Do you need a clean up?
Nov 04, 2007
MOSES Nsereko, a 43-year-old businessman, was advised by a friend to go for colon cleansing after suffering from back pain for three months. Before the procedure, Nsereko weighed 85kgs but after, he had lost seven kilogrammes. Five days later, Nsereko says the back pain was no more and he now feels
By Halima Shaban
MOSES Nsereko, a 43-year-old businessman, was advised by a friend to go for colon cleansing after suffering from back pain for three months. Before the procedure, Nsereko weighed 85kgs but after, he had lost seven kilogrammes. Five days later, Nsereko says the back pain was no more and he now feels relaxed.
It is a dirty world out there and inside our bodies too. Our bodies are good housekeepers, automatically performing the natural process of eliminating toxins through the colon (large intestines), liver, kidneys, lungs lymph system and skin. These can build up in the various body organs causing a variety of health problems.
What is colon cleansing?
Dr David Ssali, a naturopathic consultant, says colon irrigation or cleansing is a method of detoxifying the body through the removal of accumulated waste in the colon.
Detoxification increases the efficiency of the body's natural healing abilities. It is sometimes promoted as a treatment for illness and often as a general preventive health measure or as part of a routine internal hygiene.
Why cleanse the colon?
“The colon is the most neglected part of our body. Colon health is paramount in any health regimen because over 90% of all chronic diseases come from an unclean body whose sewer is backed up says Philip Besigye, a nutritionist at Mitchell courts building.
“Every patient will respond to treatment quicker and more effectively if the colon is sorted out first,†he says.
Ssali says the colon is a sewerage system, but if neglected, it becomes cesspool. If it is kept clean, we are well and healthy. Let it stagnate and it will cause disease.
He says that clogged up intestines prevent the absorption and use of the additional nutritional elements. Instead of assimilating the nutrition from digested food, we utilise only 10% of its real value –– the rest is wasted down the drain.
Nelly Birungi, a nutritionist at Mulago hospital, says, “We cannot put food in a dirty body and we expect good results. When we eat refined and processed foods, they leave a coating of mucus-like plaster on the inner walls of the colon.
This coating gradually increases its thickness until there is only a small hole. These accumulations become a breeding ground for bacteria, providing an opportunity for decomposition and fermentation to take place, causing diseases.â€
Besigye says that a normal person is supposed to have two to three bowel movements a day.
“A person whose bowels do not at least move once a day is constipated and suffering from general poisoning of the whole body.â€
Besigye says that if a person’s bowels do not move well, the colon soon becomes a reservoir of putrefying food residues.
This results in the production of toxic waste. Because the blood stream is loaded with toxins, strain is placed on the liver as it attempts to purify the blood.
As a result, the colon and other organs responsible for elimination will be burdened as they endeavour to expel the toxins from the body. This process also saps much of the body’s available energy and with time, it will lead to continual feeling of weakness.â€
“The poison of decay, fermentation and putrefaction in the blood, poisons the brain and the nervous system so that we become mentally depressed, melancholic, irritable and restless,†says Ssali.
“The heart will also be affected so that we become weak and listless, the lungs will give off bad breath, the digestive organs will cause distress with gas pains, in short every organ will be affected.â€
Besigye says that to avoid all these ailments, priority must be aimed at flushing the colon and helping the system to detoxify itself.
“By so doing, we will be removing the root cause of all the ailments. If we choose to ignore the state of the bowels and the toxic state of our system, and we treat the ailments as though they are isolated diseases in themselves and not as symptoms of a deeper cause, then what we can look at life-long dependence on medicinal drugs.â€
What clinical medics say
However, according to www.cancer.org available scientific evidence does not support the claims on which colon therapy is based. It is known that most digestive processes take place in the small intestines, where nutrients are absorbed into the body.
What remains enters the large intestines, where it passes to the rectum for elimination after water and minerals are extracted.
Available scientific evidence does not support the premise that toxins accumulate on intestinal walls, or that toxicity results from poor elimination of waste from the colon.
Dr Mukasa Masira, a senior consultant surgeon at Mulago Hospital, also says, CI is really an emergency.
“When someone is going to be operated and we feel there is need to do the CI, we clean up the intestines because it is a very dirty place and it is normally done in theatre with utmost cleanliness and not any one can carry it out.â€
Dr Moses Galukande, a consultant surgeon, says CI is not a medical procedure. “I don’t have evidence that it works, however, we use it to prepare bowels during surgery. He adds that a person should eat a balanced diet to help detoxify the body.
A person should normalise their food intake by including more fresh fruits, raw salads, steamed vegetables and whole grain products in their diet, then there will be tremendous changes.
Alternative view
Dr Patrick Mulindwa who has gone for CI says, “While the practice of colonic irrigation may seem unusual to those unfamiliar with it, I have found it to be an effective tool in dealing with the consequences of our modern lifestyle.â€
He says that when old faecal matter is removed from the walls of the bowel, it helps restore the tone and vigour of the colon tissue, thus alleviating constipation and other bowel problems.
How is the procedure done?
Colon cleansing is done by a colon specialist. Herbal clinics in Kampala charge about sh80,000.
The first stage of a colonic irrigation session involves massage of the lower abdominal area. This increases peristaltic action (bowel contraction) and helps to dislodge fecal impaction. The massage will also point out the current status of the colon.
Then, a sterilised hygienic spectum is gently inserted into the rectum, which causes only momentary discomfort until the anal sphincter adjusts. Clients are completely covered during the procedure.
Purified water or a herbal solution, enzymes, or other substances are then piped into the colon via a small inlet tube, into the large intestine which then circulate and leave the colon through an evacuation tube.
As the water leaves, it carries out impacted fecal matter, gas and mucus. The entire procedure is completely sanitary. Immediately following the procedure, clients feel lighter and enjoy a sense of well-being.
Ssali says colon cleansing is safe and simple method that irrigates the large intestine with water (gravity flow) to clean out the years of toxins and accumulated waste lining the walls of the large intestines.
Removing this build up improves colon function. It is advisable to start doing colon irrigation at the age of 16 and at least once a month.
Signs and symptoms of a toxic body
Constipation
Poor memory
Coated tongue
Headaches
Bad body odour
Poor digestion
Bad breathe
Tension
Over weight
Allergies
Nausea
Poor skin irritability
Brittle nails and hair
Intestinal gas
Fatigue
MOSES Nsereko, a 43-year-old businessman, was advised by a friend to go for colon cleansing after suffering from back pain for three months. Before the procedure, Nsereko weighed 85kgs but after, he had lost seven kilogrammes. Five days later, Nsereko says the back pain was no more and he now feels relaxed.
It is a dirty world out there and inside our bodies too. Our bodies are good housekeepers, automatically performing the natural process of eliminating toxins through the colon (large intestines), liver, kidneys, lungs lymph system and skin. These can build up in the various body organs causing a variety of health problems.
What is colon cleansing?
Dr David Ssali, a naturopathic consultant, says colon irrigation or cleansing is a method of detoxifying the body through the removal of accumulated waste in the colon.
Detoxification increases the efficiency of the body's natural healing abilities. It is sometimes promoted as a treatment for illness and often as a general preventive health measure or as part of a routine internal hygiene.
Why cleanse the colon?
“The colon is the most neglected part of our body. Colon health is paramount in any health regimen because over 90% of all chronic diseases come from an unclean body whose sewer is backed up says Philip Besigye, a nutritionist at Mitchell courts building.
“Every patient will respond to treatment quicker and more effectively if the colon is sorted out first,†he says.
Ssali says the colon is a sewerage system, but if neglected, it becomes cesspool. If it is kept clean, we are well and healthy. Let it stagnate and it will cause disease.
He says that clogged up intestines prevent the absorption and use of the additional nutritional elements. Instead of assimilating the nutrition from digested food, we utilise only 10% of its real value –– the rest is wasted down the drain.
Nelly Birungi, a nutritionist at Mulago hospital, says, “We cannot put food in a dirty body and we expect good results. When we eat refined and processed foods, they leave a coating of mucus-like plaster on the inner walls of the colon.
This coating gradually increases its thickness until there is only a small hole. These accumulations become a breeding ground for bacteria, providing an opportunity for decomposition and fermentation to take place, causing diseases.â€
Besigye says that a normal person is supposed to have two to three bowel movements a day.
“A person whose bowels do not at least move once a day is constipated and suffering from general poisoning of the whole body.â€
Besigye says that if a person’s bowels do not move well, the colon soon becomes a reservoir of putrefying food residues.
This results in the production of toxic waste. Because the blood stream is loaded with toxins, strain is placed on the liver as it attempts to purify the blood.
As a result, the colon and other organs responsible for elimination will be burdened as they endeavour to expel the toxins from the body. This process also saps much of the body’s available energy and with time, it will lead to continual feeling of weakness.â€
“The poison of decay, fermentation and putrefaction in the blood, poisons the brain and the nervous system so that we become mentally depressed, melancholic, irritable and restless,†says Ssali.
“The heart will also be affected so that we become weak and listless, the lungs will give off bad breath, the digestive organs will cause distress with gas pains, in short every organ will be affected.â€
Besigye says that to avoid all these ailments, priority must be aimed at flushing the colon and helping the system to detoxify itself.
“By so doing, we will be removing the root cause of all the ailments. If we choose to ignore the state of the bowels and the toxic state of our system, and we treat the ailments as though they are isolated diseases in themselves and not as symptoms of a deeper cause, then what we can look at life-long dependence on medicinal drugs.â€
What clinical medics say
However, according to www.cancer.org available scientific evidence does not support the claims on which colon therapy is based. It is known that most digestive processes take place in the small intestines, where nutrients are absorbed into the body.
What remains enters the large intestines, where it passes to the rectum for elimination after water and minerals are extracted.
Available scientific evidence does not support the premise that toxins accumulate on intestinal walls, or that toxicity results from poor elimination of waste from the colon.
Dr Mukasa Masira, a senior consultant surgeon at Mulago Hospital, also says, CI is really an emergency.
“When someone is going to be operated and we feel there is need to do the CI, we clean up the intestines because it is a very dirty place and it is normally done in theatre with utmost cleanliness and not any one can carry it out.â€
Dr Moses Galukande, a consultant surgeon, says CI is not a medical procedure. “I don’t have evidence that it works, however, we use it to prepare bowels during surgery. He adds that a person should eat a balanced diet to help detoxify the body.
A person should normalise their food intake by including more fresh fruits, raw salads, steamed vegetables and whole grain products in their diet, then there will be tremendous changes.
Alternative view
Dr Patrick Mulindwa who has gone for CI says, “While the practice of colonic irrigation may seem unusual to those unfamiliar with it, I have found it to be an effective tool in dealing with the consequences of our modern lifestyle.â€
He says that when old faecal matter is removed from the walls of the bowel, it helps restore the tone and vigour of the colon tissue, thus alleviating constipation and other bowel problems.
How is the procedure done?
Colon cleansing is done by a colon specialist. Herbal clinics in Kampala charge about sh80,000.
The first stage of a colonic irrigation session involves massage of the lower abdominal area. This increases peristaltic action (bowel contraction) and helps to dislodge fecal impaction. The massage will also point out the current status of the colon.
Then, a sterilised hygienic spectum is gently inserted into the rectum, which causes only momentary discomfort until the anal sphincter adjusts. Clients are completely covered during the procedure.
Purified water or a herbal solution, enzymes, or other substances are then piped into the colon via a small inlet tube, into the large intestine which then circulate and leave the colon through an evacuation tube.
As the water leaves, it carries out impacted fecal matter, gas and mucus. The entire procedure is completely sanitary. Immediately following the procedure, clients feel lighter and enjoy a sense of well-being.
Ssali says colon cleansing is safe and simple method that irrigates the large intestine with water (gravity flow) to clean out the years of toxins and accumulated waste lining the walls of the large intestines.
Removing this build up improves colon function. It is advisable to start doing colon irrigation at the age of 16 and at least once a month.
Signs and symptoms of a toxic body
Constipation
Poor memory
Coated tongue
Headaches
Bad body odour
Poor digestion
Bad breathe
Tension
Over weight
Allergies
Nausea
Poor skin irritability
Brittle nails and hair
Intestinal gas
Fatigue