Facts about Intestinal Detoxification

Man's attitude towards medicinal advances is pretty ironic. While we make huge strides in many other areas, our fears are sometimes based on old traditional knowledge, especially with regards to alternative medicine. There are many debates about the effectiveness of alternative medicine for many different conditions. When it comes to intestinal detoxification, many people are still looking for a cure despite so much more knowledge and understanding of how the colon works.

In traditional healing methods, intestinal detoxification was invariably used as a treatment to cure any and every disease. It did not matter what disease you had, the recommended treatment would just be intestinal detoxification. This later gave rise to numerous variations, all of which used the concept of detoxification. People who know about the Kellogg's Putrefaction would be familiar with this concept. According to Kellogg's Putrefaction, it is the build-up of toxins in the gut that is the main cause of many of the diseases. This meant that whenever a patient went to the doctor for any illness, these intestinal detox practitioners would arrange for the patient to undergo the arduous and never-ending procedure of enema, which was often quite tortuous. Alternatively they bombarded the patient with a whole lot of laxatives.

However, the dilemma still remains- is intestinal detoxification really necessary? Also does simply removing the feces cause the severity of the disease to reduce?

There is an interesting article in the Quackwatch on the topic of intestinal detoxification. The title of the article is Gastrointestinal Quackery: Colonics, Laxatives and More. This article states that according to the theory of intoxication, it is the stagnating matter that lies in the colon that causes the absorption of toxins in the body. If left unattended, which could happen when a person fails to have regular bowel movements, the ‘sewage system' of the large intestine gets converted into a cesspit into which toxins get absorbed. This could cause a whole lot of different diseases. Besides, the lining of the colon could also gather an accumulation of feces, which inhibits the absorption of minerals and water. According to the article detoxification theories were absolute nonsense and there was no such term as toxin.

To get a better picture of why intestinal detoxification may not be effective in reality, one should know at least something about the various processes in the intestine. The stomach as well as the small intestine expel out chyme, which is then collected in the large intestine. Because the colon is much bigger in size, there is a considerable slowing down of the process. The chyme gets mixed with the mucus in the colon and is then feasted upon by the bacteria in the gut. Lactic acid is also produced by other bacteria, mainly the lactobacillus, which decreased the growth of bacteria that are harmful.

If people indulge in intestinal detoxification, they could end up damaging their system, which was perfectly healthy to start off with. Colon irrigation, in fact washes away the bacteria that are beneficial to the system.

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WEDNESDAY Community Tai Chi: 7:45-8:45 a.m. with instructor, YMCA, 1684 Robinson St. Cost, 533-9622.

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The Erlanger schedule of classes and events for May 29 & 31 includes a variety of HealthLink Plus fitness opportunities, weight management and family planning classes.