Has anyone tried a store-bought (or online) colon cleanse?

How funny! there are 3 observing members but no one brave enough to answer!

Why would you do that?

Why would I cleanse? I think it’s a good thing to do…

I thought that was just ingesting some form of a clay, and it makes it look like sludge when it comes out of you…? I wouldn’t do it.

When I see pictures like this I think “I hope that’s not lurking around in my body!!”

you can totaly empty your colon with high dose senna in as little as 24 hours. This has been sugested as an alterantive to standard bowel prep for colonoscopy.

To be honest though if you eat a healthy diet rich in fibre the bowel will look after itself without you having to interfere with it.

@judi—seriously : ) I saw those photos too. gnarly.
@lightly—for the most part I agree, but I know lots of healthy people who claim to have benefited greatly from cleansing. i eat well, but not perfect.

When ever I try to start a detox fast I get really sick. I think that as my body starts to dump all those toxins all of that NutraSweet I have ingested over the years leaks out of my cells and poisons me.

I’m serious, why do that? Isn’t it just a fad? It doesn’t seem to make any medical sense:

* Natural bacteria in the colon detoxify food wastes.
* The liver also neutralizes toxins.
* Mucus membranes in the colon keep unwanted substances from reentering the blood and tissues.
* The colon sheds old cells about every three days, preventing a buildup of harmful material.
* The normal number of bowel movements varies from person to person. It may be as often as a few times a day or as little as a few times a week.
* Increasing the number of bowel movements doesn’t improve weight loss. That’s because the body absorbs most calories before they reach the large intestine.

(From WebMd.com)

Where’s shilolo? He has the answers to all these questions!!

seriously—where is he? I place a bet on him not being so into cleanses : )

I find that a twelve pack of Budweiser has the same effect for a third of the cost.

I call Roto Rooter. Can’t beat ‘em. They may cost a little more, but it’s worth it!

@emilyrose. Believe it or not, I have another job (actually two) ;^) Anyway, you would win your bet. I have never, nor will I ever (barring an appropriately conducted clinical trial) recommend a colonic “cleanse”. Syz hit the nail on the head regarding the ability of the colon to cleanse itself.

As to why it “works”, there is this remarkable thing called the placebo effect. People do the cleanse, and, having suffered through it, shockingly feel better afterward (and go on to swear by it).

In summary, I cannot comment on which brand of snake oil colonic cleanse to buy. Good luck, and have a great weekend :-)

@shilolo – thanks for getting in on the conversation… you and your trials…ha ha just kidding…
I have a follow up question for you, they say “death begins in the colon?” do you believe that? Why or why not? Do you believe the photos of things that people expel during the cleansing process? I have a lot of friends who have done the master cleanse and they say they continue to have lots of bowel movements even though they aren’t eating anything. Wouldn’t that prove that there is a lot of stuff stored up that might need to get out? Don’t toxins build up in our body?

@emilyrose Does death begin in the colon? Sometimes, if you have colon cancer or other colonic diseases. Otherwise, no.
Photos of colonic walls? Sure. What of it?
Bowel movements despite not eating? Also, no problem. Much of your stool is not undigested food, but rather, sluffed (dead) cells from your very own intestines. The stuff gets out, sure, when you poop. Finally, I don’t believe in “toxins” building up that need to be “eliminated”.