Are you one of those people who only has one bowel movement a day? If so, approximately one percent of everything you eat, each and every day, remains in the digestive tract. After years of this, material accumulates, becoming "locked" into the walls of the colon, much in the same way that lasagna gets glued on to the sides of the pan when cooked.

The colon, or large intestine as it's also called, receives the digested material, called chyme, from the small intestine. Its primary purpose is to extract residual water and a few vitamins and absorb them back into the body. The waste matter that remains is mixed with mucus and bacteria to become feces. The colon stores the fecal waste material until it is eliminated.

Toxic build up
Ideally, we would have a bowel movement following each healthy meal; however, our lifestyle and eating habits often do not allow for such normal elimination, so we aim for at least one a day. Those of us who do not eliminate efficiently, and for people who eat processed, preserved and fatty foods, the accumulation of toxic, old material stored in the colon becomes enormous.

This build up of fecal material causes the colon to malfunction in many ways, including reducing the peristaltic movements (the waves of contraction) that are necessary for efficient elimination. Build up also changes the pH (acidity/alkalinity) of the colon materials, and causes neighboring organs, such as the liver, prostate, and spleen to become toxic as well. This waste also increases the toxicity circulating in the blood. As this old toxic material builds up, the colon becomes enlarged and distorted, (and in some areas constricted from poor function) disfiguring the torso. We speculate that it may alter the balance of blood flow to other organs. As the colon enlarges, taking up more space in the abdominal cavity, you can appreciate how it may put pressure on other organs, such as the bladder. In addition, in our opinion, the valve between the small intestine and the colon can be compromised by mucus strands, causing back up of toxic material into the small intestine, which is designed to bring nutrients, not toxins, directly into the blood stream.

Unfortunately, this is the way that the majority of us are walking around. We have a situation in which an acid toxic environment is throwing the body out of balance. Toxins are entering the blood stream. There is increase stress on the lymph system, designed to clear the body of toxins. The body is in a heightened state of stress, in general. The toxic effects are far-reaching and may include conditions ranging from colon cancer to autoimmune disease; from low energy to cloudy thinking; from skin conditions to mood disorders; and from urinary frequency to inflamed hemorrhoids. No wonder many complementary specialists believe that disease starts in the colon.

What's a colon to do?
Many people turn to a raw food diet as the solution. While this does help enormously, the raw diet has not been found to eliminate the caked-on materials in the colons of people who have eaten mainstream diets for the majority of their lives. Other people try fasts and liquid cleanses to eliminate the toxic build up. Again, while this may help quite a bit, it is unlikely that liquids passing over the caked on toxic material will soak it enough to free and eliminate it. Using our lasagna pan analogy: How long would it take to rinse a lasagna pan to get the caked-on lasagna off?

Still other people think that enemas, including coffee ground enemas, will do the trick, but we have yet to find that the enema fluids reach all the way around the curves and distortions of the entire colon. In our experience, a very effective way of completely detoxifying the colon is a method called colon soaking. This is a new variation of the traditional colon hydrotherapy or colonic irrigation hygiene. Colon soaking allows the gentle installation of filtered tepid water into the colon. By performing this soaking on successive days, the repeated saturation of the old toxic fecal material helps it to soften and be released over time.

Upon interviewing individuals who have undergone this technique, which is administered with the help of a professional healthcare provider, they have uniformly been shocked at the enormous quantity of foul black material and dark mucus that is released. Typically, 15 or more releases of such material occurs during each session. Many people experience a reshaping of the body with a reduced waist size, reduction of love handles and decreased cellulite. Many experience greater energy, a greater sense of well being, clearer thinking, improved complexion and better sleep patterns. One individual had a 50-point cholesterol decrease over a two month period, and a reduction in urinary frequency. This technique, along with a healthy diet and an exercise routine, will significantly reduce internal toxicity allowing for better health and perhaps greater longevity.

Luis Rojas, certified colon hydrotherapist, has been nicknamed the "Colon Whisperer" by his clients because of his extensive knowledge and his caring ability to work with the colon by colon soaking for purposes of detoxification. He works in Los Angeles.

Sally Schutz, MD, complementary physician, and clinical nutritionist, resides in Los Angeles.

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