A Discussion of Colonic Cleansing

IMPORTANT: Read Cautionary Note At End Of This Chapter!

Our bodies were designed for a diet rich in fiber from fresh fruits and vegetables. Instead, most of us eat lots of meats, fats, starches, processed and refined foods. Often, the vegetables we do consume are overcooked treated with unnatural additives, and seasoned with fatty meats. To compound the stress to our alimentary tract, we live in an age where the air we breathe and water we drink contain toxic pollutants. Even our foods are potential sources of poisons. Crops are sprayed with pesticides and animals are treated with hormones to hasten growth and fattening. When the first wave of pollution hits the digestive tract, our internal organs secrete a coating of mucous to protect themselves. If the bowels were allowed days or weeks to recover, this coating would soon wash away. In our world, however, this is seldom the case. The very next meal brings another wave of filth. The result of this multifaceted assault on our digestive system is that, over time, mucoid fecal-matter builds up in hardened layers within our small and large intestines. These deposits act much like the plaque that characterizes hardening of the arteries. Hardened fecal deposits limit the peristaltic function of the intestines. As the layer of hardened waste thickens, it increasingly blocks the proper flow of nutrients from the small, and to a lesser degree, the large intestine. With time, the entrapped wastes begin to petrify, creating an ideal environment for parasitic infestations and dumping a steady stream of toxins into the lymphatic and blood systems. Because of the potential for spreading of the poisons emanating from fecal buildup, symptoms may show up in the lower gastro-intestinal tract, or at remote locations throughout the body.

Colonics are targeted at removing the sludge before the intestines, the body's sewer, become wholly inoperative. Colon cleansing is said to improve overall health, beef up the immune system, and rid the body of a the dangerous buildup of toxins described above. Often, naturopathic practitioners couple a series of colonics with fasting, dietary modifications, and herbal treatments to loosen and flush toxins from all parts of the body.

Granted there are many in the medical establishment who pooh-pooh the whole idea of colon cleansing. The rectum, they say, was intended for the exit of material, not the introduction of foreign objects or water. If nature had meant for us to flush out our colons, they reason, we would have the anatomical means of doing this within our bodies. Of course, if you buy into that argument, then you had best give up brushing your teeth and taking showers, because we weren't built with utilities for these elements of hygiene either! Maybe the buildup of years of decaying fecal matter in one's colon is not a problem.

Perhaps none of the poisons in our environment and food are harmful. It could be that a dramatic increase in cancer related deaths was just scheduled to take place in the 20th century, and that it has nothing to do with toxic pollution in our air, water and food. The medical establishment annually reaps hundreds of billions of dollars by dispensing treatments available only from doctors. That same medical establishment insists that surgery and drugs are the only valid treatments. They see no place for any alternative therapies having revenue streams falling outside the medical establishment's control. The doctors might be speaking only out of concern for your health, and with not one whit of interest in money. All this is possible, but is it really likely? Why take chances?

Given today's improper eating habits, given the abundance of chemical pollutants we face, colonic cleansing seems not only rational but necessary to good health. As final anecdotal evidence of the rationale behind colonic cleansing, let me tell you that, even if you have not eaten corn for weeks or months, you will probably see some corn kernels in the sludge leaving your body through the clear plastic exit hose of the colonic machine. The implications of this are obvious. With our diets and lifestyles, stuff we eat stays in our system far longer than it should. It doesn't take a MD degree to realize that 2 month old food is not something you want inside your body!

Just how does a colonic work? It involves the flushing of the colon with multiple fillings of water. There are various systems used to accomplish this. The most common is a pump that delivers water under mild pressure through a hose tipped with a large nozzle having an inner-diameter opening only slightly smaller than its outer diameter. The nozzle is inserted into the rectum of the subject. The machine delivers water through the nozzle until a certain back pressure is reached. When back pressure indicates that the colon is full, the process reverses and water is allowed to flow out through the nozzle where it is diverted into the discharge hose. As the subject becomes empty, the diverter valve again shifts, and the filling process is repeated.

This alternative filling and emptying is generally done for about 45 minutes. In the course of a treatment, up to 12 gallons or more of water may be cycled through the colon, and a great deal of encrusted fecal matter may be removed, particularly from a subject who has neglected colon hygiene for years. Over a course of treatments, several pounds of such hardened waste are flushed from the average person.

The treatments are usually given with the patient lying on their back on a padded massage table. Some practitioners, in order to improve the penetration and internal flow of the water, may use other positions, or vary the position during the treatment. The therapist may combine abdominal massage with the treatment in order to better dislodge old and hardened wastes. Dress codes vary just as they do in clinical massage. Some practitioners will cover the subject with a towel or cloth, some use a hospital gown, and some prefer the body to be unclothed. Just as with massage, this is a matter for the therapist and subject to discuss, and they should strive to agree on an approach that leaves them both feeling comfortable. The best relaxation and results will come when the environment and the approach "feels right" to both.

Many of the members of our E-SIG joined because of their interest in the erotic aspect of enemas. Some of our men and women have expressed concern about visiting a colonic therapist for fear that their excitement might show to the embarrassment of both practitioner and patient. This is usually a misplaced fear. You should understand that virtually all the colonic therapists in the United States run legitimate health-oriented businesses. If one comes to them as a client seeking help with hygiene, then shows by their action that they are really interested in hiring a prostitute, not a health practitioner, sure there will be problems. Even a therapist who secretly enjoys the procedure themselves is not likely to risk their licensee and livelihood for the sake of one kinky client. If you call a clinic on the phone and ask for special treatments involving sexual activities, they will most certainly place your name on the loony list. If, on the other hand, you enter on honest terms, but find yourself being stimulated by the feeling of fullness and the rush of water over your sensitive, intimate parts, you are not likely to surprise an experienced therapist.

In the initial client-therapist interview, the practitioner may ask you what led you to explore colonic cleansing. You should feel free to openly discuss your use of enemas to achieve a clean feeling and to relieve constipation. You may even say that you have found them pleasurable, and wanted to see how the colonic procedure felt. You should be able to communicate at such a level of intimacy. The healing process requires a rapport and trust that are impossible where the patient is constantly hiding their identity and nervous about a possible slip that would reveal too much of themselves.

What's the bottom line? Use your head. The one on your shoulders, not the little one. Treat the therapist with respect and honesty, not expecting to get more than a good feeling treatment that makes you healthier. You'll find the rewards well worth whatever sexual sublimation this requires of you.

IMPORTANT CAUTIONARY NOTE!

Because hoses and nozzles come into contact with human wastes, it is essential that they be sterilized with measures sufficient to destroy the viability of any virus, or that sterile disposables be used. With the rise of AIDS and hepatitis, many of the clinics have turned to the use of disposable equipment. Whatever the strategy, sterility of equipment is of the utmost importance and should be discussed with the therapist before beginning treatment.

Remember that, since a virus is not really a living organism, but a tiny piece of DNA that can program our living cells to self distruct, viruses cannot be "killed" in the sense that bacteria are. In order to render it harmless, a virus must be chemically altered to the point that it can no longer interfere with the genetic coding of a living cell. Thus, sterilization plans that might seem quite effective for "killing germs" may be useless in dealing with a virus like HIV. Conversely, materials that might not kill germs may render a particular virus innocuous. There is no substitute for informed people when it comes to staying healthy!