Colon Hydrotherapy: what, how, and why I prescribe to this method of cleansing
I’ve been doing this for over a decade. And by this, I mean shooting water in my backside to improve my health. Yep, I said it. If you want a literal clean slate internally, this is a step in the right direction.
Why do we need this? It isn’t just a hippy dippy or “wild” holistic idea here. Colon cleansing has been around for centuries, but has become even more of an immediate need for people due to having more and more things that negatively affect our control systems from working efficiently and effectively. Specifically, prescription medicines, internal bad bacteria build-up, undiscovered food intolerances, and anything else that causes malabsorption of nutrients, constipation, and poor digestion overall.
I am going to relate this in a seriously strange way with a famous singer’s anecdote. Bare with me people…
Unknown fact: many people believe Elvis died due to an overfilled colon that imploded and not solely a drug-induced heart attack. Upon further posthumous review, his autopsy and his personal physician’s paperwork and commentary, both elaborate on how sick he was internally. According to his autopsy, the diameter of Elvis’s colon was 5 to 6 inches, which is about double the size of the typical person’s, and instead of being 4 to 5 feet long, his colon was 8 to 9 feet in length. O.M.G. And if you’re thinking: GROSS, that’s absolutely OK. It’s insane. HIs doctor said: “We found stool in his colon which had been there for four or five months because of the poor motility of the bowel.” This was part genetics and mostly chronic overuse of prescription drugs.
That man was certainly All Shook Up…He could have used some serious colon hydrotherapy. More importantly, this little ditty was meant to show you that we need to keep tabs on our internal health, perform upkeep, and watch our intake of things that will clog us up or “ ‘toxify ” our insides.
I’M NOT ELVIS, BUT I NEED COLON CLEANSING TOO
I wanted to write about my experience from start to finish so you can all be assuaged that this is not like a Chinese water torture-like service. This is something that we ALL need to do. Start fresh? New year? 99% of you probably have the same goals. Look good, feel good- am I right? My best advice? Do as I do and go get a colon cleanse. As my friend said to me about this blog; “…do as I do and get rid of the pooh!” Maybe this is a taboo topic for you, but my profession has a lot to do with your bathroom habits. When in doubt, remind yourself that over a decade ago, it became a public claim that we should concern ourselves with our doodies thanks to Dr. Oz and Oprah: https://www.oprah.com/health/everybody-poops/all
Here we go. So I am walking to my appointment and I am in comfortable sweats, a tank, and a hoodie. Thanks to winter in Chicago, I am bundled up head to toe. I digress. I brought my headphones and a book on my Kindle app on my iPad to keep me distracted and entertained throughout the hour. I will tell you, the first time I ever did this, I actually spent most of the time chatting with the technician who was working with me. Now, whether it be out of my inherent nervousness and my Chandler Bing-like humor shield, I learned a great deal, was put at ease, and it passed the heck out of the time! Not only that, but since there are two kinds of colon hydrotherapy; open system and closed system.
- OPEN: is usually a gravity-centered colonic. An I-ACT certified Colon Hydrotherapist will assist you in the comfort of a private room and will be with you for the entire treatment. Oftentimes, they are giving you a stomach/intestinal massage to help guide flow and encourage any backed up materials in your system to move. This format is basically shaped like a bathtub-like bed. After you receive the temperature controlled water treatment, you then expel built up toxins and waste in a clean, sanitary environment while monitored.
- CLOSED: similar and administered much like the open system; this is a system that is not seen or heard and is administered by a therapist where the water and waste is removed and closed off to the client on what I associate with a massage table.
I have done both of these ways and I must say, I don’t prefer one or the other.
But you do you in your session. Being completely silent is accepted and chatting away is welcomed…
What to expect during: you will enter into a completely private room and be asked to put on a gown to cover your lower half. You will roll to your left side and the technician will guide a small spectrum into your back end. You will then be able to comfortably lay on your back. At the end of your session; which lasts anywhere from 45-60 minutes, you will be lead to a private bathroom to expel any extra waste as-needed. You may also see a stool in front of the toilet to place your feet on like a “squatty potty” in order to improve the efficiency and efficacy of clearing what remains. Now, it’s time to get dressed and make your way home.
How I feel after: the first thing is that you just expelled a great deal of toxins and waste from your body. So you may feel a bit lightheaded and slightly nauseous. This is easily understood by the fact that when bad things are removed from your body- you have a bit of an after affect and need to rebalance. It passes! I drink water to hydrate and stick to a light diet of steamed veggies and fish for 24-48 hours after (which is so healthy to do anyway!) I also highly recommend you avoid rigorous exercise and make sure to take a probiotic everyday and sip a bit of Kombucha once or twice a day for 2 days to replace any healthy flora that may have been removed along with the negative waste. You just started fresh, so being as kind as possible to your body is a good start!
What are the researched and studied benefits of colon cleansing:
- Makes the digestive system more effective (this has SO many benefits)
- Jumpstarts weight loss journeys
- Increases energy
- Helps maintain regularity and prevent painful constipation
- Improves the body’s absorption of vitamins and minerals
- Decreases the risk of colon cancer
- Helps maintain pH balance inside the body
Do I do this again and when? Listen to your technician when they give you a diagnosis. How many times should you come to be “fresh” and then how do you maintain this? I have had to go back a few times initially, then continued on with a quarterly refresher cleanse. Sometimes it is your diet, your genetics, and even just your stress level that dictates your status on the inside; they know how to move forward to get to the best results.
What to look for in a technician: certifications and experience. However, above all, I also have to say that you need to try it and find who you are most comfortably with as a therapist. Who sets you at ease and knows their stuff! Definitely read reviews!
Places I have been + trust in Chicago:
- Ruby Room: 1743-45 West Division St, Chicago, IL. 60622, (773) 235-2323, https://www.vagaro.com/rubyroom/services
- Chicago Internal Cleansing: 1 E Erie St Suite 510, Chicago, IL 60611, (312) 445-9569, http://chicagointernalcleansing.com/
- Cleanse Chicago: 216 N. Halsted, Chicago, IL. 60661, (312) 664-5886, http://www.cleansechicago.com/
Let’s all Prioritize the Poop 🙂 But more importantly, put our internal health before our external appearance and clean up from the inside, out. It does after all improve your skin, energy, and digestion; which improves your weight in general.
Xoxo,
Ashley