During this procedure, irrigation of the large intestine and the removal of deposits from the intestine mucosa is done by a special apparatus, water and belly massage. It is recommended to eat light pulpy meals, fruit and vegetables and to drink plenty of water, one day before the procedure.
If you are intending to try colon hydrotherapy
There is also a very informative book – An Introduction to Colonic Hydrotherapy:
For many people today, keeping in shape is a key concern but poor diet, stress, smoking and drinking can all take their toll not least on a part of the body that is widely recognised as being vital to maintaining good health. That organ is the bowel.
For all too many of us, its a case of out of sight out of mind. Add to that the embarrassment many feel when discussing this particular body part and you begin to understand why it can go wrong. In fact, it goes wrong for quite a lot of us. For most that probably means a little discomfort, constipation, or irritable bowel syndrome. For approximately 35,000 people each year the effects can be rather more serious, in the form of bowel cancer.
So, what can we do to encourage bowel health? Good diet and plenty of fibre are generally regarded as important in keeping things moving. Avoiding the accumulation of waste matter in the bowel is helpful and this, in turn, can contribute to wellbeing and, indeed, just feeling good.
An increasingly popular therapy is colonic hydrotherapy. This involves circulating purified warm water at very low pressure through the colon. The process stimulates the colon to expel faecal matter and tones the colon.
Whilst the therapy has helped many people, it should be stated at once that it is not a treatment for more serious bowel conditions, neither is there specific evidence to suggest it can directly prevent them.
However, colonic hydrotherapy is thought to encourage general bowel health. The main reasons why people choose colon hydrotherapy are to address problems such as constipation and irritable bowel syndrome, or to assist in detoxing the body. Others are looking for help with conditions, like skin problems, which can sometimes benefit from the cleansing effect of hydrotherapy.
Explains Roger Groos, Chairman of the Association and Register of Colon Hydrotherapists, which sets professional standards and accredits teaching colleges: It is important to put the treatment in its proper context. It is best thought of as a complement to other actions which may be taken to encourage efficient bowel function. Indeed many of our members offer dietary advice alongside treatments. Hydrotherapy has been in use in the UK for well over 30 years. The best testimony to its effects is, perhaps, that each year thousands of people from many walks of life choose hydrotherapy and find they feel better as a result.
Colonic hydrotherapy should always be carried out by appropriately trained specialists. Only previously qualified therapists, medical doctors and nurses who have good knowledge of the body and how it works are accepted as ARCH members. The organisation is, in turn, a member of the General Naturopathic Council and participates in the regulation of therapy under government guidelines. Details of members can be found on the organisations website at www.colonic-association.orgor by phoning the UK information line on 08702 416567.
Many of us can’t even bring ourselves to say the word ‘colon’ in public, yet a healthy digestive tract could be the key to long life and, far from being a dirty word, if you are going to look after just one bit of your body, make sure its your colon, because that takes care of everything else.
Dao Earl, from the UK colonic and fasting retreat Sura Detox, explains: “The colon was designed to generate nutrients from food, and propel the wastes out of the body, but our modern lifestyle stresses, combined with increased toxins in food, are putting too much strain on our digestive system. As a result, the tract becomes clogged, which both inhibits digestion and results in these poisons being reabsorbed into your bloodstream. So, whether you are looking to get more wastes out (weight loss, allergies, cholesterol), or get more nutrition in (osteoporosis, deficiencies) clearing your bowel is the best place to start.”
“Why is it that despite the high intentions to eat more healthily, and find the perfect, stress-free work/life balance, more and more of us are struggling with the pressures of everyday life, under which we reach for food to relax us, alcohol to enjoy ourselves, and caffeine to wake us up? We are working hard and fast against our wants and needs. For many the time has come to step off the merry-go-round for a moment, get some perspective, and start asking some pretty loft questions about all this.”
Sura Detox offers week long retreats once a month at its beautiful retreat in the heart of rural Devon. Each retreat takes the form of a juice or water diet and twice daily colonics.
Fasting gives your body the chance to naturally purge itself of its toxins, as it redirects the energy normally required for digestion, and focuses upon purifying itself. The general program and frequent colonics ensure the thorough elimination of waste, so that yo! ur body has the utmost opportunity for restoration.
All Sura Detox programmes are supported by powerful nutritional talks to encourage visitors to adopt healthier eating patterns, as well as complementary therapies such as yoga, massage and homeopathy.
Results from Sura Detox speak for themselves. Many visitors find that lifetime ailments such as arthritis and asthma are substantially improved, and the effects of the retreat itself, actually result in a feeling of mental cleansing too.
Sura Detox retreats are held once a month in Devon. For more information on the retreats, visit www.suradetox.com or call 08456 343 895.
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New Jersey: Blueberries may prevent colon cancer, a new US study has discovered.
The fruit which has already been labelled a “superfood” because it contains the anti-ageing compound pterostilbene, which could prevent cancer in humans.
Scientists at Rutger University in New Jersey and the US Department of Agriculture said that a pilot study on rats showed that those fed the anti-ageing compound had 57% fewer pre-cancer lesions in their colons. They carried out the experiment on two groups of rats all of which were fed a cancer causing compound called azoxymethan – the group given pterostilbene had least cancer.
Dr Bandaru Reddy, a professor of chemical biology at Rutgers said the blueberry compound was not a cure for cancer but might offer protection against the disease in humans.
It also appeared to reduce the rate at which cancer cells proliferate and inhibited certain genes involved in inflammation.
As well as having anti-ageing properties blueberries are also thought to help with memory loss.
Striking differences in the type of healthcare needed by expats around the world were revealed for the first time today by BUPA International, the world’s largest expatriate health insurer.
Colonoscopies topped the league table of the most common procedures carried out on BUPA International’s eight million members worldwide, followed by Caesarean births. Caesareans are most popular in Africa where expats there are 30 percent more likely to have a Caesarean delivery than their counterparts in Europe.
Investigative procedures such as scans are the most common operation in Europe. Expats there have more colonoscopies than those in Africa, Asia and the Middle East combined. Gastroscopies (an examination of the gullet, stomach and small intestines) follow closely behind as the second most common procedure in Europe; however, they are rare elsewhere and do not feature at all in the most popular procedures in the Middle East.
BUPA’s associate medical director Dr Sneh Khemka said: “It’s clear that expats around the world have different health needs. The climate, culture and cuisine of the country they live in is likely to affect their health and well being over time, but these figures show that certain procedures are more common in some parts of the world than others. This could be because of trends in medical practice in the region or it could be down to local factors such as accessibility to specialist hospitals and treatment centres.”
The survey also shows that:
Expats in Africa have more operations to remove their appendix than those in any other region of the world.
Expats in the Middle East have more operations to remove their gall bladder than those in any other region of the world.
Operations to repair a hernia are common in the Middle East but rare everywhere else.
Operations to remove skin lesions and moles are common in most regions of the world.
Operations to remove cataracts feature in the top ten procedures in every region of the world.
Dr Sneh Khemka added: “When you’re living and working abroad having peace of mind about your health and care is a priority. BUPA International offers its members advice on specific health concerns related to the country they are living in, as well as access to multi-lingual health advisers who can provide advice about local healthcare facilities in every region of the world.”
For more information about BUPA International call +44 (0) 1273 323563 or visit < ahref="http://www.bupa-intl.com">www.bupa-intl.com
