Colon Function and Why You Need to Cleanse Your Colon

Your colon has a job to do. It is suppose to rid your body of waste material, bacteria and it is to absorb water and mineral salts. It also has the job of maintaining fluid and electrolyte balance within the body. When your colon cannot perform its job well because it is clogged with impacted fecal matter toxins form that can cause disease within your body.

Health problems that result from an unhealthy colon are: abdominal pain, constipation, lack of energy, acne and other skin irritations and even colon cancer. These health issues are caused by an unhealthy bowel, which is partly caused by unhealthy eating and drinking habits. One bad habit is overeating or under-eating. We also consume toxic substances when we take in processed foods, microwave-cooked food, white flour, caffeine, sugar, aspartame, hydrogenated fats or deep fried foods.

Your colon can cleanse itself naturally when you start to eat healthy foods. Fiber is the first thing that must be adjusted in your diet. Your body needs adequate amounts of fiber every day. The average person needs 25 - 30 grams of fiber daily. You can take fiber supplements dissolved in water, in capsule form or in the foods you eat.

Adequate amounts of water are absolutely essential for a healthy colon. Everyone should drink half of their weight in pure non-carbonated water. An example of how much water to drink each day would be if you weighted 150 pounds, then you should drink 75 ounces of water each day. 75 ounces of water is approximately 2 liters of water that should be consumed each day.

Herbal colon cleanses are a natural and easy way to get a healthy colon. There is herbal colon cleansing recipes that you can locate online or you can find them in most local health stores. If you purchase a herbal colon cleanse, be sure to follow the instructions carefully. You can also purchase colon-cleansing teas, which are sold in packets. Be sure to use these colon-cleansing teas in moderation as you do not want to have too frequent bowel movements or you could become dehydrated.

Fiber is important anytime, but especially when you are doing a colon cleanse. You can get adequate amounts by eating cereal that contains fiber for breakfast or whole grain bread. Fruits and vegetables also contain fiber. Make sure you drink lots of water while you are eating your raw fruits and vegetables.

To keep your colon healthy and functioning properly take good care of it by eating raw fruits and vegetables, fiber cereals or whole grain breads. You can also keep your colon healthy by cleansing it naturally with herbs and herbal teas.

Burnt By Your Colon Cleanse? Wonder What Made The Manufacturer Do It?

The universality of the Internet makes it the best place to find killer bargains but it also makes it the premier piece of real estate for hoaxes, quackery, snake oil salesman, and mountebanks. Herbal supplements in particular are quite possibly the favorite good to hawk by those who do not worry about the consumer but instead are ready, willing, and apparently quite able to line their pockets with your hard earned money. Colon cleansers in particular have the dubious distinction of being heavily marketed with the help of affiliates and thus the danger of getting burnt by this product is higher than it is with other supplements. Of course, the fact that the results of getting burned are much more readily visible most likely helped the supplements make the hall of shame since other dietary supplements that do not work as indicated may take years to catch.

Some manufacturers are simply ruthless. The company executives know that their herbal concoctions do not work but their selfish greed supersedes any concern for the consumer who may be suffering from very real health conditions that prompt them to purchase the colon cleanser. As a consumer you can protect yourself by finding out who owns the company or who runs it. By running an Internet search through public record agencies, you will be able to find out if the owners of the company from whom you are considering ordering your colon cleanser have already been in business elsewhere or are currently involved in other ventures as well.

If you are trying to forego the danger of affiliate marketers you may find yourself contacting any one of the several clinics devoted to colon health which advertise their very own blends of colon cleansers on the ‘Net. While this approach does provide a bit more safety due to the fact that the company is rarely a fly by night operation, the danger you will most likely encounter here is found in the very belief system of the owner. For example, if a religious fanatic runs the company, she or he will be convinced that the colon cleanse being sold through the clinic or organization is directly tied in to the mind of the universe’s creator, and therefore any criticism of the product is akin to heresy. You will find that the rhetoric involved when speaking of studies that question the effectiveness of the product is usually consistent with that of religious organizations that believe themselves persecuted. In the same way, you will find that when you express your dissatisfaction with the product you suddenly are no longer treated like a valued customer but instead like an opponent who is only too willing to take down a reputable company.

The reasons for manufacturers to make and sell colon cleanses that simply do not work are plentiful and it is up to the consumer to be very careful and do a lot of research before purchasing any herbal supplement via the ‘Net. Having an independent third party, such as a physician, take a look at the claims made by the manufacturer as well as read the label of the actual colon cleanse prior to your beginning the regimen is a good way of ensuring that you will get what you pay for.

Colon Cleansers Provide Relief for Irritable Bowel Sufferers

Irritable Bowel Syndrome - in the past – was thought to be a catch-all phrase when physicians were unable to pinpoint the exact cause for their patient’s gastrointestinal complaints. While in some instances this may be correct, the facts bear out that there is true medical condition described by this term.
Bloating that is excessive and seemingly unrelated to diet is experienced by a number of patients. The pain is so extreme that it may keep the sufferer home.
Both constipation and diarrhea are observed with this syndrome and they appear to be interchangeably present at one time or another. Once again, while the occasional bout of constipation or diarrhea is not uncommon, it is the severity as well as the consistency with which it occurs that makes it different.
Cramps, flatulence, and overall abdominal pain have also been reported.

It is imperative that the sufferer visits a medical professional to rule out internal blockages and other obstructions prior to submitting to a diagnosis of Irritable Bowel Syndrome. In the same vein, consider having several allergy tests run to rule out lactose intolerance and any other food allergy that you might not have thought of. In addition to the foregoing, a fecal float is a wise precaution to determine if you are suffering from a parasitic infection that needs to be treated so as to remove both parasites and their eggs.

If all these tests come back negative, then your Irritable Bowel Syndrome will most likely leave you begging for relief. It will be up to you to recognize the situations and foods that cause flare ups of the condition. Whenever you experience a painful recurrence of the syndrome, write down exactly when, where, and how it occurred. Document what you ate in the 24 hours preceding the episode, and also what your mood was in the same time frame. Some patients have found that their episodes are triggered by stress, such as it may be related to public speaking, and also by dietary components such as foods high in fiber or those that are prone to produce gas.

While it may appear to be at odds for someone who reports problems with fiber to undergo a colon cleanse, the good news is that some of the colon cleansers currently on the market do not rely on the tried and true psyllium husks to help clean out the colon and instead trust in oxygenated magnesium and other components. Discuss the use of such products with your doctor and then commit to a complete colon cleanse. Generally speaking, the regimens that take three, five or even seven days are the most effective since they will provide you with the time necessary to permit the body to rid itself of accumulated fecal matter and thus also evacuate toxins that may have been building up in that fecal matter. Quite a few sufferers from Irritable Bowel Syndrome have found a complete loss of symptoms altogether once a colon cleanse was successfully completed.

Colon Cleansing Cautions

Doctors will at times prescribe a colon cleansing to be done just before a procedure like a colonoscopy. There are many persons who will routinely do colon cleansing to rid their body of toxins. When doing colon cleansings it is important to understand your body's natural ability to care for the colon so as not to disturb the delicate balance that happens with the electrolyte balance and the natural balance of bodily fluids. If colon cleansing is done on a long-term basis or if you do excessive cleansing you can cause problems such as anemia, malnutrition or even heart failure. It is important to understand when a colon cleanse is necessary and when it is best to let your body do its own cleansing.

Constipation:

Many individuals feel the need to do a colon cleanse when they are constipated. Constipation is your body's way of signaling the need for more fiber in the diet and the need for more water. By giving your body what it needs, more water and fiber, the constipation will correct itself. If you are younger than 50 you should be getting 25 grams of fiber a day if you are a woman and 38 grams of fiber a day if you are a man. If you are older than 50 you should be consuming 30 grams of fiber a day if a man and 21 grams of fiber a day if you are a woman.

There are practices that some report to be beneficial to your colon that may have harmful consequences if used incorrectly or excessively. Such practices are laxative usage, colonic irrigation and herbal cleanses.

Laxatives such as cascara or castor oil can cause damage to nerve cellin in the colon wall. If nerve cells are damaged the colon decreases the force of contractions, which will increase the occurance of constipation.

Colonic irrigation can be expensive as much as $75 for each session with up to 6 sessions being recommended. Colonic irrigation needs to be sterilized between treatments otherwise diseases can be spread from one patient to another. Heart failure can occur is excessive fluid is absorbed into the bloodsteam causing an electrolyte imbalance. There has been no licensing or training to operate a colonic-irrigation device. in 1985, a California judge ruled that colonic irrigation was an invasive procedure and said that it may not be performed because it did no good and could only bring harm. This according to the National Council Against Health Fraud, 1995.

Candida Reduced During Colon Cleanse

Yeast infections are annoying and embarrassing. The most well known form comes under the name of Candida albicans, and when you peruse the medicinal aisle of your local well stocked health food market, you will find that several supplements claim to help rid your body of this yeast. As tempting as this offer may sound, beware the use of such supplements since Candida is actually part and parcel of your gut flora, the very bacteria you rely on to keep your intestines healthy, your food digested, and your gut overall too unfriendly for many harmful bacteria to thrive. Seeking to eradicate Candida albicans will upset the always precarious balance of beneficial bacteria in your intestines and thus will create several gastrointestinal problems.

There are several steps you can take to naturally and behaviorally affect the numbers of these bacteria:
Drastically reduce your intake of antacids. Instead of relying on these substances to calm your stomach, change your diet to eliminate the offending foods instead of following up dinner or lunch with a course of medication.
Avoid taking antibiotics unless there is no other course of action available. Whenever possible you should stay away from antibiotics anyways, but in this case Candida is known to flourish and take over the gut flora when the drugs ingested will decimate the otherwise naturally occurring microorganisms in your intestines. The result is an ever growing population of Candida albicans.
Stay away from alcohol, processed sugary foods and also gluten.
Interestingly, your choice of birth control may also have an impact on your gut flora. Any method that impacts the hormonal balance of the body – injection, patch, or pill – will have a potentially adverse affect on the microorganisms in your intestines.

Fortunately, there are several steps you can take to reduce your yeast bacteria and they do not involve the use of harsh supplements that take out even the beneficial strains of Candida.
1.Begin a seven day colon cleanse regimen and stick to the dietary change this involves. Usually you will be required to ingest larger quantities of water, eat home made broth, and in some cases stay away from solid food altogether. Make sure that you completely understand the colon cleansing process in its entirety before you begin the regimen. Choose a colon cleanser that specifically includes agents that will rid your system of bacteria and intestinal parasites alongside the built up fecal matter. Ingredients listings will be clear about this purpose.
2.As you are undergoing your cleansing, plan a new dietary course to keep going on even after the colon cleanse is finished. This should include organic fruits and vegetables, eaten raw whenever possible, and also whole grains.
3.At the end of your colon cleanse, utilize supplementation that is geared toward introducing beneficial bacteria back to your colon. Remember that with the evacuation of built up fecal matter you most likely will also be loosing a lot of the beneficial bacteria on which you rely to keep your intestines healthy in the first place.