Colon Detox Therapies

Colon detox cleansing is essential to any detox program.

NEVER undertake any kind of body detox program if your colon has been sluggish. If you suffer from constipation or don't have at least one bowel movement every other day, you should not attempt a detox program until you have done a colon detox.

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Colon Cleansing & Detoxification

The colon is our primary eliminative organ, responsible for the removal of waste products from our body. The colon should never be ignored in any type of body cleanse detox program. That's why colon cleansing or laxative herbs should be included in your detox program as well as enemas and a colonic. As a general rule, one colonic at the beginning of your colon cleanse or body detox program can be very helpful. If you're doing a long cleanse, you may want to have another colonic at the end of your colon cleanse or body detox program.

If you are doing a colon cleanse and plan to use a colon cleanse product such as those reviewed here, do not do enemas during your cleanse. Enemas are only appropriate if you are doing a body detox program or a specific detox program, like a liver cleanse, kidney cleanse, skin detox or galbladder cleanse. Bottom line, don't mix enemas with laxative herbs. Colonics (not too many) are an excellent adjunct to a colon cleanse program that uses laxative herbs (look particularly for senna and cascara sagrada).

Laxative herbs can be potentially harmful and quite painful if used inappropriately. When you use colon cleansing herbs, whether alone in capsules on a regular basis or in a colon cleansing product, never exceed the prescribed dosage. Read the ingredients of your colon cleanse product before using it, and understand which laxative herbs it contains. For most people, senna produces the most cramping and prolonged use of it can create laxative dependency for the colon. Cascara sagrada has a more gentle effect on the colon musculature, but over use of it can create scarring on the walls of the colon.

A final note on the use of laxative herbs for colon cleansing, body detox programs, or colon regularity: be sure to drink a generous amount of water. This means at least 3 quarts a day, ideally one gallon.

Colon Detox Preparation

How you prepare for a colon detox is as important as the colon detox itself. If you attempt a detox with a colon clogged with waste material and mucoid plaque, you could do more harm than good. To prepare for your colon detox, begin to eat a diet emphasizing raw fruits and vegetables, whole grains and little or no processed foods, chemical additives or artificial ingredients. Reduce refined grains, deli meats, red meat and sugar. You may want to introduce into your diet very small amounts of a bulking agent like psyllium seeds or ground flax seeds. These will add fiber to your intestinal track and gently scrub the walls of your colon, helping to move clogged waste material out of your colon. If you have been constipated for a long time or suspect that you have a lot of waste material packed in your colon, you can get a colonic before starting your colon detox.

You can use a commercial colon detox product or do it the old fashioned way, which we outline below.

• For 3 – 5 days, eat a diet that is 50% fresh fruits and vegetables.
• Take a probiotic every day.
• Drink one gallon of filtered water every day.
• Each night before bed, take 1/4 cup of ground flax seeds in 8 ounces of water (let this mixture soak for at least one hour).
• Take two cascara sagrada capsules.
• Each morning, before eating, drink a cup of hot water with the juice of a half a lemon. This should help stimulate a bowel movement. If it does not, then use a water enema or a glycerine suppository.
• Aim to have a bowel movement at least once a day.
  
• A word of caution: be sure to drink lots of water (not soda or sugary drinks). If you don't hydrate well when taking psyllium or flax seeds, you can create even more congestion in your colon.