RE: New to group - New to Raw Food - Question on Colon Cleansing & Raw Diet [s]

[Guest guest]

Yaay! Great post!

Elchanan

 

Bob Farrell [rjf2]

Tuesday, March 22, 2005 8:42 PM

rawfood

[Raw Food] Re: New to group - New to Raw Food - Question on Colon

Cleansing & Raw Diet

 

 

 

Here's a repost from Roger from 2003 on Colon Hydrotherapy:

 

" Roger Haeske " <roger@s...>

Tue Oct 14, 2003 11:03 pm

A New Look at Colon Hydrotherapy

 

 

Here is that great article by Loren Lockman on Colonic Irrigation.

Those

of you who are doing colonics or considering them may want to take

your

time and really study this article. Hope it helps.

 

Roger

 

+++++

 

A New Look at Colon Hydrotherapy

by Loren Lockman

Published in JEAA, Vol. 2, #3

 

One of the benefits of eating a good raw diet is that the digestive

tract starts to function as it should. Ideally, we eat a meal, and

within hours have a bowel movement, eliminating the previous meal's

waste. When the system is healthy, we'll have one or two meals in the

digestive tract, but no more than that.

 

Unfortunately, the average American has a 96-hour transit time from

the

mouth to the other end. This means that the average person carries 4

days worth of waste in their colon. Unless one eats less than once

every

four days, the average colon is constantly full of waste. For most

people eating cooked food diets, the waste is toxic. We're seeing the

ramifications of this in society now.

 

When we smoke for years, constantly taking toxic particulate matter

into

the lungs, we're very likely to develop lung cancer (shocking news for

cigarette industry executives). If we chew tobacco for years, we're

likely to develop mouth cancer of one sort or another. If we drink

alcohol excessively for years, we're likely to develop cirrhosis of

the

liver.

 

The collective evidence shows that anytime an organ of the body is

constantly in contact with toxic material, that part of the body is

likely to become diseased. Given this fact, is it any wonder that

colon

cancer is the fastest growing form of cancer in the US? Allopathic

(western) medicine tells us that along with ulcerative colitis,

irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), Crohn's disease, and other lower GI

tract diseases, colon cancer has nothing to do with what we eat.

 

This conclusion is counter-intuitive, illogical, and further evidence

of

the enormous problems with our " healthcare " system. Though the

industrial-medical complex doesn't get it, (or perhaps simply doesn't

want us to), these diseases are directly related to what we eat.

 

Eating almost any kind of raw diet is likely to eliminate any risk of

colon cancer. However, most of the other lower GI tract diseases can

still occur, or continue, on a poorly planned raw diet. Eating

excessive

amounts of dried fruit, nuts, seeds, or even food that has been

dehydrated, can often lead to constipation. This in turn, can lead to

headaches, tiredness, and an overall lack of well-being. IBS, Crohn's

disease, and ulcerative colitis may continue on a raw diet containing

vegetables with a high cellulose content, nuts, seeds, corn, or raw

grains.

 

Even eating an ideal raw diet consisting of high-water content fresh

fruits and leafy greens may not resolve digestive tract problems as

quickly as we'd like, especially if we've previously made poor diet

and

lifestyle choices. Many have heard of the dreaded " mucoid plaque " said

to be the lining of most people's intestines. Clearly, carrying excess

waste in the colon - new or old - does not contribute to health.

What's

less clear is what to do about it.

 

There are, of course, many remedies available today. The choices are

only limited by our ability to believe in the miraculous powers of

maple

syrup, cayenne pepper, cassia, assorted herbs, and the various other

substances that make up the intestinal cleansing " systems " and

products

on the market today. These remedies continue to be popular, not

because

of any efficacy, but because they offer us what we really want: an

easy

solution that requires no real effort or change on our part.

 

It's the extremely toxic nature and irritating effect of these

substances that creates the increased elimination by the body. These

substances do not act on the body. Rather, the body, in its infinite

wisdom, seeks to eliminate the source of irritation and toxicity as

quickly as possible.

 

Consuming something toxic in order to force the body's actions assumes

that we know the needs of our body better than it does. This is a poor

assumption. Our bodies have infinitely more wisdom about their needs

than we do, and are always doing the best they can, given the

circumstances and conditions we provide.

 

Many people consider enemas and colonics indispensable for cleansing

the

colon. Colon hydrotherapy certainly has a long history, with over 2000

years of documented use. Much more compelling, however, is that colon

hydrotherapy often makes people feel better. And like the " miracle "

cleansing formulas, colon hydrotherapy has the added advantage of

being

done to us with little, if any effort required on our part Also, we do

not need to make any long-term lifestyle changes. This is certainly a

winning formula, and today you can find colon hydrotherapists

practicing

across the United States and the world.

 

All of this seems to present a compelling case for colonics and

enemas.

However, things are not always what they seem to be.

 

" If it's been around for 2000 years, it must work, " the popular

argument

goes. But given the unconscious tendency we have toward blindly

believing and following our authorities, this is an extremely flawed

philosophy. In spite of the work many have done to educate and affect

real change in healthcare, people might one day use this argument to

defend some of today's more insidious allopathic medical practices.

Longevity does not equate to validity.

 

More important than it's longevity is the fact that colon hydrotherapy

frequently brings the relief that people seek. In other words, we feel

better. This inconvenient fact greatly confounds our ability to

accurately understand what's happening within us.

 

Though I certainly understand the desire for relief, I wouldn't wish

it

for myself or anyone else if it interferes with real healing and

cleansing. And this is what I believe is actually happening here. If

this surprises you, remember that most forms of treatment and therapy

can only effect symptomatic relief. Many forms of treatment make us

feel

better, but some may actively interfere with the body's ability to do

so.

 

Might that be the case here? I think so.

 

Conventional wisdom says that when waste sits in the colon, toxins are

reabsorbed into the bloodstream, which in turn makes us feel bad.

Let's

assume that this is what's actually happening. If we then use an enema

or colonic to flush this waste from the colon, that's all we've done -

flush the waste from the colon. We've done nothing to eliminate the

toxins that are reabsorbed back into the bloodstream. But it's the

toxins in the bloodstream, not the colon, that make us feel bad.

 

To put this into terms that most of us can relate to, we don't feel

drunk immediately after having a drink. Or even several in a row. This

is because we're not intoxicated until the alcohol is absorbed into

the

bloodstream. Once it's absorbed into the bloodstream, only time can

help

to dissipate it from our system.

 

So if the toxins in the bloodstream are unaffected by the enema or

colonic, how can these therapies make us feel better? It occurs to me

that there are only two ways to eliminate the pain of detoxification:

the first, as mentioned above, is to allow enough time. An addict of

any

kind (tobacco, alcohol, heroin, caffeine, etc.) will experience

painful

withdrawal symptoms until the body has had a chance to eliminate all

traces of the poisonous substance from the system. The second way to

eliminate the pain of detoxification is to intoxicate the body all

over

again. This is the reason why the addict craves his poison; taking

more

makes the pain go away.

 

With colon hydrotherapy people see their accumulated waste being

washed

away, they feel better, and they understandably, if mistakenly,

conclude

that the latter happens because of the former. This is understandable,

but not necessarily correct. The fallacy here is that if A follows B,

B

must be the cause of A. To illustrate, I notice that every time I wash

my car (not very often) it rains. Therefore, washing my car causes it

to

rain. Obviously not, though it follows the same logic.

 

The large intestine is shaped like an upside-down " U. " One leg of the

" U " is called the ascending colon because it rises from the ileo-cecal

valve to where the large and small intestine meet. The middle part of

the colon is called the transverse colon, and the descending colon, or

the other leg of the upside down " U, " ends at the rectum.

 

The descending colon and rectum are the only parts of the digestive

tract that are not designed to absorb anything.

 

It's not that they don't, it's just that absorption doesn't seem to be

necessary here. Virtually all of the valuable materials from the

digested foods (vitamins, minerals, fatty and amino acids,

phytonutrients, and excess water) will have been absorbed prior to

reaching these last parts of the colon. Both the descending colon and

the rectum are primarily waste pipes, and though they certainly absorb

toxins if exposed long enough to them, the likelihood of absorption is

much less here than in any other part of the colon.

 

As soon as we add water to the colon, any accumulated waste is washed

backwards through the large intestine. By increasing the volume of

water, we greatly increase the surface area of the most absorptive

parts

of the colon in contact with any toxins.

 

The result is that now we begin to reabsorb these toxins in a big way.

As soon as the toxins are reabsorbed into the bloodstream, the pain of

detoxification stops. We feel better and conclude that it's because

we've eliminated the waste.

 

In order to get any toxic residues out of the body, the tissues where

they reside must be broken down, thereby releasing them into the

bloodstream. Though this process is likely to produce some discomfort,

there is no other way to eliminate the toxins from the body.

 

The more frequently heard arguments against colon hydrotherapy are

that

the bowel pH is altered, and that beneficial bacteria are flushed from

the colon. With frequency of use, muscle tone is lost and a weakened

peristalsis becomes insufficient to properly eliminate normal wastes.

While these arguments are all valid, I believe that the most important

factor here is simply that colon hydrotherapy is just one more way of

providing symptomatic relief while actually impeding true health and

healing.

 

Whether one fasts or feeds the body lightly and intelligently,

ultimately allowing the body's wastes to move along at their own pace

is

the best way.

 

Herbert Shelton and some of his early 20th century contemporaries

conducted their own experiments with fasting clients and found that

invariably, those that used colon hydrotherapy did not fare as well in

the long run.

 

My own experience at the Tanglewood Wellness Center is that given the

opportunity, every colon will eliminate when it needs to, and that

water

fasting will further expedite this elimination.

 

To avoid constipation and other lower GI tract problems, be sure to

eat

a diet rich in high-water content fresh fruits and soft leafy greens.

You should also avoid dried and dehydrated foods, excessive quantities

of nuts, seeds, animal products, and overeating.

 

Loren Lockman is the founder and director of the Tanglewood Wellness

Center, a fasting retreat located on 18 forested mountaintop acres in

Maryland.

 

For more information, go to: www.TanglewoodWellnessCenter.com

or call 301-898-8901

 

 

and here's another more recent one:

note the copyright info: from Raw School --- posted in its entirety,

with copyright intact.:

 

DO COLONICS SPEED HEALING?Copyright C 2004 Nora LenzAlthough colonic

hydrotherapy is as much a symptomatic approach to disease as drugs,

herbs and surgery, many people who acknowledge the harm of

suppressing symptoms with these other methods nevertheless accept the

idea that flooding our colons with water can aid or hasten healing.

The popularity of this potentially harmful procedure even among

health-savvy raw fooders is due in part to the fine job the colonics

industry has done of conjecturing and misusing the facts in order to

sell its services. This is illustrated on one popular colonics

website, where the question, " Why have this procedure done? " is

addressed. Following is the answer, in its entirety: " Colon cancer is

the second leading cancer killer in the United States, second only to

lung cancer in men, and breast cancer in women. And at least two

million Americans suffer colon related diseases including... colitis,

ileitis, diverticulitis and approximately 100,000 colostomy surgeries

are performed each year! " The statistics are interesting, and most

likely true, but they don't answer the question. We are drawn to

speculate that the writer hoped readers would leap to the unrelated

conclusion that colonics prevent or can be used effectively in the

treatment of diseases of the colon. That is not the case, and if it

were, you can bet that it would have been spelled out in less vague

terms. This is typical of the obfuscation that proliferates the

alternative medicine community in general, and the colonics field in

particular.Many mistaken ideas regarding the lower intestinal region

of our bodies are promulgated by advocates of colonics and purveyors

of other " colon health " products. There is much to be gained by

perpetuating the notion that our colons are impacted, filthy

cesspools. The idea that our bodies are filthy inside unless they've

been artificially flooded with water is purely an invention of

someone's mind, and reflects a hostile attitude toward the body. The

truth is, if you could see the inside of your colon it would look

like a smooth, pinkish, soft muscular membrane somewhat similar to

the lining of your throat or mouth. If you are afflicted with a

digestive disorder like colitis or IBS, you can visualize your colon

as you would imagine the inside of your throat if it was sore and

tender. The human body is actually like a donut, with the hole

running from our mouths to our backends. In this way, undigested food

or fecal matter that is contained " in " the colon is actually outside

the body. Unless, of course, you force it back in with colonics.

Colonics can force water and fecal material back into the small

intestine via the normally one-way ileo-cecal valve that separates it

from the colon. The small intestine is where nutrients are absorbed

into the bloodstream through its semi-permeable membrane. Once waste

moves out of the small intestine and into the large intestine, it is

supposed to leave the body. If it is forced back into the small

intestine, it will be reabsorbed into the bloodstream. This is, in

fact, what is happening when people claim to immediately " feel

better " after a colonic. The stimulative substances that the body was

attempting to eliminate have been re-introduced into the bloodstream

and produce the same stimulating effects that they did when the

person first ingested them. It should be remembered that anything

which causes us to feel better immediately is not healing. Sufferers

of IBS and other digestive disorders are particularly susceptible to

colonics propaganda because they are predisposed to the idea that all

their suffering is the fault of their errant colons and the loathsome

contents therein. This is unfortunate because colonics are especially

harmful and are usually painful for these individuals. When disease

of the lower intestinal tract is present, the tissues of the colon

are irritated and possibly even lacerated and inflamed. The last

thing they want to do is move. The colon is a muscle and like any

other muscle in the body, when there is injury our natural

inclination is to rest the affected area. When we don't rest it, it

hurts. Normally, the colon responds to increased pressure by

contracting. This is how it produces a bowel movement. When water is

injected into the colon, the muscles try to contract in response to

the increased pressure, but they can't -- they are forced to expand

instead, and beyond their normal range. In addition, they are forced

to move in the opposite direction they were designed to. These

muscles are designed for moving water and fecal material down and out

of the body. It's like trying to rotate one of your joints beyond its

natural range. The resulting discomfort tells you that you're in

danger of harming your body if you don't stop. When you feel

discomfort during a colonic treatment, it's the same kind of

warning.Over time, in people who make a habit of consuming cooked or

inappropriate foods, the body acquires certain protections for itself

against the harmful substances that pass through the colon. Dead

tissues, accumulated mucus, and even impacted fecal matter (which

typically exists to a much lesser extent than is hypothesized by

colonics practitioners) are all part of that protection. Mucus is

secreted in the colon to protect and lubricate the intestinal wall

and to bind fecal material together. It also serves to protect the

colon from acids formed by the enormous amount of bacterial activity

that takes place in the fecal matter itself. Artificial removal of

this natural layer of mucus obviously has negative consequences, not

only because the colon wall is vulnerable without it but because the

glands of the colon must work harder to replace the lost mucus.

Without considering this very important fact, removal of these body-

instituted protective barriers is declared by colon hydrotherapists

to be an appropriate goal and a positive outcome of colonics. The

question you need to ask yourself before you submit to a colonic

is, " Once my body's protection is mechanically removed by surging

water, will I thereafter be prepared to give my body only the types

and amounts of food it needs, and nothing else? " Are you far enough

along in your health re-education to even know which foods are

appropriate and which ones are not? Have you conquered whatever

habits caused you to abuse your body in the first place? If the

answer to any of these questions is " no " , you should pass on

colonics. When you eliminate the body's need to protect itself from

toxic substances by ceasing to ingest those things, the body rids

itself of the protection in its own good time. It's best to let your

body decide how long this process should take. To force it to hurry

up will hinder healing, not assist it. Colonics purport to

remove " bad " bacteria, parasites and worms. Attempts to label certain

microscopic inhabitants of our colons " bad " and others " good " are

arbitrary at best, and are not based on a full understanding of the

role that they play in the body. Bacteria and other microorganisms

perform many beneficial, symbiotic functions in the body. Beyond the

mischaracterizing of bacteria as either beneficial or harmful, we are

asked to believe that a stream of water can discriminate between bad

and good, and remove only the " bad " . In reality, colonics can

actually encourage the growth of bacteria in our colons. One of the

primary functions of the colon is to reabsorb into the body much of

the water that has been used in the digestive process. Removing water

decreases the opportunity for bacterial growth, as bacteria need

water to grow (like all living things). Colonics reintroduce water

into an otherwise perfect breeding ground for bacteria (dark, warm,

waste-filled), which increases bacterial growth (including yeast),

which causes fermentation and putrefaction, which is the cause of

bloating. If bloating is a symptom you've been suffering with,

colonics offer no help and can only exacerbate the situation.

Additionally, anyone who is concerned about worms or parasites

needn't worry about removing them. It is only necessary to remove

their food supply by: 1) fasting when symptomatic; 2) adopting a diet

of whole, raw, fresh, biologically appropriate foods; 3) allowing the

body time to cleanse and heal and; 4) following all the other

requisites for good health like getting adequate sleep, exercise,

fresh air, etc. so that the body can keep up with its eliminative

burden.Testimonials from people who believe they have been " helped "

by colonics can be a powerful persuader. Ask 100 people who have used

colonics how they feel about it and you'll get 100 stories of how

colonics helped them " heal " . People want their actions to align with

their beliefs, and vice versa. So, they allow themselves to be

convinced that colonic irrigation is helpful to the body, in the same

way that chemotherapy survivors believe they were " healed " by toxic

chemicals. Those who subject their bodies to colonics don't realize

that the pain they might feel during the procedure is the body's way

of warning them that sensitive tissues are being disturbed and

irritated. More importantly, they have no way of knowing how quickly

they would have healed without the procedure, how much damage it may

have done, and in fact how much longer their bodies took to heal

because of the colonics. It also needs to be remembered that people

who claim to have been helped by colonics also tend to concurrently

change their lifestyles. It is these changes that deserve the credit

when they experience subsequent improvements in health, not the

colonics. Constipation is the most commonly cited reason for people

to undergo colonic irrigation. Constipation is the effect of a worn-

out, tired, overstimulated colon. This is caused by eating too much,

eating the wrong foods, taking laxatives, and sundry other dietary

and lifestyle mistakes. Enemas and colonics stimulate and irritate

the colon, and wear it out even more. Thus, these procedures actually

contribute to constipation. Clearly, there are ways to deal with

constipation that take into account what actually caused the symptom

in the first place, and that focus on removing the cause. Even though

it may seem to new raw fooders that they are doing everything

possible to be healthy, they can nevertheless experience constipation

from time to time as they learn which foods are optimal and as their

bodies slowly regain lost vitality. Sometimes it can start if you

simply ignore your bowel's signal that it needs to move. The feces

become dry and impacted and the bowel becomes tired and atrophied. In

all but a few very extreme cases in which an enema is useful as a one-

time emergency tool, the body can remedy the situation entirely on

its own if the conditions that caused it are removed. Before anything

like an emergency enema is employed, there are many other things that

should be tried and considered first. For one, juicing is not helpful

if you are constipated because your body needs the bulk. Further,

much benefit can be derived from eating only whole juicy fruit for a

few days, like apples, mangoes, pears, grapes, citrus, tomatoes,

cherimoya, cucumbers, young coconuts, and also iceberg lettuce (it's

watery and easily digestible) and celery. Until your constipation is

relieved, it's best to stay away from foods that are dry or difficult

to digest, like starches of all kinds, nuts, seeds, dried fruit and

the denser greens like kale and chard.To get a full understanding of

the harm done by colonics, the negative psychological effects need to

be considered as well. Primary among these is the fostering of a

belief in the user that there are " cures " and that we can assist the

body in healing. In reality, the body is perfectly able to heal

itself without any of these unnatural and abnormal procedures. It is

often conceded by colonics practitioners that the procedure is

unnatural. But, they reason, our modern junk food diet is unnatural

too, and the damage it inflicts on us makes it necessary to " assist "

our bodies back to a healthy condition. This is basically the all-

purpose argument that alternative medicine uses to encourage any

number of other unhealthful procedures and substances. Enemas have

been used for almost as long as civilization has existed. Humans have

been making diet and lifestyle mistakes even longer than that,

otherwise there would have been no motivation for the invention of

enemas. Throughout the ages, therefore, those who sought to encourage

these unhealthful practices have always been able to find

rationalization for their use. Civilized humans have an unfortunate

tendency to give validation to a misguided practice solely by virtue

of the length of time it has been used. Unhealthful practices can

sometimes become common and customary before the full detrimental

effects of their use are known and acknowledged. Witness the modern

practice of using drugs or herbs to stop symptoms. The truth remains

that the cumulative harm done by unnatural lifestyle habits is only

compounded when we attempt to remedy it with still more unnatural

practices and substances. Since the body doesn't make mistakes and

our puny intellects DO, we need to stop assuming we are smarter than

our bodies. With specific regard to the contents of our colons, we

need to assume that everything that is there belongs there, is

working cooperatively with the body on perhaps a transitory basis and

will be discarded by the body when it is no longer needed, or is on

its way out. It can't be overemphasized that the process of healing

takes time. The body starts out in almost perfect health at birth. It

takes decades for us to ruin it with our unhealthful practices. When

we first transition to a raw food diet it can feel like all our

monumental sacrifices are going unrewarded, and there is a great

temptation to try and hasten the process. Having the patience to

allow our body the time it needs is the best assistance we can give

it. There is much more to healing than physiological recovery, as

well. As we're healing, we need time to discard old beliefs in favor

of all the new, truthful information we come upon. And, most

importantly, we must learn how to respond appropriately to the

emotional stimuli that previously motivated us to eat, and to change

those destructive patterns. None of this happens overnight. It is

extremely important for anyone wanting to heal to lose the idea that

they can assist the body or speed up healing, which is really just a

by-product of the false " cure " mentality that forms the foundation of

the medical establishment.

 

Copyright C2004 Raw Food School

nmlenz

---

for some of the other questions, suggest doing a search, or just

going back a couple hundred posts and reading forward.

 

regards,

 

Bob