Colon Cleansing Scam

Hello all. I know I have been a bit slow in keeping this blog up to date, and I apologize for that.  The truth is that I actually have a number of blogs that I try to keep up with in different categories, so trying to keep up with them all can be a bit tough. Some things happened over the last few weeks, however, that have compelled me to write this post.

People scare me sometimes. Not because I am afraid that they are going to attack me, or anything, but because of their determination to blindly follow false beliefs and ideas, no matter how strong the actual evidence to the contrary. I have three examples that I want to share with you that relate to the whole idea of colon cleansing.

Scary incident #1

A friend of Kathy’s is a “health nut”. Not that she lives a healthy lifestyle, based on organic foods, exercise, meditation, balance, etc. No, she is one of those that believes all of the hype about every “miracle” drug and homeopathic “remedy” out there. Obviously, she is a HUGE fan of colon cleansing.  She “cleanses” her colon regularly by whatever means is the biggest fad at the moment, absolutely ignoring all the scientific data that PROVES that colon cleansing is not only not beneficial, but can actually harm you – ESPECIALLY if you do it a lot (which she does).

If that isn’t bad enough, she always felt that what she could do in the U.S. doesn’t do a good enough job, so it was always her dream to be able to go to India where some shaman (or whatever they call which doctors there), could do a “thorough” job, complete with magic incantations, or whatever else it is they do.  She is actually planning a trip to India to do just that!

Now, is it just me, or is this kinda scary?  What would you say to your friend who wanted to do this?  Her own mother could not talk her out of it, so she asked Kathy to help.  Now, I have nothing against India, per se. I do, however, have something against stupidity.  India is not the cleanest country out there, and I am sure their health regulations are not nearly as stringent as ours.  Her friends and family are actually concerned for her life – and rightly so, I think.

Will we be able to talk her out of this insanity? Hard to say, but we’re sure going to try!

Scary incident #2

I check my stats every once in a while to see how people get to my site.  Most of my visitors get here from google searches for “colon cleansing scam”.  I think I am ranked second for that term at the moment.  I get visitors from other searches as well like colon flow scam, homemade colon cleanse and others.

A couple of days ago I looked at my stats and found something a little scary.  Someone got to my site from google by typing in “colon cleansing safe when pregnant”! I am glad they got here instead of some site that is offering specialty enemas for pregnant women, but this still kind of scares me.  I can see someone like that finding a site that offers a “dietary supplement” that is meant to help with colon cleansing that they swear is safe for pregnant women.

I am sorry, but I have a hard time with this. If you were pregnant, would you be running around searching google to find out if colon cleansing is safe for you if you are pregnant?  I hope not!  Maybe I am just old fashioned, but I believe that the place for that particular inquiry is your doctor!

Scary incident #3

Another person got to this site by going to google and typing in the phrase “homemade ex lax for baby”.  What can I even say about this?  Honestly, the first thing that I thought when I saw this was that I kind of wish that person would have chosen not to breed.  I know that sounds cruel, but that was my first thought.  I’m sure that person’s pediatrician did not recommend that they go on the internet and find a good formula for homemade ex lax. Sigh…

One last thing before I go

As long as I am on a roll here, there was one thing that I wanted to bring up.  If you look at the bottom of the left sidebar, you will find a button that tells how many spam comments have been blocked since this blogs inception.  At the time of this writing, the number is 222.

There are quite a few people who comment on this blog that actually have something useful to say.  Often, I do not get around to approving their comments because they are mixed in with all the comments left by spammers and idiots.  If your comment is one of those, I apologize.  I hope I didn’t miss yours.

For everyone wishing to comment on this blog, I want to make absolutely clear the kind of comments that I will accept here:

• I will accept comments from people who agree with my thoughts on the subject of colon cleansing.
• I will accept comments from people who disagree with me, as long as they have something useful or insightful to say on the matter (“try acea colon cleanse for effective colon cleansing” is NOT insightful!)
• If you are commenting in this site for the sole purpose of trying to promote your site, you better having something VERY useful to say.
• If you just want to tell me that you liked my post, don’t bother to include a URL to your site.  I will either strip the URL or will not approve the comment.

Basically, I would love comments from people who really want to add to the conversation.  All comments are moderated, and nothing gets through without my reading it first.

Sorry to be so blunt in this post.  This has been brewing for a while.  Still, I hope you enjoyed the read, and I will talk to you again soon!

J

Colon cleaning is becoming increasingly more common as people from all walks of life work to cleanse their bodies from harmful toxin buildups.  There are pollutants in the air, chemicals in the foods we eat and the items we use in our home from day do day, as well as in makeup and skin care products. The chemicals get into our skin and from there build up in our bodies.  Is it important to do something to cleanse the body from these harmful substances?  If so, what one should do to accomplish that?

While many people go in for colon cleansing, it is not all that hard to find a safer alternative.  If you look online you will find any number of websites advertising different homemade colon cleanse and colon cleanse recipes.  Of course, there are also many colon cleansing scam sites out there – sites that will give you recipes that are either ineffective or actually harmful to the body, so it is important to be very careful as to what treatment you decide to do. One good point to remember is that if something sounds too good to be true, then it probably is.

If you are having medical problems, it is best that you see a doctor and speak with him/her about the correct form of treatment.  Checking out medical related web sites online is not a substitute for a doctor visit if you have health problems.  However, if you do not have serious health issues but simply want to cleanse your body from toxin build up then finding a natural formula online is one idea.  There are many different kinds of cleanses; some are one time things that you do and others involve a special diet for a few days or even a week.  Pick something that is not only realistic for you but also something that you would feel comfortable doing.

One of the oldest and yet safest methods of colon cleaning is visiting a sauna or spa.  The perspiration takes with it harmful chemicals that have built up in your system. It is no surprise that saunas have been around for the last several thousand years and are yet still very popular today.  Just make sure that you replenish with lots and lots of water.  Dehydrating yourself will not help you.

Enema detoxification is another method, albeit a lot less pleasant. An organic coffee brew is used for this and can be done in your own home, as opposed to using non-organic medicines. This doesn’t actually “detox” your body, and doing it too often can actually be harmful to your intestines.  It does, however, often give one that “fresh” feeling afterward. There is even a foot detox method where the feet are placed in a bowl with salt water and ion generators. This particular method, however, focuses on getting rid of metal toxins in the body.  Whether or not it actually works is debatable.

There are also a number of special colon cleansing teas that are said to perform wonders when it comes to colon cleansing.  Drinking an organic tea may be just the thing for you, especially if you are already a tea person.  It is important to remember, however, that when it comes to herbs and teas, you should follow the directions on the package carefully.  Many people feel that when it comes to organic medicine alternatives, one can take as much as one wants without negative repercussions because it is all natural. This is a very dangerous fallacy. Herbs and teas, while they are all natural, can have negative side effects. Mother Nature has some pretty powerful stuff and taking too much of it can be bad for you.  If you do have any negative side affects or allergic reactions, then it goes without saying that you should stop whatever treatment you are taking and if needed get help from a medical professional.

If you are pregnant or nursing then it is very important to research whatever medicine or herbal treatment you are considering using.  Visiting a sauna or spa is not recommended for pregnant women and some kinds of medicines and herbal treatments can be harmful to the unborn baby, or pass into the breast milk if you are nursing.  Be very careful about what kinds of treatments you do; it is quite likely that the foot detox would be your best bet in this kind of situation, or perhaps you may find it better to wait for some time and do a different detox later.

Those of you that have read other posts on this site know that I am not a proponent of colon cleansing.  I have not only tried Bowtrol (as well as a few others), and done extensive research as to the need to “cleanse”, and the effectiveness of these products.  Despite the facts, however, masses of people still want this stuff to work and want to feel like they’re doing themselves some good by using these products.  My point here is to at least try to advise the safest alternatives.

To be honest, the only truly safe way to “detoxify” your body is to drink a lot of water, get plenty of exercise, and eat natural, healthy foods that are high in dietary fiber.  For those of you who still feel you need to detox, try one of the safer methods above.

J

*Update – I just recently spoke with an associate of mine that reminded me of the benefits of yoga when it comes to getting your body in balance with itself.  He says that yoga is an awesome way to feel healthy, fit, and yes, even “detoxified”.  This is not the first time I have heard this, and since yoga is both healthy and safe, I am going to look into trying it.  If you want to try yoga, you can try reading this article on the best yoga dvd for beginners.