Hi All,

I was talking today to a co-worker who told me that when she hit a plateau, she went out and bought the Ultimate Colon Cleanse at Whole Foods Store. She says that it worked wonders for her and a few other trying to lose weight. She said she feels better, got over her plateau, and has been able to have alot of success losing weight now since this. I have heard that sometimes weight loss is shunted because your body needs to be rid of toxins. But I must say, Im concerned that this is just another fad?? Does anyone know anything about this?? Tried it???
Thanks Julie

"Colon cleansing" is a huge crock. "Toxins" don't have anything to do with weight loss, and none of these procedures do anything that your body doesn't already do for itself. It's true that constipation is an issue for many people, but the remedies for that have NOTHING to do with what the products or procedures claim they are doing. Dr. Andrew Weil used to have an article on his website debunking this stuff, but I can't find it right now. I would suggest that the weight she lost was temporary water weight and the sudden reduction of waste, not any fat-burning.

gosh.. I just answered this and must have hit preview instead of submit.. anyways.. it's lost in cyber land..
Colon cleansing for weight loss is the same as useing laxitives for weight loss.. A very dangerous habit forming behavior that can lead to some pretty serious health consequences. I know.. I did it years ago and wound up with diviriticulitis, a colon condition where you get holes (pouches) in your colon from the strain. This condition can be life threatening and I have been hospitilized for it more than once. Don't take the chance.. It's not worth it.

I did this for medical reasons prior to a colonoscopy. Aside from the warnings given above, all I lost was maybe one pound / pound and a half. And you gain it right back in a day or so when you eat or drink something. It's temporary and all it does is purge your body of waste products and water.. not poundage.

Hi, I was just browsing through the different forums and saw your question. I don't have any personal experience, but I have a friend who had "colon hydrotherapy" which from how she described it is a water flush that cleans out your colon of impacted waste that has built up over years. I do know that there are toxins within this waste that can adversely affect your health in various ways. I don't think the procedure (or series of procedures, from what I understand you need to do it a few times to be completely effective) is meant to help you lose fat. You will lose weight. Whatever the weight is of the impacted garbage in you colon. But the purpose of the procedure is to help your body more effectively digest food. You would want to eat healthfully and make sure to get in your fibre (to help you stay regular) afterwards. I wouldn't fully trust anything in a pill form. It sounds too much like a scam.

I hope this information helps. Take care.

Unless you have a medical problem, your colon doesn't experience a "build up" of waste and "toxins." If you do have bits that are stuck, you need medical treatment -- sometimes including surgery -- not an enema. Trust me, my father just had colon surgery last month, and enemas and laxatives would not have helped cure or prevent the problem. In fact, they could have made it worse. And again, none of this has ANYTHING to do with toxins, the efficiency of digestion, or fat loss.

Kari - I'd check some reliable sources on that. The body doesn't build up toxins and waste unless you are sick. It's a fancy name for laxative. There is NO benefit for a healthy person.

Regarding "colon hydrotherapy" here's a link to an interesting article:

Gastrointestinal Quackery:
Colonics, Laxatives, and More

One interesting quote:

Not to mention that many of these operations do not employ physicians - there have been cases of people dying or being severely injured as a result of perforated colons, such as this case in Texas.

Hi Julie-

I would research it on the internet and read both sides before making a decision. I wouldn't pay much attention to what the FDA has to say - there are a ton of drugs they have approved that turn out are very harmful for us and then there are many beneficial vitamins, supplements they don't approve that are perfectly safe (they seem to do more hob knobbing with big food/drug companies than protect us from harmful things - IMO). It never hurts to go on a short fast just to give your body a break from digestion. I have heard both positive and negative to colon cleansing, friends who totally believe in it and others who say they could take it or leave it. It's true that your body should do all the cleansing it needs on it's own, but unfortunately, there is so much junk out there, it may need some special attention every now and then. With all the unnatural junk that's added to food we have out there, our bodies do sometimes hold onto waste and we have trouble with digesting & excreting it......I believe this has a lot to do with the rise of diseases and such.

I doubt it will hurt you in any way to do a gentle colon cleanse, but I wouldn't expect it to be a "cure all" for a weight loss plateau.

Blessings!
Melanie

Actually...since the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act was passed in 1994, the FDA basically has little or no control over what has been for the past 11 years, a deregulated industry.

Also...oftentimes the companies behind those colon cleansers and other supplements ARE some of the 'big drug companies'.

Here's an interesting article:

Big Trouble in the Health Store

I think that most things that are in the colon can be cleared out with a healthy diet with lots and lots of fiber. If you have a lot of fiber and a lot of water in your diet, then you shouldn't have a problem going to the potty...and if you can go to the potty, you can get rid of those waste products which I am sure do contain toxins. I heard on Oprah yesterday that meat has to rot in your stomach before it digests. So if you are going to eat meat, you should also eat things high in fiber so everying can leave.

The doctor that discussed the meat rotting also explained how our bodies naturally cleanses itself out, and all we need is enough (8 glasses) water and at least 25 grams of fiber. I bought his book, lol, and it's fascinating. The whole show was eye-opening, wasn't it?

If you are concerned about the junk we eat, the best thing to do is to go off of the junk by eating a more natural diet, while making sure you get enough fiber and water, and you'll feel SO much better within a few days. Someone did a great job in designing our bodies If you try one of the 'detox' products, you'll probably feel worse because they work through diuretics and laxatives, neither of which your body needs. Many even contain potentially harmful products. Unfortunately, the FDA has their hands tied.

Regarding the FDA, here is something else to consider - there are some big name pharmaceutical companies coming under fire for releasing products that have eventually been found to be harmful. This happens even with the best watchdogs looking over them.

Now think about the supplement companies that don't have ANYONE watching over them. They are well known for making unproven claims because they don't have to prove them. Some are even known for paying off people that complain of side effects, and there isn't anyone out there keeping score. They are not legally required to report these issues. It's really frightening.

This is why I believe that we can't rely on anyone or any company to give us the "real" or accurate info - we need to research everything ourselves and be our own health advocates as much as possible.