One of the questions I commonly get about colon cleansing is whether or not it is generally a safe practice. If you’ve never tried cleansing, I can understand that you really want to know about any and all colon cleansing dangers before you experiment with the practice yourself. That’s why I’ve written this article.
Unsafe Water
When it comes to first time cleansing many people opt for colon hydrotherapy, which is also known as a “colonic.” In general terms the practice is safe, even though, it’s not the most effective type of cleansing out there. However, there have been instances of clients becoming ill after a colonic due to contaminated water. You need to make very sure that any colon hydrotherapist you consider has a very high quality filter on the water supply that they use. This filter should remove any and all bacteria as well as all chemicals added to the city water supply.
The same also applies if you are using colon hydrotherapy at home with either an enema or a colema board. Make sure that the water you use is pure. I’d go for distilled water every time, since it is 99.9% contaminant free.
Un-sterile Instruments
Again, this particular colon cleansing danger applies to enemas, colonics and colemas. All of these procedures require you the use of instruments that are inserted into the rectum. There have been reported cases of people becoming sick after using instruments that were not completely sterilized. Your colon hydrotherapist should have a sterilizer and/or use new instruments every treatment.
Unsafe Herbs
Many of the cleansing kits commonly available contain herbs that are unsafe if used improperly. The main culprit is an herb called “senna.” This herb has very powerful effects at stimulating the bowel to move. If it’s not used in the proper quantities it can cause severe diahrrea that in a few cases has even been linked to death. Senna unfortunately is a popular herb among teenagers trying to lose weight. Please just avoid this herb as there are others that do as good a job with much less risk.
Too Much Dietary Change
One major colon cleansing danger comes from the practice of jumping in too quickly to a new diet. The most effective approach in my experience for long term colon cleansing is a cleansing diet mixed with an herbal cleansing program that is carried out over a period of a couple of years. Many people make the mistake of thinking that colon cleansing is a quick fix solution. It is not. The benefits are great, but it takes time to achieve them.
What happens when people make radical sweeping changes in their diet to follow a cleanse program is that their body becomes overloaded with toxins that the liver can’t process. This can lead to some negative symptoms like dizziness, headache, fatigue and more. It’s best for most people to go slowly into cleansing with a rational, intelligent approach.
Chemicals in Cleanses
Finally, believe it or not, I’ve actually discovered unhealthy ingredients lurking in colon cleansing kits out there on the market. Even some of the popular and more expensive ones will include ingredients like titanium dioxide, magnesium stearate and more. These are simply things you want to avoid.
The way I’ve learned to avoid all these colon cleansing dangers is to simply make my own cleanses at home. It’s really not that hard and it has saved me a lot of money.
