Colon Hydrotherapy | Health Articles | What is Colon Hydrotherapy?

Ancient Egyptians thought it was a gift from the gods, today many people swear by it. Princess Diana was a known devotee and used the therapy to cleanse her system.

Toxins from the colon are absorbed throughout the body and manifest themselves in a wide range of health problems and general malaise affecting so many in the UK. Proper bowel management and health will never be achieved through the use of drugs and/or surgery. The answer lies in a time-proven and natural approach - colon hydrotherapy.

Colon hydrotherapy is a gentle infusion of warm temperature regulated purified water into the colon. Using no chemicals or drugs, the warm water helps to soften, break up, and then remove impacted and dehydrated faecal, mucus, parasitic and other waste material that layers the colon walls.

One in three people consulting GP have a bowel problem such as Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Colitis, Crohn's Disease, Diverticulitis and Candida. When waste matter sits inside the colon dehydration and stagnation occurs, therefore toxins build up and this creates erratic conditions in the body we call dis-ease.

Main benefits of colon hydrotherapy:

Cleansing

Toxic material is broken down so it can no longer harm your body or inhibit assimilation of foods and elimination of waste. Faecal debris built up over a long period is gently removed over a series of colon hydrotherapy treatments. A colon hydrotherapy session may be considered a rejuvenation treatment for your body.

Strengthens the colon muscles

The build up of toxic debris weakens the colon and impairs its functions. Gentle filling and emptying of the colon can improve peristalsis (natural muscular contraction) that aids efficient removal of waste material. Essentially, as your colon is an approximately 5 ft long muscle, having colon hydrotherapy treatments is like giving your colon a gentle workout in the gym.

Reshapes the colon

Over time, the natural shape of a problematic colon will become distorted causing even more problems. After a series of colon hydrotherapy sessions, the colon gradually begins to resume its natural shape.

Stimulation of reflex points

Every system and organ of the body is connected to the colon by reflex points. A colon hydrotherapy session stimulates these reflex points, thereby affecting the corresponding body parts in a beneficial way, similar to reflexology.

These are a few common conditions respond well to colon hydrotherapy:
- Allergies
- Bad breath
- Candida
- Constipation
- Gas and bloating
- Headaches
- IBS
- Persistent tiredness

The client relaxes comfortably on a massage table as a small, disposable rectal tube or speculum is gently inserted into the anus. The speculum has a separate water and waste line that is attached to the hydrotherapy equipment. The warm purified water is run very slowly into the colon, when slight pressure builds up in the colon, the water is gently released along with waste matter from the colon. The process of filling and releasing water from the colon is repeated during your treatment.

To really gain the full benefit you will need a series of colon hydrotherapy treatments rather than a single one. You may expel considerable gas during the first few treatments and it usually takes a few treatments before one starts dislodging old encrusted feculent matter. Please remember that it usually takes years for the colon to become clogged up with its own waste products. Therefore, you should be patient when pursuing a therapeutic course of colon hydrotherapy treatments.

During your colon hydrotherapy session your therapist may give you an abdominal massage, this increases peristalsis (the muscular action of the colon to push waste through) this then loosens any impactions and may move some gas. Good peristaltic action is key to a well functioning colon; therefore the massage is an excellent tool together with the warm water to encourage this muscular action.

Colon hydrotherapy treatments do not remove all of the good and bad colon bacteria. Due to our modern lifestyle most of us have too many bad bacteria in our colons. Cleansing the colon allows the body to naturally re-colonise the good bacteria and maintain a positive bacterial balance. To sustain this, it is also helpful to take probiotic supplements; by topping up your levels of good bacteria you help your colon fight the presence of the naturally occurring bad bacteria and maintain a good bacterial balance.

Each colon hydrotherapy session lasts approximately 30-45 minutes; your first session will also include a consultation regarding your health history. At the close of your session, the movements of the colon muscles and the resulting releases may leave you feeling lighter and relaxed. If you have a big release of waste matter and your transit time is long, it may well be 2-3 days after your colon hydrotherapy treatment before your next bowel movement. A normal healthy transit time of food is less than 24 hours; on average in the UK it is now 60 hours for men and 70 hours for women. In fact the UK is the most constipated nation in the world. Sadly the UK has the highest incidence of bowel cancer in the world, with 20,000 new cases each year.

Professionally administered colon hydrotherapy is very safe; however, if you have any health concerns you should check with your GP first. It is best to ensure that your chosen clinic uses modern colon hydrotherapy equipment, disposable hoses and speculums and that your therapist is fully trained, certified and insured.