Smita Diwan
We live in a time where health issues are seen as the new normal, stress – a necessity. Still, there are those who venture out and look for means to heal themselves and break free from the rut that drags us down. Tired of the conventional means of medication, people are now adapting alternative ways to treat themselves. Some resort to yoga, music therapy, aroma therapy, etc. One such alternative treatment that has caught the eye of the health conscious is colon cleansing!
[highlight highlightColor=”highlight-red” ]So, what is Colon cleansing?[/highlight]
In order to understand what colon cleansing is, one needs to understand what the colon is and what function it performs in the body. The colon is a part of our digestive system. It is the last part of the digestive tract where absorption of water and certain fat soluble vitamins takes place.
Colon therapy is a form of alternative therapy in which either plain water or water mixed with special herbs is inserted into the colon via rectum. While the thought of it may not go down well with everyone, quite a good number of people consider doing this.
[highlight highlightColor=”highlight-red” ]What does colon cleansing do?[/highlight]
Alternative medicine practitioners believe that it helps cleanse the colon of harmful bacteria or parasitic organisms that line the gut. The colon normally doesn’t house any harmful micro-organisms unless one has suffered from an acute disease/infection.
[highlight highlightColor=”highlight-red” ]What does the medical community believe?[/highlight]
Well, the medical community has a divided stance over the issue. Scientists claim that there are no specific benefits of colon cleansing. They further state that if it is done in a wrong manner, it could do more harm than good. However, alternative medicine practitioners claim that many people have benefitted from colon therapy. This is evident with the sheer number of people who are slowly but surely embracing colon therapy to fight weight loss, improve digestion and feel better.
[highlight highlightColor=”highlight-red” ]What is my take?[/highlight]
Anything in excess is poison. Firstly, if you want to undergo colon therapy, find an expert in the field. Second, never overdo something. Colon therapy if done over and over again could induce dependence on it and make it difficult to pass stools normally.
However, colon therapy does seem to hold some merit in bringing about health benefits. I would say that colon therapy could be identified in the way in which acupuncture therapy was initially discarded by the medical community, but later accepted as a scientific treatment with clinical trials proving its usefulness.
I hope you liked this write-up. Keep watching out for this space…there is more to come.
Till then, take care and live well!
