In alternative medicine, washing out of the colon to remove decayed and therefore toxic fecal material that has not been expelled, and has accumulated, adhering to the walls of the bowel. The digestive function is acutely sensitive to stress and the effects of overeating, eating “junk” food, or drinking insufficient water. As a result, practitioners believe, excretion is not always fully efficient; the residual fecal matter tends to dry out and become sticky; further such material sticks to it; and the colon can become distorted in shape, and restricted in function as its walls are blocked. The presence of this toxic matter in the body is then thought to overstrain the immune defense system, so that the individual is more prone to disease.
Colonic irrigation involves the introduction of pure water, sometimes with a herbal extract, gently into the colon from the anus; a valve on the tube along which it passes allows the therapist to stop the flow when appropriate, and then to let the water out, along with fecal matter. The tube is transparent, to allow observation of the material expelled so that the presence of parasites or other conditions can be detected. The therapist usually advises a detoxification diet, and an acidophilus preparation to restore the “friendly” intestinal flora that may be washed out as well as toxins.
This type of cleansing has been in use for many years; it is mentioned in the Ebers Papyrus, an Egyptian document from 1500 BC. It was also used by Hippocrates, Galen, and the Essenes.