While at the OANP annual seminar last weekend, one of my colleagues asked if I still had a colonic in my office. This is one device which I often overlook when working with my patients, but should be frequently reminded of due to the tremendous opportunities to restore health.
Ingestion of proper nutrition is important to insure healthy function of our bodies. Digestion and absorption of our food is critical to the body’s ability to use this nutrition. I’ve often compared pouring gas all over the car without it getting in the gas tank to poor digestion and absorption. You pump ten gallons but if only one gets in the tank, you won’t go very far.
So, what do we do with the waste that’s left over after digestion and absorption? We hear lots about fiber and it’s importance in healthy bowel function.
The colon is more than just a receptacle for waste before the body can clear it. There are chemical functions which go on in the large bowel that are critical to good health. Many times we see where vitamin B12 deficiencies can cause metabolic failures. This B12, it’s creation and absorption is dependent on healthy bowel function.
Constipation is more than just a nuisance, it’s a condition where toxins are accumulating in the bowel, allowing a change of the internal environment away from optimal. When constipated, the pH of the bowel goes from the optimal acidic to alkaline. The bacteria which is supposed to live here, thrive in the acidic soil. Taking acidophilus to restore bowel flora is a good idea, but if the environment is alkaline, the good bacteria won’t multiply, and repopulate the bowel.
Changing the environment to acidic first is what has to happen. If the bowel is congested and the time food takes to make it’s way from the mouth to the anus is greater than 24 hours, the pH of the bowel becomes alkaline. This environment is very favorable for the growth of yeast strains, damaging to health. Chronic constipation sets disease in motion, as bacteria which thrives in the alkaline environment multiply, producing toxic proteins which can affect every aspect of health.
With increased toxin absorption from chronic constipation, these toxins are directed to the liver to break them down. When the liver becomes overwhelmed from more work than it’s capable of performing, the kidneys come into play in clearing the overload. This is when I see various kidney and bladder infections. We can treat the kidneys and bladder, but if we ignore the source of the problem, we will be forever treating the symptoms.
Trying to detoxify a toxic liver into a congested and toxic bowel only sends toxins right back to the liver. This is why I consider healthy elimination even more important than a healthy diet. I know that sounds strange coming from a doctor of naturopathic medicine, but it’s true. Trying to nourish a body that’s battling a toxic overload is an exercise in futility.
Often, getting the bowels to work can be as simple as increasing hydration and magnesium levels. Many people are extremely dehydrated. With Starbucks on every corner, and today’s society living on coffee many times a day, it’s no wonder we see increased dehydration. Coffee is a diuretic. Seeing more people carrying water bottles with them is a good thing.
Fiber stimulates the bowel and the peristaltic action of the muscles which line the colon. This propels stool toward the anus. The ascending colon on the right side of the abdomen is where the majority of digestive fluids get reabsorbed into the blood stream. If this fails to function properly, we tend to see diarrhea. This can be why those with a toxic condition of the bowel suffer alternating diarrhea and constipation. When the bowel becomes too toxic, absorption stops and diarrhea occurs.
The excessive use of antibiotics in our food supply along with irresponsible prescribing has created bacterial imbalances in the gut. Restoring the environment involves using both probiotics as well as prebiotics. These prebiotics create an environment within which the proper bacteria can grow and flourish.
When using colon irrigation to clear the bowel of toxic material, it’s important to create the proper soil within which we can plant the various cultures of acidophilus and expect them to grow and flourish. Colon hydrotherapy has been around for many years, and has been recognized as one procedure which has the potential of making dynamic changes when other treatments have failed to restore health. Don’t ignore the use of good nutrition, but if there’s a toxic overload, by all means, clear out the waste.
Ingestion of proper nutrition is important to insure healthy function of our bodies. Digestion and absorption of our food is critical to the body’s ability to use this nutrition. I’ve often compared pouring gas all over the car without it getting in the gas tank to poor digestion and absorption. You pump ten gallons but if only one gets in the tank, you won’t go very far.
So, what do we do with the waste that’s left over after digestion and absorption? We hear lots about fiber and it’s importance in healthy bowel function.
The colon is more than just a receptacle for waste before the body can clear it. There are chemical functions which go on in the large bowel that are critical to good health. Many times we see where vitamin B12 deficiencies can cause metabolic failures. This B12, it’s creation and absorption is dependent on healthy bowel function.
Constipation is more than just a nuisance, it’s a condition where toxins are accumulating in the bowel, allowing a change of the internal environment away from optimal. When constipated, the pH of the bowel goes from the optimal acidic to alkaline. The bacteria which is supposed to live here, thrive in the acidic soil. Taking acidophilus to restore bowel flora is a good idea, but if the environment is alkaline, the good bacteria won’t multiply, and repopulate the bowel.
Changing the environment to acidic first is what has to happen. If the bowel is congested and the time food takes to make it’s way from the mouth to the anus is greater than 24 hours, the pH of the bowel becomes alkaline. This environment is very favorable for the growth of yeast strains, damaging to health. Chronic constipation sets disease in motion, as bacteria which thrives in the alkaline environment multiply, producing toxic proteins which can affect every aspect of health.
With increased toxin absorption from chronic constipation, these toxins are directed to the liver to break them down. When the liver becomes overwhelmed from more work than it’s capable of performing, the kidneys come into play in clearing the overload. This is when I see various kidney and bladder infections. We can treat the kidneys and bladder, but if we ignore the source of the problem, we will be forever treating the symptoms.
Trying to detoxify a toxic liver into a congested and toxic bowel only sends toxins right back to the liver. This is why I consider healthy elimination even more important than a healthy diet. I know that sounds strange coming from a doctor of naturopathic medicine, but it’s true. Trying to nourish a body that’s battling a toxic overload is an exercise in futility.
Often, getting the bowels to work can be as simple as increasing hydration and magnesium levels. Many people are extremely dehydrated. With Starbucks on every corner, and today’s society living on coffee many times a day, it’s no wonder we see increased dehydration. Coffee is a diuretic. Seeing more people carrying water bottles with them is a good thing.
Fiber stimulates the bowel and the peristaltic action of the muscles which line the colon. This propels stool toward the anus. The ascending colon on the right side of the abdomen is where the majority of digestive fluids get reabsorbed into the blood stream. If this fails to function properly, we tend to see diarrhea. This can be why those with a toxic condition of the bowel suffer alternating diarrhea and constipation. When the bowel becomes too toxic, absorption stops and diarrhea occurs.
The excessive use of antibiotics in our food supply along with irresponsible prescribing has created bacterial imbalances in the gut. Restoring the environment involves using both probiotics as well as prebiotics. These prebiotics create an environment within which the proper bacteria can grow and flourish.
When using colon irrigation to clear the bowel of toxic material, it’s important to create the proper soil within which we can plant the various cultures of acidophilus and expect them to grow and flourish. Colon hydrotherapy has been around for many years, and has been recognized as one procedure which has the potential of making dynamic changes when other treatments have failed to restore health. Don’t ignore the use of good nutrition, but if there’s a toxic overload, by all means, clear out the waste.
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