COLON HYDROTHERAPY

DESCRIPTION

Colon hydrotherapy, also called colonic irrigation or colonics, is an effective, safe and gentle method of cleaning the colon (large intestine), in order to eliminate accumulated waste and toxic materials from the bowel. The use of colon hydrotherapy is to cleanse, stimulate and rejuvenate the digestive system. A healthy colon is essential for optimal health and well being of the entire body. Colon hydrotherapy is useful in itself and is also an important adjunct to a detoxification program.

PURPOSE

Due to its overall detoxifying effect, nearly everyone can benefit from colon hydrotherapy. The human body is designed to be a self-cleansing organism. Unfortunately however, the modern lifestyle often makes it difficult for the bowel to perform its natural functions efficiently. Lack of any form of exercise, poor diet, overeating, environmental pollution, pesticides/additives/preservatives in food, and the stress of daily life place unnatural burdens on the colon, making the efficient elimination of waste/mucous/toxins difficult.

In particular, when the colon is packed or lined with accumulated hardened waste matter, or lodged in the pockets of the colon wall, the muscular contractions (peristalsis) are obstructed and more waste and toxic matter build up along the walls, resulting in the colon’s inability to evacuate properly.

Waste build up over many months or years can actually result in five, ten, fifteen or more pounds of weight, causing an abnormally shaped colon. The clogged colon interferes with the absorption of food, depriving the body of necessary nutrients and resulting in fermentation and putrefaction of undigested food and creating poisons. The poisons are reabsorbed into the blood steam and carried to every part of the body, causing a tired and listless feeling ; effects on the brain and nervous system cause depression, fear, anger, stress and irritability; lungs produce foul breath and breathing is stressful; dysfunction of the digestive organs causes skin problems and a sallow complexion; and joints become stiff and painful due to toxic deposits.

Specific conditions which respond particularly well to colon hydrotherapy are chronic or acute constipation; indigestion; gas; fatigue, especially chronic fatigue syndrome; headaches; depression; stress and nervousness; allergies; lung disorders, including asthma; skin problems, including acne, eczema and psoriasis; toxicity due to drugs, alcohol, smoking or toxic chemicals; many acute illnesses, such as colds, flu and sore throats; joint and circulation problems; and mucous congestion anywhere in the body.  

Colonics also stimulate the liver, kidneys, and lymphatic system to dump toxins. If you already feel healthy and are interested in maintaining health and promoting longevity, colon hydrotherapy can help with increasing energy, maintaining proper weight and preventing disease.

METHOD 

During his ground-breaking research in the 1930s, Dr Roy De Welles, authority on diseases of the colon, discovered that oxygen destroys the putrefactive and disease causing bacteria in the colon, resulting in rejuvenation of the colon’s tissue wall. He claimed that oxygen proved to be the best, if not only, perfect healing agent for the entire body. At Aqua Zen, pure medical oxygen is circulated in the water throughout the treatment, producing an enhanced antiseptic and detoxifying effect on the colon.

Our preferred method for colonics is also characterized by the use of a pulsating action, a form of internal massage. During the treatment itself, the therapist has the ability, by utilizing a pulsating action, to direct the water to specific reflex points within the colon and positively stimulate these reflex points. This, in turn, affects specific organs and glands of the body in a beneficial way (every system and organ of the human body is connected to the colon by reflex points).

Based on proven proficiency and knowledge in the field of colon health, and by utilising state-of-the-art equipment, we are able to achieve thorough and dynamic results. 

PROCEDURE

Your first colon hydrotherapy session will be scheduled for 2 hours. This will allow for a detailed consultation to take place and to discuss your desires/concerns with the practitioner. Any subsequent session will be booked for 60 minutes.

During the treatment itself you will be fully covered, using a gown and a blanket will be placed over you to maintain your privacy. You will be comfortably lying on your left side with your knees slightly bent at the start of the treatment. A stainless steel speculum is gently introduced (to approximately two inches). Once in place, you will be asked to lie on your back with your knees slightly bent.

Latex rubber tubing carries body temperature water into the colon at a safe and minimal amount of pressure (gravity), stimulating the smooth muscle of your colon to contract and eliminate waste and toxic matter. Approximately fifteen gallons of water are used during the procedure, but only one or two pints are maintained internally at any one time. The water flow and it’s temperature are always under direct control of the therapist. Water is introduced and expelled to allow encrusted waste and mucous to be dislodged and then carried away. Our system is totally enclosed, which means that the waste enters directly into the sewage system, so there is no unpleasant odour.

In addition to special massage techniques to the abdominal area to help stimulate the release of unwanted matter, your practitioner allows pure medical oxygen to pass through the water to enhance the treatment’s effectiveness and boost your immune system.

The practitioner remains by your side throughout the treatment, which usually lasts 45 minutes, depending on the body’s response.

After the treatment, daily duties can be resumed as normal. In fact, you will experience an increased sense of wellness, feeling lighter and more energetic.

Following the initial treatment we recommend a follow-up session after a period of one week. It is then recommended that you have a single treatment every one to two months to give a boost to the body and maintain a healthy bowel. There are specific health complaints however that indicate more frequent colon hydrotherapy treatments. Your practitioner will be able to discuss this with you and help you to plan a treatment programme that best meets your health needs.

All medical information obtained on a hard copy during your initial consultation is strictly confidential. Aqua Zen complies with the National Privacy Principles and a copy of our privacy statement is always provided prior to collecting personal information.

HEALTH BENEFITS

•	Cleanses the Colon: Toxic material is broken down so it can no longer harm your body or inhibit assimilation and elimination. Even debris built up over a long period is gently, but surely removed in the process of a series of treatments. Once impacted material is removed, your colon can begin again to co-operate as it was intended to. In this very real sense a colonic is a rejuvenation treatment.
•	Exercises the colon muscles: The build up of toxic debris weakens the colon and impairs its functioning. The gentle filling and emptying of the colon improves peristaltic (muscular contraction) activity by which the colon naturally moves material.
•	Reshapes the colon: When problem conditions exist in the colon, they tend to alter its shape which in turn causes more problems. The gentle action of the water, coupled with the massage techniques of the colon therapist helps to eliminate bulging pockets of waste and narrowed, spastic constrictions, finally enabling the colon to resume its natural state.
•	Stimulates body functioning: By encouraging elimination and reducing sluggishness in the digestive tract colonics have important influences on toxic status. This has knock-on effects to all body systems through improved functioning. Any organ which is bathed in blood teeming with toxins will work at reduced efficiency. Even small reductions in the toxic loading of the bloodstream can have significant effects on your sense of general well-being.
•	Affects positively the immune system: The removal of stagnant waste material and hardened, impacted toxic residue could rejuvenate the immune tissue that resides in the intestines. Recent European studies speculate that 80% of immune tissue resides in the intestines. This is much higher than previously thought and makes it logical to believe that this type of therapy could influence such immune deficiency diseases as cancer and A.I.D.S. Colon hydrotherapy is not a cure-all, but an important adjunctive therapy in the overall health care.
•	Relieves built-up tension: There is a huge amount of innervation (nerve supply) to the bowel. Direct toxic irritation to nervous tissue of the bowel inevitably leads to altered function of the bowel as well as to remote parts of the body through connections within both the central and autonomic nervous systems.
•	Working with a skilled therapist colonics can be a truly enlightening educational process. You will learn to expand your awareness of your body's functioning by including signals from your abdomen, your skin, your face and even from that most taboo of natural products, your body's eliminations. You will find that you can spot the beginnings of developing conditions through clues from these body regions and functions before they become serious. Colonics can assist you in creating a fully holistic view of your body's functioning, leading to a better quality of life.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

How does a colon hydrotherapy treatment compare to an enema?

An enema only reaches the rectum and lower part of the colon, whereas with colon hydrotherapy, the entire length of the colon (the large intestinal tract 5 to 5 ½ feet in length) is reached. Colonics is many more times effective. Enemas can become psychologically addictive and can create dependence. Colon hydrotherapy is not habit-forming.

What is the difference between colonics and colemas?

A colema is a more sophisticated  enema  and is mistakenly advertised as colon hydrotherapy. Colemas use an “open” reservoir system and the speculum that enters the body is “pencil thin.”  If the “self-administered” speculum is put in improperly and only penetrates the body ½ inch to 1 inch then the process is even less effective. The practitioner is not always present during the process. Colon hydrotherapy accomplishes results that colemas simply can’t.

Will colonics damage the normal intestinal flora?

Cleansing the colon through colon hydrotherapy will help to bring the acid-alkaline ratio back into balance, allowing friendly bacteria to thrive, while inhibiting disease causing organisms.

Does having a menstrual period at the time of a colon hydrotherapy have any effect on the treatment?

It  is usually a good time to receive colon hydrotherapy since the body is already cleansing and the treatment will help relieve cramping associated with menstruation. The menstrual flow does not interfere with the success of the treatment. Flushing the colon will also reduce abdominal pressure associated with menstrual cycles. You are advised to remove your tampon before the treatment starts.

Will colonics upset the electrolyte balance?

Electrolytes are minerals in the body (mainly sodium and potassium salts) that maintain the proper electrical charge and pH balance (acid and alkalinity balance) in the various organs and tissues of the body. A major function of the colon is to reabsorb the fluid and electrolytes from the unformed stool that is moving into the colon from the small intestine. After the fluid and electrolytes are reabsorbed and stool is formed, the colon moves the stool into the rectum and out of the body. The majority of the material released during a colonic is formed stool that has already had the fluid and electrolytes removed from it, so the amount lost is very minimal and easily replaced by the body from the food and fluid we ingest.