Integrative Health Blog

How do I know if I could benefit from Colon Hydrotherapy?

If you experience any of the following, colon hydrotherapy could be right for you:

Constipation, diarrhea, bloating, gas, candida, irritable bowel disease, brain fog, chronic pain, fatigue, auto-immune disease, hormonal imbalances, allergies, toxicity or any diseases related to the body’s exposure to or overload of toxins, compromised immune system or malabsorption of vitamins and nutrients.

Shouldn’t the body naturally eliminate toxins on its own?

Our bodies are incredible machines!  They are designed to mitigate most of the toxins and unhealthy bacteria that we encounter in nature.  However, we have strayed so far from what nature has intended for us, that our bodies are not able to keep up on their own.  We need to help them out! 

Toxins are present everywhere in our environment – the air, water, foods, plastic containers, household cleaning products, cosmetics and medications.  Then consider the loss of nutrients and lack of digestibility of processed and packaged foods.  These foods not only introduce toxins, they rob our bodies of minerals and enzymes needed to digest and assimilate our foods.  The undigested foods can then cause further toxicity in our systems and strain on our digestive organs. 

Would you put substandard products in the gas tank of your car and expect it to run well?  Of course, not.  And if you did, your mechanic would clean them out and put good stuff in.  The same is true for your body.  Most of our bodies have subsisted on substandard products.  Be your own mechanic – get the bad stuff out flushed out and start putting good stuff in.  It will make a world on difference in how you ride!

How does toxicity in my bowel affect my body?

Our bodies are full of bacteria – both friendly and unfriendly bacteria.  Ideally your body has a ratio of about 80% friendly to 20% unfriendly.  In this case, the friendly can keep the unfriendly in its place, allowing your body’s immune system to handle the situation and the bad stuff to be eliminated from your body through one of your body’s elimination channels (more to come on this topic in a later post.) 

However, when this balance becomes more heavily weighted on the unfriendly side, the bad bacteria and candida can grow out of control in your intestine, compromising the integrity of the lining of your colon wall, allowing toxins to escape into your blood stream and become stored in your fat cells, organs and tissues.  This condition also causes compromises to your immune system and inhibits the absorption of essential nutrients, such as B and K vitamins and electrolyte minerals which are absorbed in your large intestine.  The combination of these effects can result in symptoms that present with many common ailments that so many people suffer from today. 

Is Colon Hydrotherapy safe? 

For most people, colon hydrotherapy is a safe procedure, and patients report no ill effects.  Some people may experience gas cramps as the gas is moved through the system, and occasionally patients report nausea during the session.  We do provide an abdominal massager to help to break up the gas and wastes which helps to alleviate the cramping and helps movements to flow more smoothly. We also have essential oils on hand to help with feelings of nausea.

There are some instances where the procedure is not recommended, such as for patients with diverticulitis, colitis, colorectal cancer, recent abdominal or rectal surgery, uncontrolled high blood pressure or heart conditions, acute liver disease or kidney disease.  If you suspect you have any of these conditions, please consult your healthcare provider before seeking this treatment.

Toxic bowel is one of those topics that deserves much more attention than it receives.  Overgrowth of unhealthy bacteria and candida in the bowel can cause symptoms that mimic many common modern-day ailments.  Taking medications on top of a toxic bowel can further complicate the situation and often not address the underlying problems.  Getting the toxins out of your system is far safer than leaving them in and continuing to treat symptoms.

For other questions about colon hydrotherapy, please contact the Detoxification team at NIHA, at 202-237-7000, ext 143.