Colonic Hydrotherapy;
should we take another look?
Colonic irrigation is an old technique that has retained
its popular appeal despite intense scepticism on the part
of the medical profession. It harks back to the time when
the great and the good would flock to the spas of Europe
to cleanse mind and body by taking the water cure. Even
Charles Darwin used to travel north to Ilkley to partake of the
health giving waters that issued from the springs where ailing
swains would court their Mary Janes. It has resonances with
Sir Arbuthnot Lane, London Surgeon, who would remove
the colon at the drop of a purse for anything from short
sightedness to knock knees.
Then, the rage was auto-intoxication. Encouraged by Nobel
prizewinner, Eli Metchnikoff, many believed that the colon
was a Stygian morass of stinking corruption which could
not fail to damage the body politic. Fast forward a hundred
years and more bottles of health restoring live yoghurts than
glasses of Guinness are consumed every day to maintain a
healthy colonic culture, and Colonic Hydrotherapy outlets are
springing up on every High Street of every small town in the
Kingdom. There’s nothing new, just different ways of doing it!
The colonic ecosystem is perhaps the most rapidly evolving
field of research in gastroenterology An adverse population
of colonic microflora has been implicated not only in colitis, but
also Rheumatoid Arthritis, Parkinson’s Disease, Depression,
Heart Attacks and even the epidemic of Obesity (see GR 80).
Come back Eli; all is forgiven! So is it time to take another
look at Colonic Hydrotherapy?
Anne-Lise Miller, has been a qualified
Nutritionist and Colonic Hydrotherapy
Practitioner and Teacher since 1991
and is currently honorary secretary
to The Institute of Professional
Colon Hydrotherapy.
www.cleansingforlife.co.uk
www.colonicpracticelondon.co.uk
She writes;
‘Colonic hydrotherapy is more than a procedure to cleanse
the colon. It is an approach to health and wellbeing that looks
at the individual interactions between the physical, emotional
and chemical functions of the body in the context of genetic
inheritance and cultural background. When supported
by a sensitive approach and sound dietary/ lifestyle
recommendations, colonic hydrotherapy can be an effective
tool for the management and treatment of IBS, constipation
and flatulence. It can also be used as part of a weight loss
regimen.’
‘During colonic hydrotherapy, a short tube (2” inches long
and 3/4” diameter) is introduced into the rectum and then
water warmed to body temperature is gradually infused. The
amount of water is the minimum to induce peristalsis. With
the aid of gentle massage, breathing and posture, the fluid
gently stretches and stimulates the colon and then is allowed
to drain out through the same tube along with any faecal
material. The procedure may be repeated several times
unto the fluid leaving the bowel is clean. There is no obvious
smell or direct contact with faeces.’
Ms Miller further adds that, ‘Addition of herbal tinctures,
colloidal minerals and salts to the water maintains a healthy
colonic environment, while antihelminthics may be used to
eliminate parisites. Speedy removal of ‘toxic’ bowel content
coupled with dietary interventions and probiotic implants
after irrigation restore a healthy colonic bacterial flora.
Colonic hydrotherapy raises awareness of gut function and
evacuation, bringing about a state of general wellbeing,
which can reinforce a positive change of behavior and eating
habits. It’s much more than a colonic washout; it’s a holistic
therapy’
Colonic therapists take a careful history from the patient
enquiring not only about bowel function, abdominal symptoms,
but also chronic disease, family history, diet and life style,
life situation and events and attitudes towards defaecation.
They also examine the patient noting their client’s posture
especially during defaecation, their breathing, the tone and
function of the pelvic floor and any pain or lesions delaying
defecation.’
Ms Miller claims that ‘Colonic hydrotherapy is a safe
procedure and I know of no recorded cases of adverse
reactions from colonic treatments administered by trained
and competent therapists.’ Occasionally distension of the
colon may lead to faintness because of a vasovagal drop in
blood pressure. Water intoxication is avoided by increasing
the osmotic pressure of the fluid. Either pumps or gravity
is used to deliver filtered water at low pressure through
disposable tubing.’
‘The procedure is not carried out if the patient has anal
fissures, fistulae or severe haemorrhoids. Hernias should be
treated and abdominal surgery healed before the procedure
is carried out. Caution must be applied if the patient has
liver/kidney disease, pregnancy and hypertension. If there
is any doubt about the safety of the procedure, she asserts,
a physician’s consent should be obtained.’
Colonic therapists should be qualified and registered.
Currently organizations that govern colonic hydrotherapy
are self-regulated. Consequently it behoves the patient
to evaluate the therapist and their training. The things to
enquire about are:
1. registration to an organisation will ensure standards
of hygiene and insurance as well as a desire from the
therapist to maintain professional standard.
2.if they use disposable speculum and tubing.
3.the length of appointment times
(should be over 60 minutes)
ARCH (Association of Colonic Hydrotherapists; http://www.
colonic-association.org/) is the biggest organisation for
colonic hydrotherapists in the UK. It runs assessments on
the approved training colleges and is selective about its
member’s background favoring nurses and regarding colonic
hydrotherapy as a semi-medical intervention.
IPCH (Institute of Professional Colonic Hydrotherapy; http://
www.ipch.org.uk/) is much smaller, but maintains excellent
standards and adopts a holistic and personal, client centred
approach.
This all sounds very fair and responsible. Nevertheless,
colonic hydrotherapy is not generally approved by the
medical profession.
We asked Dr Anton Emmanuel,
Gastroenterologist, international expert on IBS, and a
member of our professional advisory panel, why.
As regards safety, those studies have shown a 1 in 100,000
perforation rate. So, no matter how careful the practitioner it
is not possible to guarantee that no harm could be done with
irrigation. The process of introducing 2 litres of hypertonic
solution “several times” until the effluent is clear could be a
concern in patients with sub-clinical incipient renal or heart
failure. The use of irrigation as part of weight loss is also
something that could be considered abusive in patients with
eating disturbances, and extreme caution must be advocated
in this group of vulnerable patients.’
It can be dreadful to be bunged up with constipation. The
feeling of frustration and rectal discomfort, the heaviness,
slowness, inertia, hopelessness, the bad breath, bloatedness,
can really get you down. You would do anything to get rid of
it, wouldn’t you? Colonic hydrotherapy offers a solution; just
clean it all out! No wonder it’s so popular. But how many of
those symptoms are the direct result of faecal retention and
how many the feelings that cause it? And to what extent is
colonic hydrotherapy an elaborate placebo? And does that
matter if it works? Resolution must hinge on appropriate
regulation and safety.
Have you undergone colonic hydrotherapy or irrigation?
What was your experience? We’d love to know. Do you
think more efforts should be made towards effective
regulation? We’d love to know. Do write in with your
comments and we’ll print a report in the next issue of
Gut Reaction.
maintain your
Intestinal
comfort
‘The problem is with the concept not the
professional’, he replied. I’m sure that
most colonic hydrotherapists are well
meaning and responsible practitioners.
If you remove all mention of bowel
irrigation from Ms Miller’s piece, you
are left with all the basics of an effective
consultation. But what of the procedure?
It could be argued that it is more the combination of
antihelminthics and probiotics that are responsible for
maintaining a healthy colonic environment than the colonic
irrigation, but it would be inaccurate for patients to believe
that they need to have colonic irrigation in order to get the
benefits of probiotics. I know of no research that shows which
patients are likely to benefit from colonic hydrotherapy in the
absence of the package of care outlined above.
The medical literature is moving towards considering faecal
transplants for some conditions - seemingly the opposite of
irrigation – and subgroups of responders are being defined.
Perhaps a similar trial design could be used to assess the
true efficacy of colonic irrigation. Transanal irrigation using
self-administered medical devices has been assessed in
patients with neurological disease and associated bowel
dysfunction and demonstrates efficacy in about two-thirds of
patients, but the procedure differs from the form of irrigation
being described by Ms Miller.
Bimuno Supports
2
www.thegutrust.org