Does You Need Quick Detox Colon Cleanser?

Cleaning out the colon is sometimes necessary— for example, before a medical procedure, such as a colonoscopy. But some people do it in the belief that the process will rid their colons of excess toxins that have accumulated over time from the foods they eat, the air they breathe, the water they drink, and the lifestyles they lead.

Detox Colon Cleanser enthusiasts believe that periodically cleaning from the inside out removes waste stuck to the colon walls. This waste buildup also supposedly produces toxins that enter the blood and may be slowly poisoning people, contributing to a variety of symptoms — fatigue, bloating, irritated skin and weight gain — and health problems, from depression and allergies to arthritis and cancer.

Cleansing proponents promote two ways to clean the colon. One method involves taking bowel-clearing laxatives, powders or supplements; using enemas; or drinking herbal teas topurportedly release colon waste and discharge toxins. But using this method might feel more like frequently running to the bathroom with diarrhea.

A second method is called colonic irrigation or colon hydrotherapy, in which a practitioner flushes out the colon by sending gallons of water into the body through a tube inserted into a person’s rectum.

But does colon cleansing flush out toxins, as its supporters suggest, or does it flush money down the drain?

Medical professionals say that the body comes well equipped with its own built-in mechanisms to eliminate harmful substances: the liver and kidneys. In fact, Quick Detox Colon Cleanser that is done to help remove toxins is an unnecessary and potentially dangerous practice, especially colon hydrotherapy.

“Every week, someone asks me whether colon cleansing is safe and whether a person should be doing it,” said Dr. Jacqueline Wolf, a gastroenterologist at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston and the author of “A Woman’s Guide to a Healthy Stomach” (Harlequin, 2011).

She typically tells her patients there is little research on colon cleansing methods, and that most physicians don’t believe in these treatments or advise their use.

Wolf said people’s curiosity about cleansing possibly stems from the idea that the bowel is a dirty place, and that getting rid of waste is a good idea. She said she usually doesn’t recommend colon hydrotherapy, but has suggested it for a few people to use as colonoscopy preparation when traditional methods have failed. She’s also recommended it for patients who had severe constipation, before there were strong drugs that could help remedy this problem.

“We don’t know enough about colon cleansing to know the real truth,” Wolf told Live Science. “It’s an area we should learn more about.”

Wolf outlined some of the potential side effects and dangers of colon cleansing methods.