Want to feel all shiny and new, inside and out? Then you will want to try colon cleansing. Alternatively, maybe not. Colon cleansing is just about what it sounds like: cleaning out your colon. What is your colon? It is the end of your digestive tract and is made up of four structures: the ascending colon, the transverse colon, the descending colon, and the sigmoid colon. In non-technical language, consider your colon the last few feet of your intestine. Some call colon cleansing “colon hydrotherapy,” “colonics,” “colon irrigation,” or a plain old “enema.”

Colon cleansing is not rocket science. A tube is inserted into the anus and water is injected. What goes in must come out; add enough water and you have a colon cleanse. In addition, what are we cleaning? Remnant feces — that’s poop — and miscellaneous toxins.

There are strong proponents of colon cleansing as the way to better health. The theory is that decomposing feces (yuck!) accumulate in the large intestine and that this “internal compost pile” can be a haven for parasites and toxins. The American Medical Association is not buying it. There exists no hard, scientific evidence of the efficacy or value of colonics. In fact, there is a potential downside. There is documentation of rectal damage due to the insertion of colonic cleansing devices. In addition, if not properly sterilized, colonic nozzles cause infections, tears and other not-so-nice things.

Ancient Egyptians were convinced that food that entered the intestines was not processed correctly sometimes — it just decomposed — not an attractive image. They theorized the unhealthy mess then moved into the bloodstream and worked against good health. The ancient Greeks went further. They developed “The Four Humours” concept — black bile, yellow bile, phlegm, and blood. The balance of The Four Humours determined the wellness of the individual. It is not hard to imagine they theorized rotted feces threw the humors out of whack.

This internal yuck causes “Auto-Intoxication,” claimed 19th century proponents — the further articulated theory that the human body just cannot clean itself and that, thanks to residual toxins, we are poisoning ourselves as a byproduct of being alive. The medical community was not in agreement, however, and the theory of autointoxication began to come unglued when the Journal of the American Medical Association denounced the concept in 1919.

Nevertheless, what doctors think, say, and do have never discouraged people from trying folk cures and colon cleansing is growing in popularity today with the recent upsurge of alternative medicines and health therapies. Thousands of websites promote colonic cleansing as well as cleansing products as critical to healthy living. Do they know what they are talking about? We cannot say. Chiropractors were regarded as a cut above witch doctors up until relatively recently but chiropractic care is now a given on many insurance policies. Acupuncture is commonplace. In addition, in communities everywhere, you will find Reiki masters, massage therapists, and bioenergetics practitioners. Therefore, if you desire better health and are open minded, you may want to give colon cleaning a try.

This author writes on a variety of health related subjects including colon cleaning. Although it’s quite possible that many natural remedies do offer some reliable treatment options, there are many that are quite simply false and colon cleaning falls into this category. Do your research and avoid the scams.