Not for the faint-hearted...

If you have an aversion to poop, I would skip reading this...:)  Also, please do not read if you feel you'll get so grossed out and then later give me crap about it! :)

Many of you have asked me to write about my colonic irrigation journey.  I don't blame you, it's a  fascinating topic, whether you want to admit it to me or not.  This is going to be information overload, but it's so important to share and document.  I want to be clear that this is not about weight loss, it's about your overall health.

Also, my colon is far from being at the state of where it should be and my diet could use major help too.  For me, it's just good to be aware.  It helps you become aware of your body and its energy too.


Facts
- 80% of your energy goes towards digestion.  If you have a clean colon, this energy can be better distributed to your blood, glands, brain, motor functions, etc.
- Our colon houses up to 25 lbs. of waste.  That's right folks, you read it right.
- Health begins in the colon.  Toxins are absorbed by the colon, so this is where diseases start, if our waste is not properly eliminated.
- We are supposed to have 2-3 bowel movements a day.  It has become the norm in our society to go once every 2-3 days.  In fact, the definition of constipation has recently been changed by doctors that you are not considered constipated until you have reached 4 days.  WHAT??
- Bad breath and acne are often a sign of an unhealthy colon.


Okay, so on to the procedure and my experience...Picture a lasagna pan after a huge dinner with the family.  No one ever wants to wash it out.  All that build up can be a pain in the ass to scrub off and often times, you need a Brillo Pad to get that bad boy cleaned.  So what do you do?  Let it soak...That pan is your colon after how many years of build up...a colonic is the "soaking" to eventually (after a series of treatments) get that build up out of your body.


Here is another scenario for those of you that are parents.  You know the baby's first poop?  The meconium?  THAT is what has stuck to the sides of our colons after so many years.  The reason the baby has that first poop like that is because that was the build up from the 9 months he/she was in the womb.  Do you remember how hard it was to clean that first changing?  


Colonic Irrigation by definition is also known as hydrotherapy of the colon, high colonic, entero-lavage, or simply colonic. It is the process of cleansing the colon by passing several gallons of water through it with the use of special equipment. It is similar to an enema but treats the whole colon, not just the lower bowel. This has the effect of flushing out impacted fecal matter, toxins, mucous, and even parasites, that often build up over the passage of time. It is a procedure that should only be undertaken by a qualified practitioner.  


Here is a picture to help you out.  Usually, an enema only clears out the Descending Colon, but this procedure irrigates the entire thing. 

Most of our colons are disfugured because the waste that remains (up to 25 lbs) build up pockets.

Moving on, this is why our poop is in all sorts of shapes and sizes when we "release".  :) Here is a video from the man who invented the colonoscopy procedure.  Warning:  The video is a bit dry, but does show live footage of colons from individuals with breast cancer, gout, etc.  You can see the difference between their colon and a healthy one.  Click here for your viewing pleasure.

Okay, my brain is totally dead from writing this.  I think I covered most of what I've learned.  Here are some tidbits from my personal experience.

- On my 1st colonic, I got rid of 3-4 lbs of waste.

- On my 3rd colonic, I had 3 feet of waste come out and on my 4th colonic, I had more!

- I saw waste that included yeast, candida (these are the organisms that are "carb eaters" which are the reason we crave carbs.  They are VERY hard to kill as you need to go off carbs for weeks), acid and a bunch of other fun things.

- On my 4th colonic, I saw undigested food, which means I was making major progress and actually cleaning a bit of my small intestine.

- I've also done 3 colonics with a "coffee soak", which goes right through the Portal Vein directly connecting the colon to the liver.  This automatically cleans your liver which makes the toxins from the bile go directly through you colon and out.  I found this to be extremely successful as I could feel the acidity of the bile (I thought the coffee was actually hot but found out later it was the acidity I was feeling!).  Also, the bile toxins is what actually goes into your gallbladder making gallstones, which are actually cholesterol crystals!! Our gallbladders hold 500-2000 of these stones!  I have high cholesterol so this is particularly insane to me.  The second I am done nursing, I'm going to do the gallbladder cleanse, so I'll let you know how it goes.

 Gallstones in Gallbladder!

If you decide to do a colonic irrigation, I recommend doing a juice or raw food diet for 2-3 days prior to your FIRST one.  Again, picture the lasagna pan, the first couple appointments are to "soak" and loosen up your build up from however many years of life you've lived.  I heard if you do a raw food diet for 6 weeks with a colonic once a week, you can lose 25-30 lbs in a healthy way.  I am not doing this because I need my cooked food and I'm nursing.

Okay, my brain is fried from this post.  Feel free to chat with me about this and I could recommend a place in NYC that my sister has tried.  There are also places in Philly that do this, which I've found online for a friend, but I don't know anyone that has tried it yet.  Good luck!

Addition (2 hours later) - I forgot to mention some pretty cool things that the people administering my procedure have seen come through the observation tube.
* Barbie shoe
* Comic strip from a bazooka wrapper
* Meat from a vegetarian of 8 years
* Clam, which my sis saw yesterday and she hasn't had clams since Sept.  Chew your food, girl!