I looked all over the page from that link, and I didn't see ANYTHING on colon cleansing.
The major discussion is about portion control and increasing activity to lose weight.
Colon cleansing? Mostly hype. If colon cleansing is truly something you feel you need, follow the colonoscopy prep. I GUARANTEE YOU, there won't be ANYTHING left in your colon.
She felt so bad when it was finally over she could not believe some people do stuff like that and say it makes em feel better.... do they live in some sort of alternate universe for masochists???
That's a really hype-y site, I wouldn't trust it at all.
I've done a cleanse before for health energy reasons, and found that I had a little bit of weight loss as a side effect. Most reputable natural health folks would pull you right off ANY diet that led to rapid weight loss, though. What is happening at that point is almost always dehydration, not loss of fat, trapped digestive refuse,etc.
Look for things by Dr. Andrew Weil. He was popular for a little while, but fell back out of the public eye. His opinion is generally sensible and well researched.
1. Nutrition and calories are absorbed in the upper GI system (small intestine), and don't reach the colon (lower intestine)
2. The colon reabsorbs sodium, electrolytes and water only.
Now would somebody explain this to me? Why do anorexics abuse laxatives if there are no calories left in that part of the gut? If you're old enough to remember syrup of ipecac (to keep on hand in case your toddler eats aspirin tablets and you want him to throw up), you might also recall why ipecac is no longer available. It is toxic and can cause arryhthmias -likely what killed Karen Carpenter-
Ok I've wandered totally away from the original question, but there is no way to lose weight from evacuating the colon. As for the people here who've had to drink a liter of that electrolyte fluid prior to a procedure, I am sorry because it's a tough thing to do. As for everybody who did it, had a colonoscopy and have evaded colon cancer I'm so glad you did.
...And because for many bulimics it has as much to do with punishment for breaking self imposed rules or as a coping mechanism for emotional distress as it does with the removal of food. Immediate anxiety over a high calorie item or binge rarely leads to laxative use,in my experience.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/16/2011 11:07PM by vasalissasdoll.
Not for weight loss -- what a stupid idea -- but just in a musing sort of way. Since we probably went through fairly frequent lean times as our species was evolving I was wondering if it wasn't beneficial to do periodic fasts, liquid diets, etc. I have no idea whether or not it actually WOULD be of benefit to the body -- it was just more of a vague notion.
I would not, however, EVER use laxatives or anthing like that. The most I would do is a fast -- and those I would do very sparingly since I think fasts generally make my body VERY calorie efficient AFTER the fast.
I think the periodic lean times our ancestors went thru WERE their fasts and liquid diets.
My Southern Italian ancestors ate a boatload of polenta only, and it almost killed them. Then had to eat grass, no kidding, and that almost killed them, too. Then only goat milk and cheese, or only olives and tomatoes, and bread and pasta if and when they could afford the flours and fuels to make and cook them. It's why they left Southern Ialy and came to the US in waves, starting in 1865.
Restricting one's self strictly and rigidly to only one group or range of foods and beverages for long periods of time, can have distastrous and unintended consequences, particularly if someone elderly, very young, pregnant, or if someone's general health is poor, or dental care or living environments also are, etc.
All things, in moderation, is key.
I myself am starting to wonder if the kids back home in the land of plenty, who can't seem to concentrate, and their parents too, who seem out in left field in re: logical thinoing and ability to evaluate claims, primarily have diet to blame. And I am not being sarcastic or judgemental.
It's just I keep seeing what I believe to be bad diet=bad thinking all over the place when I'm there, and I am just wondering if it is possible people are literally starving their brains? And pregnant women are straving their childrens' brains, too?
Any med people have any info or links for me on that?
I'm a big believer in moderation. I also wonder about diet and various concentration issues (although I fed my children and we feed my grandchildren well and we have ADHD issues and autism so I think there's more to it than JUST diet) and I'd never advocate things like laxitives or even weird diets. At most I might try a three day fast every six months or so. Or I might not -- I like to have food in my stomach. lol!
By the way -- why do people bother with laxitives when there is so much availability of bran and prunes and prune juice?
I know a few people that are doing the coffee colon cleanse. One guy swears by it and does it once a month. He and his wife are into every scam that comes along and sends me e-mails about their new discoveries. My sister is into this new age religion and there are more crackpot doctors [not real doctors] that come by her house than there are real doctors. Colon cleaning seems to be one thing most of them are pushing.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/17/2011 08:12AM by orphan.
The result is that you're not absorbing as much food, so you lose weight. The sad truth is also that you're injuring your colon, which turns out to be a valuable organ of your body. I mean, who knew, right? To find out more about what colon flushes and various colonic type things do, consult any gastrointerologist.
But I have a new way of losing weight, one that really works. I'll share it with you, but don't tell anyone else, okay? All you have to do is eat well (Eat food. Not too much. Mostly vegetables.) and exercise regularly (at least three times per week). Keep mum about this. I don't want too many people to know.
Colon cleansing is silly, in my opinion. If you want to excrete some serious poop, there are cheaper, safer ways to do so. (Eat some fibrous vegetables!) The spiel some gurus give about poop remaining in your gut and needing to be flushed out is bullcrap.