansing diets also take a number of supplements that are supposed to break down other toxins within the stomach and digestive system.

While on the Colon Cleansing Diet, dieters have ten ounces of water mixed with the intestinal cleansing powder every three hours, or 5 times a day. Fruit juice can be mixed in for flavor. In addition, twice a day dieters also take a product made up of volcanic ash, which is supposed to remove the toxins from the entire digestive tract. Supposedly, the intestinal cleanser swells the stomach and makes you feel full.

Is Colon Cleansing Safe?
The colon cleansing process is not a healthy one. Many doctors believe that cleansing the colon is unnecessary, as the body does it naturally. In addition, frequent use of enemas can damage anal tissue. If people go on colon cleansing diets for constipation relief, most will find it easier and cheaper to eat a diet higher in fiber and drink more fluids.

Because the whole premise behind colon cleansing is a diet, colon cleansing processes are considered fad diets and should probably be avoided.

In addition, the colon cleansing process puts people on a very low calorie diet. Most people who go through this cleansing process are only consuming about 400 calories a day in juice. This is dangerous and even lethal if done long-term, as it does not provide the body with the nutrients it needs to function. On occasion, doctors will put patients on very low calorie diets in order to help them lose a large amount of weight for health purposes or before surgery. This should only be done under the order and direction of a doctor. Most of the makes of colon cleansing processes recommend people go on the cleansing diet once a month to keep the body free of toxins.

While the idea of losing 10 pounds of wastes and harmful toxins is attractive, the process of cleansing the colon through juice fasts, laxatives, and enemas is medically unnecessary and even dangerous. The body has its own process of cleansing out the colon, and colon cleansing diets are fads and marketing ploys that people are better off avoiding.