OK.. So while Christy, my mom and I were working on still stocking and cleaning.. we did have our doors open on 8/31/2009.. and a fella did come in and buy incense. So Technically... 8/31/2009 is our anniversary.. BUT Today's the promoted the day of opening.. 9/1/2009
Thank you to All that have supported us.. We are delighted to be thriving after two years in business. Providing high-quality holistic and spiritual arts programs and services to the Nashville community has been a true honor. Opening the front door two years ago was daunting. I honestly didn’t know if anyone would show up, but they sure did! We’ve been busy ever since and are constantly adapting what we do based on what our customers share with us.
And to Symmetry Family for all their love, support and fantastical abilities.. We've seen some incredible stories of love, support and change. Its been a great 2 years.
Thank you,
Amy Kiger
Symmetry
Holistic Wellness for Mind, Body and Spirit
615-321-4040 * www.centerofsymmetry.com
212 Louise Ave * Nashville * TN * 37203
Over 3,000 sqft dedicated to Wellness Services and Retail
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Showing posts with label wellness. Show all posts
Showing posts with label wellness. Show all posts
Thursday, September 1, 2011
Saturday, December 11, 2010
Seven Stages of Change, From A Wellness Perspective .. Love this Article!
Great article I wanted to share.
Regardless of what you seek, you must understand the process of change. There is psychology behind change, and understanding the dynamics of thought you will go through from the personal habits you have now, to the personal habits you desire. Don't Dream it, Be it.. yes (Rocky Horror Picture Show). But there is truth there.
Most health educators exhibit a devotional reverence for five stages of change. The stages, called "The Transtheoretical Model of Change" by pedants, simply "Stages of Change" by others, was developed by James Prochaska. The five stages are:
1.Pre-contemplation.
2.Contemplation.
3.Preparation.
4.Action.
5.Maintenance.
In his encyclopedic new book, The Seven Basic Plots: Why We Tell Stories, Christopher Booker provides another kind of model entirely unrelated to health. Yet, I prefer it for wellness purposes to Prochaska's change stages. Unlike the latter, the seven basic plot ideas described by Booker seem better suited to the stages of change for wellness seekers. The latter are not focused on overcoming addictions or solving negative problems, as is the case with Prochaska's stages. Yet, the alleged wellness change stages seem to fit the ever more interesting and socially consequential challenge of designing, modifying over time and sustaining a positive life. Besides that, Booker's model is more fun to work with. This matters because, you might remember, wellness is an adventure, not a treatment, and a wellness mindset is peculiarly suited for such dark times of mass delusion, religious fervor and widespread embrace of superstition as we are undergoing now in Republican America.
Wellness promotion at its best rests on a foundation of reason, science and secular human decencies. Wellness enthusiasts therefore seek to extend their own human happiness, freedoms, liberties and exuberance while being quite delighted if others choose to come along. However, wellness promoters are not evangelists, missionaries or other "my way or the highway to hell"-type recruiters. Better to leave that to the devotees of pseudoscience and fundamentalist dogmas.
All of which brings me back to Booker's model. I think it works nicely for explaining stages we often experience in the pursuit of wellness, how we can evolve from normalcy or a sickening state of mediocrity, to the heights of living consistent with positive, exceptional wellness principles. Though not sequential like Prochaska's stages of change, the Booker stages or plot types are common for wellness seekers.
As in Booker's examples with English and other literature, a wellness change model has seven basic plots. In literature (and novels, movies, plays and operas) and in seeking wellness, these seven plots are recycled, again and again. The plots are:
1.Overcoming the monster.
2.Rags to riches.
3.The quest.
4.Voyage and return.
5.Rebirth.
6.Comedy.
7.Tragedy.
Overcoming the Monster
This kind of plot in Booker's model explains flicks like Jaws or books like David Copperfield wherein doom and gloom in varied guises threatens to wreak havoc on a life or a society until a hero or heroes save the day, or the world, as the case may be. In wellness terms, the monster is the deadening atmosphere of moderation, or norms that stifle individuality. At some point, a fortunate few decide they want to rise from the sorry standards of health (medically defined as non-sickness) and in other ways break away from benighted myths and traditions that stifle freedom and creativity. The first stage of wellness might be nothing more than a realization that it is time to emerge from the muddle of normalcy to pursue higher levels of physical and mental well being while finding new possibilities for meaning and purpose in life. Remember the first sentence in Dickens autobiographical David Copperfield? "Whether I shall turn out to be the hero of my own life, or whether that station will be held by anybody else, these pages must show." Young David had just overcome the monster of temptation to assign responsibility for his fate and the quality of his life to anyone else.
Rags to Riches
In the book The Seven Basic Plots, Booker explains the "rags to riches" plot with examples like Jane Eyre, Raiders of the Lost Ark and A Christmas Carol, among others. In the rags to riches plot, an underdog has adventures (usually thrust upon her), overcomes crises, passes tests and in doing so becomes strong, confident, able and resilient. She assumes an enviable place in the world. Often, love follows. So, too, with wellness--though the love part is less certain in real life. While not as dramatic as the adventures of Harrison Ford (Indiana Jones), wellness seekers go from rags to riches in a sense when we lose fat and gain fitness, eliminate major stressors and experience continuing serenity, cease being easily fooled and delight in critical inquiry. In a wide range of wellness skill areas, rags to riches-like shifts are seen in going from weakness and victimhood to responsible and effective decision-making with attendant states of advanced functioning. While rags to riches stories are about material advances, the wellness equivalent seems deeper, richer and more substantial than a transition from no stuff to lots of stuff.
The Quest
Perilous quests are a third archetype. A literary example cited by Booker is Alice in Wonderland. A variant noted is the inner quest, a journey, for instance, from naïveté to wisdom, psychological paralysis to emotional liberation, as in Snow White. The search for a desirable, fulfilling and successful combination of attitudes and behaviors at varied life stages surely marks the quest for wellness. What mix works for a while must be continually fine-tuned as career, family and other factors change over time. Wellness is often defined as a quest, a search for meaning that is furthered by a conscious regard for physical and mental disciplines.
Voyage and Return
The Wizard of Oz is probably the first movie that comes to mind to fit this category of Booker's plot types. The wellness equivalent might include going off somewhere on a heroic quest (for xample, to a distant city to run a marathon) or on a religious pilgrimage (to Mecca, the Vatican), to find space aliens (Roswell, for instance) or to pursue transcendence of a hedonistic nature (Hedonism Resort in Jamaica), returning home changed by the experience. Alternatively, it could be other than a physical trip, perhaps a journey to find something about yourself. In Thomas Wolfe's You Can't Go Home Again, the main character (George Webber) writes a novel based on his family and hometown. When he returns to that town, he finds the home he knew is not there anymore. Everyone in the town is embarrassed by the book, he's treated badly and made unwelcome. This response sparks a voyage of discovery. The author travels widely seeking his true identity. Eventually, the journey comes full circle when he returns from the voyage with new insights and rediscovers home, not the same but with qualities previously overlooked. As in our pursuit of wellness over time, things change as we learn more about the world and ourselves.
Rebirth
E.T embodied the classic coming-of-age-story pattern. In the tale, Elliott encounters E.T., his alien alter ego, who helps him learn be a leader and bring harmony to a dysfunctional family. As with the four preceding plot types, rebirth stories have happy endings. Wellness change efforts usually turn out well, contrasted with single purpose attempts to stop doing something negative (such as smoking) without a larger, positive context.
Comedy
The human comedy is played out in countless ways, and include attempts to cope with parental authority, ventures into the world on our own, dealing with innumerable tests of varied kinds leading to degrees of interdependence and independence. Along the way, we must explain things to others, and ourselves. Thus, we adopt a narrative, a story of our attempts at discovery about who we are and what kind of person we want to become, in time. Our narratives, just like in Hamlet, are skewed from reality (and, for wellness seekers, from sickening normalcy), some a lot more so than others (thus, the comedy). The comedy plot is the one most of us recognize, since it unites us in a pleasant shared reality. In the wellness model, the importance of comedy is reflected in the skill areas of humor and play. In Prochaska's stages, by contrast, not a mention is made of humor or anything remotely akin to lightness or playfulness; health educators see nothing funny about dealing with bad habits and addictions. A pity, for literature is rich with comic fodder, though often served with equal parts tragedy.
Tragedy
Booker mentions The Snow Queen, Romeo and Juliet, and Peer Gynt as examples of his seventh and final plot genre, though everyone has his own favorites in this popular category. My favorite is not a novel but rather the American health (medical) care system. This fragmented non-system is the ultimate tragedy, for never has so much been spent for so little, from a wellness perspective. Almost none of the spending is devoted to supporting citizens to choose and sustain wellness lifestyles. That is a tragedy Shakespeare could appreciate, Hardy would applaud and Hemingway would drink to. Compounding the tragedy is the fact that this illness treatment system is no bargain or even good value. (This country spent $1.4 trillion or $5,267 for each man, woman and child on medical care in 2002. Almost half of the spending is by government, mainly for Medicare and Medicaid. However, we rank below most other Western nations that spend a lot less on sickness remedies and interventions. Canada, for example, spent $2,931 per person, France $2,736 per person. Why do we spend more? The three main reasons cited are the greater expenses of American doctors, American pharmaceuticals and American paperwork--31 cents out of every dollar.)
Those who choose wellness anyway essentially opt out of the tragic system wherein the best that can be hoped for is a state of non-sickness. The medical system can be vital if you get sick or hurt AND have insurance or otherwise can pay for expensive, highly rationed care. However, even under the best of circumstances, you are well advised to adopt and practice a strong degree of responsibility for the quality of your life by remaining highly fit and skilled in varied lifestyle disciplines (in other words, critical thinking, sound relationships, the search for added meaning, etc.) After all, advances from illness to wellness states along the illness/wellness continuum cannot be made via reliance on the US health care (sickness) system. The tragedy in this case is that so few Americans seem to understand this or live in a manner consistent with such comprehension.
Fortunately, you won't need to rely on the tragic medical system, most of the time, if you live well and have the good fortune to enjoy a bit of luck (genetics and chance). So, next time health educators bring up the topic of change theory, tell them about the plot lines of all good wellness lifestyles, ranging from overcoming monsters, going from rags to riches, quests, voyages and returns, rebirths, comedies and last but not least, tragedies--of missed opportunities because of public reliance on a broken health or medical system rather than personal initiatives.
Be well. Always look on the bright side of life.
by Donald B. Ardell, Ph. D.
http://www.seekwellness.com/wellness/reports/2005-04-26.htm
Regardless of what you seek, you must understand the process of change. There is psychology behind change, and understanding the dynamics of thought you will go through from the personal habits you have now, to the personal habits you desire. Don't Dream it, Be it.. yes (Rocky Horror Picture Show). But there is truth there.
Most health educators exhibit a devotional reverence for five stages of change. The stages, called "The Transtheoretical Model of Change" by pedants, simply "Stages of Change" by others, was developed by James Prochaska. The five stages are:
1.Pre-contemplation.
2.Contemplation.
3.Preparation.
4.Action.
5.Maintenance.
In his encyclopedic new book, The Seven Basic Plots: Why We Tell Stories, Christopher Booker provides another kind of model entirely unrelated to health. Yet, I prefer it for wellness purposes to Prochaska's change stages. Unlike the latter, the seven basic plot ideas described by Booker seem better suited to the stages of change for wellness seekers. The latter are not focused on overcoming addictions or solving negative problems, as is the case with Prochaska's stages. Yet, the alleged wellness change stages seem to fit the ever more interesting and socially consequential challenge of designing, modifying over time and sustaining a positive life. Besides that, Booker's model is more fun to work with. This matters because, you might remember, wellness is an adventure, not a treatment, and a wellness mindset is peculiarly suited for such dark times of mass delusion, religious fervor and widespread embrace of superstition as we are undergoing now in Republican America.
Wellness promotion at its best rests on a foundation of reason, science and secular human decencies. Wellness enthusiasts therefore seek to extend their own human happiness, freedoms, liberties and exuberance while being quite delighted if others choose to come along. However, wellness promoters are not evangelists, missionaries or other "my way or the highway to hell"-type recruiters. Better to leave that to the devotees of pseudoscience and fundamentalist dogmas.
All of which brings me back to Booker's model. I think it works nicely for explaining stages we often experience in the pursuit of wellness, how we can evolve from normalcy or a sickening state of mediocrity, to the heights of living consistent with positive, exceptional wellness principles. Though not sequential like Prochaska's stages of change, the Booker stages or plot types are common for wellness seekers.
As in Booker's examples with English and other literature, a wellness change model has seven basic plots. In literature (and novels, movies, plays and operas) and in seeking wellness, these seven plots are recycled, again and again. The plots are:
1.Overcoming the monster.
2.Rags to riches.
3.The quest.
4.Voyage and return.
5.Rebirth.
6.Comedy.
7.Tragedy.
Overcoming the Monster
This kind of plot in Booker's model explains flicks like Jaws or books like David Copperfield wherein doom and gloom in varied guises threatens to wreak havoc on a life or a society until a hero or heroes save the day, or the world, as the case may be. In wellness terms, the monster is the deadening atmosphere of moderation, or norms that stifle individuality. At some point, a fortunate few decide they want to rise from the sorry standards of health (medically defined as non-sickness) and in other ways break away from benighted myths and traditions that stifle freedom and creativity. The first stage of wellness might be nothing more than a realization that it is time to emerge from the muddle of normalcy to pursue higher levels of physical and mental well being while finding new possibilities for meaning and purpose in life. Remember the first sentence in Dickens autobiographical David Copperfield? "Whether I shall turn out to be the hero of my own life, or whether that station will be held by anybody else, these pages must show." Young David had just overcome the monster of temptation to assign responsibility for his fate and the quality of his life to anyone else.
Rags to Riches
In the book The Seven Basic Plots, Booker explains the "rags to riches" plot with examples like Jane Eyre, Raiders of the Lost Ark and A Christmas Carol, among others. In the rags to riches plot, an underdog has adventures (usually thrust upon her), overcomes crises, passes tests and in doing so becomes strong, confident, able and resilient. She assumes an enviable place in the world. Often, love follows. So, too, with wellness--though the love part is less certain in real life. While not as dramatic as the adventures of Harrison Ford (Indiana Jones), wellness seekers go from rags to riches in a sense when we lose fat and gain fitness, eliminate major stressors and experience continuing serenity, cease being easily fooled and delight in critical inquiry. In a wide range of wellness skill areas, rags to riches-like shifts are seen in going from weakness and victimhood to responsible and effective decision-making with attendant states of advanced functioning. While rags to riches stories are about material advances, the wellness equivalent seems deeper, richer and more substantial than a transition from no stuff to lots of stuff.
The Quest
Perilous quests are a third archetype. A literary example cited by Booker is Alice in Wonderland. A variant noted is the inner quest, a journey, for instance, from naïveté to wisdom, psychological paralysis to emotional liberation, as in Snow White. The search for a desirable, fulfilling and successful combination of attitudes and behaviors at varied life stages surely marks the quest for wellness. What mix works for a while must be continually fine-tuned as career, family and other factors change over time. Wellness is often defined as a quest, a search for meaning that is furthered by a conscious regard for physical and mental disciplines.
Voyage and Return
The Wizard of Oz is probably the first movie that comes to mind to fit this category of Booker's plot types. The wellness equivalent might include going off somewhere on a heroic quest (for xample, to a distant city to run a marathon) or on a religious pilgrimage (to Mecca, the Vatican), to find space aliens (Roswell, for instance) or to pursue transcendence of a hedonistic nature (Hedonism Resort in Jamaica), returning home changed by the experience. Alternatively, it could be other than a physical trip, perhaps a journey to find something about yourself. In Thomas Wolfe's You Can't Go Home Again, the main character (George Webber) writes a novel based on his family and hometown. When he returns to that town, he finds the home he knew is not there anymore. Everyone in the town is embarrassed by the book, he's treated badly and made unwelcome. This response sparks a voyage of discovery. The author travels widely seeking his true identity. Eventually, the journey comes full circle when he returns from the voyage with new insights and rediscovers home, not the same but with qualities previously overlooked. As in our pursuit of wellness over time, things change as we learn more about the world and ourselves.
Rebirth
E.T embodied the classic coming-of-age-story pattern. In the tale, Elliott encounters E.T., his alien alter ego, who helps him learn be a leader and bring harmony to a dysfunctional family. As with the four preceding plot types, rebirth stories have happy endings. Wellness change efforts usually turn out well, contrasted with single purpose attempts to stop doing something negative (such as smoking) without a larger, positive context.
Comedy
The human comedy is played out in countless ways, and include attempts to cope with parental authority, ventures into the world on our own, dealing with innumerable tests of varied kinds leading to degrees of interdependence and independence. Along the way, we must explain things to others, and ourselves. Thus, we adopt a narrative, a story of our attempts at discovery about who we are and what kind of person we want to become, in time. Our narratives, just like in Hamlet, are skewed from reality (and, for wellness seekers, from sickening normalcy), some a lot more so than others (thus, the comedy). The comedy plot is the one most of us recognize, since it unites us in a pleasant shared reality. In the wellness model, the importance of comedy is reflected in the skill areas of humor and play. In Prochaska's stages, by contrast, not a mention is made of humor or anything remotely akin to lightness or playfulness; health educators see nothing funny about dealing with bad habits and addictions. A pity, for literature is rich with comic fodder, though often served with equal parts tragedy.
Tragedy
Booker mentions The Snow Queen, Romeo and Juliet, and Peer Gynt as examples of his seventh and final plot genre, though everyone has his own favorites in this popular category. My favorite is not a novel but rather the American health (medical) care system. This fragmented non-system is the ultimate tragedy, for never has so much been spent for so little, from a wellness perspective. Almost none of the spending is devoted to supporting citizens to choose and sustain wellness lifestyles. That is a tragedy Shakespeare could appreciate, Hardy would applaud and Hemingway would drink to. Compounding the tragedy is the fact that this illness treatment system is no bargain or even good value. (This country spent $1.4 trillion or $5,267 for each man, woman and child on medical care in 2002. Almost half of the spending is by government, mainly for Medicare and Medicaid. However, we rank below most other Western nations that spend a lot less on sickness remedies and interventions. Canada, for example, spent $2,931 per person, France $2,736 per person. Why do we spend more? The three main reasons cited are the greater expenses of American doctors, American pharmaceuticals and American paperwork--31 cents out of every dollar.)
Those who choose wellness anyway essentially opt out of the tragic system wherein the best that can be hoped for is a state of non-sickness. The medical system can be vital if you get sick or hurt AND have insurance or otherwise can pay for expensive, highly rationed care. However, even under the best of circumstances, you are well advised to adopt and practice a strong degree of responsibility for the quality of your life by remaining highly fit and skilled in varied lifestyle disciplines (in other words, critical thinking, sound relationships, the search for added meaning, etc.) After all, advances from illness to wellness states along the illness/wellness continuum cannot be made via reliance on the US health care (sickness) system. The tragedy in this case is that so few Americans seem to understand this or live in a manner consistent with such comprehension.
Fortunately, you won't need to rely on the tragic medical system, most of the time, if you live well and have the good fortune to enjoy a bit of luck (genetics and chance). So, next time health educators bring up the topic of change theory, tell them about the plot lines of all good wellness lifestyles, ranging from overcoming monsters, going from rags to riches, quests, voyages and returns, rebirths, comedies and last but not least, tragedies--of missed opportunities because of public reliance on a broken health or medical system rather than personal initiatives.
Be well. Always look on the bright side of life.
by Donald B. Ardell, Ph. D.
http://www.seekwellness.com/wellness/reports/2005-04-26.htm
Colonic Irrigation.. Enemas.. using Colon Hydrotherapy:
Colonic Irrigation using Colon Hydrotherapy:
The Key to Good Health and Vitality!
A healthy colon is the key to living a healthy life!
The colon (large intestine), is the end portion of the human digestive tract. The colon is approximately 5 to 5½ feet long and 2½ inches in diameter.
Its major functions are to conserve water in the body... and to eliminate waste from the body. There are "friendly" bacteria living in the healthy colon which synthesize valuable nutrients such as vitamins 'K' and portions of the 'B' complex. But unfortunately...
The average American does not have a healthy colon!
I'll bet you didn't know that the average person — one who is neither overweight, nor noticeably allergic to things — may have 10 to 25 pounds of dried fecal matter in their colon! But that's for someone who is at normal weight for their height and age...
If you're over weight or a highly allergic person...
You might be carrying around a lot more than that!
The typical American diet, consisting of high-fat, low-fiber, refined junk foods... including flour, meat, fat, sugar, alcohol, preservatives and toxins, is the primary reason the colon becomes so unhealthy. The toxins generated from accumulated waste matter in the colon, are responsible for many body imbalances... which can lead to very serious over weight and health problems!
Furthermore, the average American diet includes less than a fraction of the fiber foods necessary to promote elimination of toxins from the body. Poor diet, improper food-combining and lack of dietary fiber make maintenance of a healthy colon virtually impossible. As a consequence...
It is very common to find people with unhealthy and weakened digestive systems!
Virtually all weight challenges can be traced to imbalances in the colon/digestive system as either a primary contributor... or a secondary problem which accentuates slowdowns in other critical body systems, like the endocrine (glandular) system and the circulatory system.
Toxins present in the unhealthy colon can be transported into the circulatory system... And soon the body may be unable to properly metabolize food and fat, or to provide vital energy for living!
A classic sign of colon toxicity in women — and one of their most common complaints about their figures — is their potbelly. This condition may be very simple to correct by adopting an improved health regimen.
A distended abdomen, may indicate a more serious problem and the presence of a fecal ball in the colon which gathers more and more coatings the longer it remains.
For many people, the signs of a colon dysfunction are so much a part of their daily experience that... They don't even suspect their health is in danger!
The colon depicted below is characteristic
to a person who consumes mixed-cooked foods,
including an average amount of meat and starches.
ABNORMAL COLON
Do you experience any of these health problems?
Constipation Diarrhea
Frequent Severe Headaches Backaches
Fatigue Bad Breathe (Halitosis)
Foul Body Odor Irritability
Chronic Skin Problems (Acne) Frequent Mental Confusion
Abdominal Gas & Bloating Lower Back Pain
Sciatic pain Low Energy & Vitality
Low Resistance to Colds Frequent Infections
These all can be indications you need to cleanse your body's elimination system.
Colonic Irrigation using Colon Hydrotherapy is an
excellent way to accomplish this objective!
Benefits which may be accomplished by Colon Hydrotherapy:
•Cleansing
Toxic material is broken down so it can no longer harm your body or inhibit assimilation and elimination. Fecal debris built up over a long period is gently removed over a series of irrigations. Once this impacted material is removed, your colon can again begin its normal elimination function. A colon hydrotherapy session may be considered a rejuvenation treatment for your body.
•Exercises
The build up of toxic debris weakens the colon and impairs its function. Gentle filling and emptying of the colon can improve peristaltic (natural muscular contraction) activity, which aids efficient removal of waste material.
•Reshapes
Over time, the natural shape of a problematic colon will become distorted, causing even more problems. The gentle water action and massage techniques of the therapist will help eliminate protruding pockets of waste and narrow, spastic constrictions. After a series of colon hydrotherapy treatments, the colon gradually begins to resume its natural shape.
•Stimulation of Reflex Points
Every system and organ of the body is connected to the colon by reflex points. A colon hydrotherapy session stimulates these reflex points, thereby effecting the corresponding body parts... In a beneficial way similar to reflexology.
I don't have any health problems... Can colon hydrotherapy help me too?
Maybe colon hydrotherapy sounds good for some people... But not YOU! You eat a high-fiber diet, drink lots of water, exercise and eliminate with regularity.
Yes, even healthy people can benefit from a series of colonic irrigations... Waste deposits may remain trapped in your colon for weeks, months or even years, despite following a strict health regimen!
Consider this reported case... During a colon hydrotherapy session, a 54 year-old woman in Atlanta,
Georgia discovered that her body had released a residue of barium. But she had only be given barium once in her life — when she was just 7 years old — 47 years earlier!
It had remained trapped in her colon all those years, until the colon hydrotherapy session released it...
A buildup of old, putrefied fecal waste can block proper
digestion, nutrient absorption, waste elimination and provides
an excellent breeding ground for germs and parasites . . .
Worldwide, it is estimated that 200 million people are infested by intestinal parasites.
Parasites are man's deadliest enemy... they kill more people annually than do cancers! Symptoms associated with parasite infestation can include restless sleeping, fatigue, poor assimilation and absorption of nutrients, food cravings (especially for sugars and breads), as well as an inability to feel satisfied after a large meal.
The best way to maintain a healthy colon and good digestion is to:
•Eat a natural wholesome, high-fiber, low-fat diet.
•Drink plenty of pure water daily.
•Exercise on a regular basis and try to avoid stress.
But this may not be enough... If that's you, consider the benefits of using Colon Hydrotherapy!
The following depicts a healthy colon
and the reflex points corresponding to various
body organs and health conditions.
NORMAL COLON
Colon hydrotherapy has helped many people to overcome difficult health problems and is helping many more to maintain good health into their future. For these people... Colon hydrotherapy has proven to be...
The key to living a healthier, more vibrant life!
If you or anyone you know are suffering any of the health problems mentioned above — including under or over weight challenges — you may be well advised to contact a Colon Hydrotherapist in your area.
Colon cleansing success is dependent on pre-existing colon health and the amount of water you consume on a daily basis.
http://colonhealth.net/colon_hydrotherapy/chtvital.htm
The Key to Good Health and Vitality!
A healthy colon is the key to living a healthy life!
The colon (large intestine), is the end portion of the human digestive tract. The colon is approximately 5 to 5½ feet long and 2½ inches in diameter.
Its major functions are to conserve water in the body... and to eliminate waste from the body. There are "friendly" bacteria living in the healthy colon which synthesize valuable nutrients such as vitamins 'K' and portions of the 'B' complex. But unfortunately...
The average American does not have a healthy colon!
I'll bet you didn't know that the average person — one who is neither overweight, nor noticeably allergic to things — may have 10 to 25 pounds of dried fecal matter in their colon! But that's for someone who is at normal weight for their height and age...
If you're over weight or a highly allergic person...
You might be carrying around a lot more than that!
The typical American diet, consisting of high-fat, low-fiber, refined junk foods... including flour, meat, fat, sugar, alcohol, preservatives and toxins, is the primary reason the colon becomes so unhealthy. The toxins generated from accumulated waste matter in the colon, are responsible for many body imbalances... which can lead to very serious over weight and health problems!
Furthermore, the average American diet includes less than a fraction of the fiber foods necessary to promote elimination of toxins from the body. Poor diet, improper food-combining and lack of dietary fiber make maintenance of a healthy colon virtually impossible. As a consequence...
It is very common to find people with unhealthy and weakened digestive systems!
Virtually all weight challenges can be traced to imbalances in the colon/digestive system as either a primary contributor... or a secondary problem which accentuates slowdowns in other critical body systems, like the endocrine (glandular) system and the circulatory system.
Toxins present in the unhealthy colon can be transported into the circulatory system... And soon the body may be unable to properly metabolize food and fat, or to provide vital energy for living!
A classic sign of colon toxicity in women — and one of their most common complaints about their figures — is their potbelly. This condition may be very simple to correct by adopting an improved health regimen.
A distended abdomen, may indicate a more serious problem and the presence of a fecal ball in the colon which gathers more and more coatings the longer it remains.
For many people, the signs of a colon dysfunction are so much a part of their daily experience that... They don't even suspect their health is in danger!
The colon depicted below is characteristic
to a person who consumes mixed-cooked foods,
including an average amount of meat and starches.
ABNORMAL COLON
Do you experience any of these health problems?
Constipation Diarrhea
Frequent Severe Headaches Backaches
Fatigue Bad Breathe (Halitosis)
Foul Body Odor Irritability
Chronic Skin Problems (Acne) Frequent Mental Confusion
Abdominal Gas & Bloating Lower Back Pain
Sciatic pain Low Energy & Vitality
Low Resistance to Colds Frequent Infections
These all can be indications you need to cleanse your body's elimination system.
Colonic Irrigation using Colon Hydrotherapy is an
excellent way to accomplish this objective!
Benefits which may be accomplished by Colon Hydrotherapy:
•Cleansing
Toxic material is broken down so it can no longer harm your body or inhibit assimilation and elimination. Fecal debris built up over a long period is gently removed over a series of irrigations. Once this impacted material is removed, your colon can again begin its normal elimination function. A colon hydrotherapy session may be considered a rejuvenation treatment for your body.
•Exercises
The build up of toxic debris weakens the colon and impairs its function. Gentle filling and emptying of the colon can improve peristaltic (natural muscular contraction) activity, which aids efficient removal of waste material.
•Reshapes
Over time, the natural shape of a problematic colon will become distorted, causing even more problems. The gentle water action and massage techniques of the therapist will help eliminate protruding pockets of waste and narrow, spastic constrictions. After a series of colon hydrotherapy treatments, the colon gradually begins to resume its natural shape.
•Stimulation of Reflex Points
Every system and organ of the body is connected to the colon by reflex points. A colon hydrotherapy session stimulates these reflex points, thereby effecting the corresponding body parts... In a beneficial way similar to reflexology.
I don't have any health problems... Can colon hydrotherapy help me too?
Maybe colon hydrotherapy sounds good for some people... But not YOU! You eat a high-fiber diet, drink lots of water, exercise and eliminate with regularity.
Yes, even healthy people can benefit from a series of colonic irrigations... Waste deposits may remain trapped in your colon for weeks, months or even years, despite following a strict health regimen!
Consider this reported case... During a colon hydrotherapy session, a 54 year-old woman in Atlanta,
Georgia discovered that her body had released a residue of barium. But she had only be given barium once in her life — when she was just 7 years old — 47 years earlier!
It had remained trapped in her colon all those years, until the colon hydrotherapy session released it...
A buildup of old, putrefied fecal waste can block proper
digestion, nutrient absorption, waste elimination and provides
an excellent breeding ground for germs and parasites . . .
Worldwide, it is estimated that 200 million people are infested by intestinal parasites.
Parasites are man's deadliest enemy... they kill more people annually than do cancers! Symptoms associated with parasite infestation can include restless sleeping, fatigue, poor assimilation and absorption of nutrients, food cravings (especially for sugars and breads), as well as an inability to feel satisfied after a large meal.
The best way to maintain a healthy colon and good digestion is to:
•Eat a natural wholesome, high-fiber, low-fat diet.
•Drink plenty of pure water daily.
•Exercise on a regular basis and try to avoid stress.
But this may not be enough... If that's you, consider the benefits of using Colon Hydrotherapy!
The following depicts a healthy colon
and the reflex points corresponding to various
body organs and health conditions.
NORMAL COLON
Colon hydrotherapy has helped many people to overcome difficult health problems and is helping many more to maintain good health into their future. For these people... Colon hydrotherapy has proven to be...
The key to living a healthier, more vibrant life!
If you or anyone you know are suffering any of the health problems mentioned above — including under or over weight challenges — you may be well advised to contact a Colon Hydrotherapist in your area.
Colon cleansing success is dependent on pre-existing colon health and the amount of water you consume on a daily basis.
http://colonhealth.net/colon_hydrotherapy/chtvital.htm
Special Health Alert: Death Begins in a Toxic Colon!
Special Health Alert: Death Begins in a Toxic Colon!
by Angela A. Lansford
I know talking about your bowel function; constipation, diarrhea and diseases caused by neglecting the health of your colon is certainly not a pleasant subject...
But, it just might be worth investigating, if you can learn how to improve your health, or better yet, avoid serious health problems that develop from having a toxic colon.
And the good news is, there are some really excellent and simple ways you can protect yourself.
The first step is learning about the benefits of colon cleansing and how keeping your elimination system strong, and in optimal working order, is vital to living a long, healthy life.
Let’s be honest, no one who eats a "modern" diet can escape the formation of mucoid and metabolic waste deposits on the inner walls of their colon. For instance, consumption of white bread which contains very little or no fiber, has large amounts of gluten which is a sticky wheat protein... and forms a pasty glue inside our intestines.
Our digestive systems were never designed to handle this type of food, not to mention all the fats, sugar, and preservatives commonly found within most every product on our grocery store shelves.
Obviously, we aren’t going to stop eating. But even if you’re careful with your diet, watching what you eat all the time; it’s almost inevitably that our digestive tracts, and particularly your colon, can become compromised. Over time your colon can become partially blocked, terribly distorted, or dysfunctional through years of poor eating habits, stress, alcohol or drug use.
The end result can be dehydration causing chronic constipation, or alternating bouts of diarrhea and poor general health.
In fact, many people who are not particularly over weight or obese, may be carrying around 10 to 25 pounds of dried fecal matter in their colons! Overweight, over stressed, or people with severe allergies could easily have even more than that! Children are not exempt either, and poor eating habits may lead to a lifetime of digestive disorders, if ignored.
Accumulated waste built up in your colon can lead to colon toxicity which is responsible for many body imbalances, and could be the underlying cause of many of the weight and health problems we see people struggling with every day.
The first step to a truly successful weight loss program, may involve cleansing your colon and a visit to your local colon hydrotherapist.
Maintaining a healthy colon is vital to helping you maintain a healthy body, and essential to regaining optimum health. If you want to prevent colon toxicity, chronic disease and premature aging, cleansing your colon is essential.
Doesn’t this just make common sense?
If you are carrying around toxic metabolic waste in your colon day after day, for weeks or even months at a time, how can you possibly maintain a healthy body? This unwanted build-up adheres to the walls of your colon and can interfere with natural peristalsis — the wave-like muscle contractions which move waste deposits along the approximate 5½ feet of your colon — and ultimate elimination.
This colon dysfunction, along with inadequate daily water consumption, can be a primary contributor to chronic constipation.
When large amounts of the colon's surface become coated with impermeable dried fecal matter and lumps of mucous, 7 things can happen:
Delays in expelling fecal matter increase the amount of toxins absorbed into your body.
The absorption of nutrients that your body needs is severely restricted.
Water within the colon, that would normally be filtered back into the bloodstream, cannot be reabsorbed which leads to dehydration and autointoxication.
You may experience low energy levels, general muscle weakness, daily fatigue at work, and restless sleeping habits at night.
This toxic environment is the perfect breeding ground for harmful bacteria and parasites.
Chronic problems with constipation, irritable bowel syndrome and diarrhea.
Unexplained weight gains, and an inability to control or lose the excess weight, even though you eat a moderate, balanced diet.
Left untreated, a toxic colon can prevent you from metabolizing food, fat and absorbing the nutrients from the food you eat. Eventually your body and your health deteriorates, leading to disease and in extreme causes, death.
But this is entirely preventable. Colon cleansing is the best defense against colon toxicity developing, as well as maintaining a healthy diet and active lifestyle.
Don’t let an unhealthy colon become a breeding ground for toxic poisons, parasites, disease and death. Cleanse your colon today using a natural colon cleanser and visit a colon hydrotherapist if one is available in your area.
Diarrhea is just as strong an indicator of colon toxicity as is constipation!
Do you have any of the symptoms described in this Special Health Alert?
http://colonhealth.net/free_reports/alerttxt.htm
by Angela A. Lansford
I know talking about your bowel function; constipation, diarrhea and diseases caused by neglecting the health of your colon is certainly not a pleasant subject...
But, it just might be worth investigating, if you can learn how to improve your health, or better yet, avoid serious health problems that develop from having a toxic colon.
And the good news is, there are some really excellent and simple ways you can protect yourself.
The first step is learning about the benefits of colon cleansing and how keeping your elimination system strong, and in optimal working order, is vital to living a long, healthy life.
Let’s be honest, no one who eats a "modern" diet can escape the formation of mucoid and metabolic waste deposits on the inner walls of their colon. For instance, consumption of white bread which contains very little or no fiber, has large amounts of gluten which is a sticky wheat protein... and forms a pasty glue inside our intestines.
Our digestive systems were never designed to handle this type of food, not to mention all the fats, sugar, and preservatives commonly found within most every product on our grocery store shelves.
Obviously, we aren’t going to stop eating. But even if you’re careful with your diet, watching what you eat all the time; it’s almost inevitably that our digestive tracts, and particularly your colon, can become compromised. Over time your colon can become partially blocked, terribly distorted, or dysfunctional through years of poor eating habits, stress, alcohol or drug use.
The end result can be dehydration causing chronic constipation, or alternating bouts of diarrhea and poor general health.
In fact, many people who are not particularly over weight or obese, may be carrying around 10 to 25 pounds of dried fecal matter in their colons! Overweight, over stressed, or people with severe allergies could easily have even more than that! Children are not exempt either, and poor eating habits may lead to a lifetime of digestive disorders, if ignored.
Accumulated waste built up in your colon can lead to colon toxicity which is responsible for many body imbalances, and could be the underlying cause of many of the weight and health problems we see people struggling with every day.
The first step to a truly successful weight loss program, may involve cleansing your colon and a visit to your local colon hydrotherapist.
Maintaining a healthy colon is vital to helping you maintain a healthy body, and essential to regaining optimum health. If you want to prevent colon toxicity, chronic disease and premature aging, cleansing your colon is essential.
Doesn’t this just make common sense?
If you are carrying around toxic metabolic waste in your colon day after day, for weeks or even months at a time, how can you possibly maintain a healthy body? This unwanted build-up adheres to the walls of your colon and can interfere with natural peristalsis — the wave-like muscle contractions which move waste deposits along the approximate 5½ feet of your colon — and ultimate elimination.
This colon dysfunction, along with inadequate daily water consumption, can be a primary contributor to chronic constipation.
When large amounts of the colon's surface become coated with impermeable dried fecal matter and lumps of mucous, 7 things can happen:
Delays in expelling fecal matter increase the amount of toxins absorbed into your body.
The absorption of nutrients that your body needs is severely restricted.
Water within the colon, that would normally be filtered back into the bloodstream, cannot be reabsorbed which leads to dehydration and autointoxication.
You may experience low energy levels, general muscle weakness, daily fatigue at work, and restless sleeping habits at night.
This toxic environment is the perfect breeding ground for harmful bacteria and parasites.
Chronic problems with constipation, irritable bowel syndrome and diarrhea.
Unexplained weight gains, and an inability to control or lose the excess weight, even though you eat a moderate, balanced diet.
Left untreated, a toxic colon can prevent you from metabolizing food, fat and absorbing the nutrients from the food you eat. Eventually your body and your health deteriorates, leading to disease and in extreme causes, death.
But this is entirely preventable. Colon cleansing is the best defense against colon toxicity developing, as well as maintaining a healthy diet and active lifestyle.
Don’t let an unhealthy colon become a breeding ground for toxic poisons, parasites, disease and death. Cleanse your colon today using a natural colon cleanser and visit a colon hydrotherapist if one is available in your area.
Diarrhea is just as strong an indicator of colon toxicity as is constipation!
Do you have any of the symptoms described in this Special Health Alert?
http://colonhealth.net/free_reports/alerttxt.htm
Colon Hydrotherapy: A Forgotten Art
Colon Hydrotherapy: A Forgotten Art
by Tony Centracchio, P.A.
Colon Hydrotherapy, a popular form of treatment among certain physicians in the 1930's and 40's is undergoing a resurgence.
Colon lavage was first recorded 1500 B.C., in Ebers Papyrus, which dealt with the practice of medicine. These enemas were described as the infusion of aqueous substances into the large intestine through the anus.
Hippocrates (4th and 5th Century B.C.) recorded using enemas for fever therapy. Galen (2nd Century A.D.) also recognized and was proponent of the use of enemas. Pare in 1600 A.D. offered the first distinction between colon irrigation and the popular enema therapy of the age.
Colon Hydrotherapy, since the turn of the 20th century, has experienced periods of popularity alternating with periods of reaction. The factors that contributed to this ambivalence primarily were due to the practice of colon hydrotherapy by the untrained and unskilled, which was very detrimental to its professional growth.
When the therapy gained the attention of such physicians as James A. Wiltsie, M.D. and Joseph E.G. Waddington, M.D., great value was placed on the therapeutic benefits of this modality.
The philosophy attributed to colon therapy by certain physicians of this era was depicted by Dr. Waddington: "Abnormal functioning of the intestinal canal is the precursor of much ill-health, especially of chronic disease conditions. Restoration of physiologic intestinal elimination is often the first, but to often ignored, important preliminary to eventual restoration of the health in general."
Dr. Wiltsie contends that, "Our knowledge of the normal and abnormal physiology of the colon, and of its pathology and management, has not kept pace with that of many organs and systems of the body. As long as we continue to assume that the colon will take care of itself, just that long will we remain in complete ignorance of perhaps the most important source of ill health in the whole body."
In summary, through misconceptions, misunderstandings and preconceived emotionalism, controversy has prevailed, but accomplished nothing.
Historically, we recognize two unequivocal conclusions:
•First, there is something of value to this therapy, or it would have been conclusively withdrawn;
•Second, that through lack of professional control and study, colon hydrotherapy never received the attention and recognition it justly deserves.
Today, with modern technological advancements in colon hydrotherapy instrumentation, colon hydrotherapy has become a safe, valuable modality to the physician in treating disease.
The Colon Hydrotherapy Session
Colon hydrotherapy is an extended and more complete form of an enema. The treatment is designed to cleanse above the natural defecation area of the rectum to the cecum.
Colon hydrotherapy involves the gentle infusion of warm filtered water into the rectum, using no chemicals or drugs. It is the natural solution to conditions, which interfere with the normal functions of the colon.
The procedure includes the gentle insertion of a small rectal tube into the client by the therapist or physician. The individual lies on his back, and water is mechanically infused into and out of the intestine without any assistance on the part of the patient. The out flowing water removes excess flatus (gas), mucus, infectious material and feces.
Modern colon hydrotherapy instruments can incorporate a water pressure well below that of a standard hospital enema. The temperature, water pressure and flow can be continually monitored throughout the treatment by the operator. The treatment can be performed without any discomfort on the part of the patient. This is a closed system in that flatus (gas) and waste material are evacuated through the hose attached to the instrument and eliminated via the drain line.
There is no offensive odor or health risk to those in contact with sick patients as with enemas and bedpans and the dignity of the patient is maintained.
During the empty cycle, the therapist gently manipulated the abdomen over the intestine to facilitate removal of waste material. Under the direction of a physician, the temperature of the water can be alternated, inducing relaxation and contraction of colon muscular walls with warm and cool water respectively, providing benefit for the atonic bowel condition.
Colon hydrotherapy instruments also offer the administration of oxygen by prescription with the inflowing water for the treatment of parasites, as well as for anti-inflammatory and healing purposes. Supplemental infusion solutions (i.e. saline, kayxelate, etc.) or others as prescribed by a physician can be offered.
There are instruments, which feature a built-in check valve, which prevents waste water from returning to the water source. Colon hydrotherapy equipment also features a disposable unit, which consists of a speculum, obturator, water and waste line, eliminating any possible contamination of the patient from a previous treatment.
Colon hydrotherapy is thought to remove fecal material from colon walls and dilutes the bacterial toxin concentration in the large intestine. The cleansing effects of colon hydrotherapy reduce stagnation and subsequent bacterial proliferation in the colon and maintain harmony of the intestinal flora in promoting optimal colon health.
Therapeutic effects are improved muscle tone, which facilitates peristaltic action and enhances the absorption of nutrients from the cecum and ascending colon, while minimizing the absorption of toxic waste material. In addition, the removal of stagnant waste material and comprised toxins could rejuvenate the immune tissue that resides in the intestine — recent European studies speculate that a greater portion (80%) of immune tissue, than previously thought, resides in the intestines.
Colon hydrotherapy is not a cure-all, but an important adjunctive therapy in the overall health care of the patient. The principle involves tubular and cellular drainage outwardly from the rectum and inwardly via the portal and mesenteric lymphatic system.
The enema's cleansing ability is limited to the area of the rectosigmoid and shorter periods of time because of the body's natural wish to expel material from the rectum. Colon hydrotherapy extends beyond the natural expulsion area to offer greater cleansing and therapeutic benefits.
Variations in the enema therapy include: cleansing, which softens the feces and promotes evacuation of the bowel; retention, which softens the feces and lubricates the lower bowel and rectum, carminative, which is used primarily to relieve flatus (gas) and nutrient, which provides liquid nutrition for rapid absorption by the colon and rectum.
Disease and functional disturbances of the digestive organs are the most frequently complained about problems today. The health of most organs as well as our overall well-being depends upon how well our bowels (intestines) function. A change in the diet after many years of wrong eating habits does not assure optimal colon health.
The American Cancer Society suggests that bowel cancer is caused by environmental agents such as pesticides, herbicides and carcinogenic agents in the air.
Research has shown that regular use of refined carbohydrates and lack of fiber in the diet increases the transit time of bowel wastes and stimulates putrefaction in the colon. Both of these factors have been linked to constipation and certain bowel diseases such as: diverticulitis, colitis and colon cancer, which has a high success rate for cure with surgical management when detected early.
The American Cancer Society has provided evidence in recent years which suggest that bowel cancer is caused by environmental agents such as: pesticides and herbicides sprayed on crops, hormones, and antibiotics fed to animals, and carcinogenic agents in the air we breath.
Periodic cleansing of the colon could minimize the exposure of these potential carcinogens to the colon wall.
The indications for colon hydrotherapy as determined by the physician include:
acute fecal impaction constipation or bloating
colitus diarrhea
parasitic infections atonic colon
mucus colitis fever therapy
hyper/hypothermia para/quadriplegic bowel training
flatulence hemorrhoids (mild)
intestinal toxemia nutrient supplementation
diverticulosis detox alcohol/drug units
preparation for Barium x-ray colonoscopy or surgery
Other indications, which require direct supervision by physician, are Diverticulitis, ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease, on site preparation following trauma, and up to 4 months of pregnancy.
The contraindications for colon hydrotherapy include:
Severe cardiac disease, (uncontrolled HTN or CHF), aneurysm, severe anemia, GI hemorrhage or perforation, severe hemorrhoids, cirrhosis, carcinoma of the colon, fissures fistulas, advanced pregnancy, abdominal hernia, recent colon surgery or renal insufficiency.
Common Concerns about Colon Hydrotherapy:
Laxatives vs. Colon Hydrotherapy
Laxatives act as chemical irritants and stimulate the muscular walls of the colon to abnormally contract to expel the irritating substances. It is very easy to become dependent upon these drugs.
The oral route of administration is the least optimal method of evacuation of the large intestine. Very important digestive processes occurring higher up in the alimentary tract (stomach and small intestine) are interfered with. Most laxatives and other cathartics precipitate dehydration in the patient.
Colon hydrotherapy alternately fills and empties the colon and would improve the hydration status of the patient.
What about possible electrolyte depletion in the colon?
When the body is properly nourished with good quality organic foods containing sodium, potassium and magnesium, the electrolyte level of the colon is replenished as part of the diet.
Will the intestinal flora be disturbed by Colon Hydrotherapy?
The large intestine is producing bacteria on a daily basis and adherence to proper nutrition will enhance the colon's ability to maintain balance following colon hydrotherapy. The physician may elect to prescribe lacto acidophilus/bacillus culture to facilitate this process or incorporate low fat dairy products (yogurt, etc.) into the patient's dietary program.
What about possible contamination?
Following a colon hydrotherapy treatment, the instrument is thoroughly cleansed and disinfected. A potent germicidal solution is used to properly disinfect the instrument and its contents are not harmful to the colon environment. When the disinfecting procedure is completed, the instrument is generously cleaned with water to flush the germicidal solution completely from the colon hydrotherapy instrument.
What about possible perforation of the colon?
Modern instruments can introduce a minimal starting pressure of 1/8 - 1/4 psi, which produces one pint of water per minute flow. The treatment, then, can be performed effectively, below the 1 psi setting (in contrast to a standard hospital enema, which starts as 2 psi and increases another psi per foot of elevation.
Colon Hydrotherapy as a preparation method?
Colon hydrotherapy offers valuable application as a preparation method for diagnostic study of the large intestine. The superior preparation would provide an optimal study (x-ray, sigmoidoscopy, and colonoscopy) and allow for a more accurate diagnosis. The procedure would minimize the incidence of improperly prepared patients and the need for repeat studies, which represents a significant cost factor, as well as in the case of Barium Enema, additional radiation exposure to the patient.
Over $400 million is spent annually on laxatives in the U.S.
Patient discomfort resulting from retained barium could be avoided utilizing colon hydrotherapy cleansing of the barium solution. Following the x-ray study, colon hydrotherapy would eliminate the problem of residual opaque material in subsequent upper GI series of plain film studies.
Finally, improved quality of the preparation preceding barium implantation may decrease the risk of perforation at the time of administration. In the specialty of gastroenterology, colon hydrotherapy would provide optimal preparation for sigmoidoscopy/colonoscopy and maximize the physician's timetable.
Colon hydrotherapy would also function as a valuable preparation for gastrointestinal surgery. This colon cleansing system would provide a more optimal surgical field and potentially decrease the risk of postoperative complications
Good health is as much a function of our elimination status as the quality of food we ingest. Consider that over 400 million dollars is spent annually on laxatives in the United States.
Every year 140,000 Americans are diagnosed as having colorectal cancer. Of this population, 44% will die as a result of the disease.
Colon cancer is the second leading cancer killer in the U.S., following lung cancer in men and breast cancer in women. At least two million suffer from colitis, ileitis and diverticulitis, and 100,000 have a colostomy each year.
Periodic cleansing could minimize the exposure of potential carcinogens to colon walls. The colon hydrotherapy procedure allows the opportunity for digital rectal examination. At this time a hemocult smear (persons over 30) could be obtained, and a screening method for the detection of colorectal cancer observed. Periodic cleansing could dilute the toxin concentration in the cecum and facilitate the removal of same.
The result is a reduced load on the portal and lymphatic system allowing the five eliminative organs to the body to balance the removal of these toxins with their production. When a breakdown in one or more of these systems exists and toxins abound, the potential for disease is greatly increased.
Research has shown a definite correlation between the nature of the diet and type of flora in the intestine. A diet high in protein results in predominantly proteolytic putrefactive bacteria, which produce toxic compounds, some of which are absorbed. Alteration of the physiologic Flora (balanced) can predispose to some 36 bacterial toxins. The physiologic (normal) Flora consists of 30 - 40% gram negative bacillus and over 30% acidophilus. The pathogenic Flora consists of streptococus, staphylococcus, E. coli, etc., which are present normally in small numbers.
When conditions exist that alter this proposed balance, the pathogenic Flora can flourish and be a source of disease.
Small amounts of protein, fats and carbohydrates escaping digestion in the small intestine may be digested by bacterial enzymes in the large intestine. These organisms are capable of breaking down (cellulose) and synthesize folic acid and other B vitamins, as well as vitamin K. E. coli has recently been recognized as being able to split triglycerides (fatty acids). Certain amino acids: tryptophan, tyrosine, phenylalanine and histidine under bacterial enzyme influence produce the toxic compounds: skatole, indole, phenol, cresol, histamine, etc.
The products of putrefaction may be absorbed in small quantities by the mucosa and transported to the liver, where they are detoxified to be excreted by the kidney in the form of sulfates and glucuronides. The material which remains in the colon and is eliminated in the feces contain indole, skatole, mercaptan, hydrogen sulfide and bacterial end products of cystine, which gives the feces an unpleasant odor. The color of the feces is due to bacterial action on stercobilin (bile pigment).
Some ammonia is formed by bacteria in the intestine, mainly from digestive products of proteins and converted to urea in the liver. In liver disease such as cirrhosis, increased levels of ammonia in the vascular system can cause neurological symptoms resembling hepatic coma. A low protein diet may ameliorate these systems.
Cleansing the colon serves to dilute and remove the toxin concentration in the large intestine and respective blood supply. Speculation has been made that a change in diet from high protein to high carbohydrate results in dominance of a non-putrefactive Flora.
Other evidence implies that the ingestion of fermentable carbohydrates (glucose, fructose, lactose) results in delay of or complete inhibition of the putrefactive process. The liver is the main detoxification organ of the body. The portal vein drains the gastrointestinal tract, gall bladder, pancreas and spleen. The blood retrieved from the stomach and intestines is not returned to the heart but shunted to the liver where portal blood is discharged into sinusoids of the liver, which are surrounded by liver cells. In addition to removing, altering, storing and delivering the body digested fats, carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins and minerals, hepatocyte (liver cells) would detoxify and toxic material present and remove them from the system.
The problem arises when toxins are present in too great a number to be adequately handled by the liver. As with any organ or system in the body, the liver has a certain capacity for performing these functions of metabolism. When an unusual burden is placed on any one system, a breakdown occurs which affects the body as a whole.
This breakdown results in an increased absorption of toxic substances, and if left uncollected the body will poison itself (autointoxication).
Intestinal cleansing is a therapeutic measure, which addresses the cause or source of the problem. Other measures, which treat only the symptoms, will provide only temporary relief of the problem. Colon hydrotherapy could clean and dilute the toxin load in the large intestine, resulting in a reduced burden on the liver, allowing the eliminative organs to function optimally.
Colon hydrotherapy could also prevent stagnation and minimize the exposure of carcinogenic agents to the colon wall. The above combined effect may serve to rejuvenate the immunological system and truly be a pathway to vibrant health!
References for this article will be supplied upon request.
About the author: Tony Centracchio, P.A., is a graduate of Cornell Medical College who has devoted years of research to upgrading and refining the technology of today's colon hydrotherapy instrumentation and who is closely associated with Dotolo Research. All editorials are submitted to our editorial board for review. Each article published is selected for its technical merit and overall excellence. Reproduced in its entirety from the October 1986 issue of "The American Chiropractor."
http://colonhealth.net/colon_hydrotherapy/forgottenart4.htm
by Tony Centracchio, P.A.
Colon Hydrotherapy, a popular form of treatment among certain physicians in the 1930's and 40's is undergoing a resurgence.
Colon lavage was first recorded 1500 B.C., in Ebers Papyrus, which dealt with the practice of medicine. These enemas were described as the infusion of aqueous substances into the large intestine through the anus.
Hippocrates (4th and 5th Century B.C.) recorded using enemas for fever therapy. Galen (2nd Century A.D.) also recognized and was proponent of the use of enemas. Pare in 1600 A.D. offered the first distinction between colon irrigation and the popular enema therapy of the age.
Colon Hydrotherapy, since the turn of the 20th century, has experienced periods of popularity alternating with periods of reaction. The factors that contributed to this ambivalence primarily were due to the practice of colon hydrotherapy by the untrained and unskilled, which was very detrimental to its professional growth.
When the therapy gained the attention of such physicians as James A. Wiltsie, M.D. and Joseph E.G. Waddington, M.D., great value was placed on the therapeutic benefits of this modality.
The philosophy attributed to colon therapy by certain physicians of this era was depicted by Dr. Waddington: "Abnormal functioning of the intestinal canal is the precursor of much ill-health, especially of chronic disease conditions. Restoration of physiologic intestinal elimination is often the first, but to often ignored, important preliminary to eventual restoration of the health in general."
Dr. Wiltsie contends that, "Our knowledge of the normal and abnormal physiology of the colon, and of its pathology and management, has not kept pace with that of many organs and systems of the body. As long as we continue to assume that the colon will take care of itself, just that long will we remain in complete ignorance of perhaps the most important source of ill health in the whole body."
In summary, through misconceptions, misunderstandings and preconceived emotionalism, controversy has prevailed, but accomplished nothing.
Historically, we recognize two unequivocal conclusions:
•First, there is something of value to this therapy, or it would have been conclusively withdrawn;
•Second, that through lack of professional control and study, colon hydrotherapy never received the attention and recognition it justly deserves.
Today, with modern technological advancements in colon hydrotherapy instrumentation, colon hydrotherapy has become a safe, valuable modality to the physician in treating disease.
The Colon Hydrotherapy Session
Colon hydrotherapy is an extended and more complete form of an enema. The treatment is designed to cleanse above the natural defecation area of the rectum to the cecum.
Colon hydrotherapy involves the gentle infusion of warm filtered water into the rectum, using no chemicals or drugs. It is the natural solution to conditions, which interfere with the normal functions of the colon.
The procedure includes the gentle insertion of a small rectal tube into the client by the therapist or physician. The individual lies on his back, and water is mechanically infused into and out of the intestine without any assistance on the part of the patient. The out flowing water removes excess flatus (gas), mucus, infectious material and feces.
Modern colon hydrotherapy instruments can incorporate a water pressure well below that of a standard hospital enema. The temperature, water pressure and flow can be continually monitored throughout the treatment by the operator. The treatment can be performed without any discomfort on the part of the patient. This is a closed system in that flatus (gas) and waste material are evacuated through the hose attached to the instrument and eliminated via the drain line.
There is no offensive odor or health risk to those in contact with sick patients as with enemas and bedpans and the dignity of the patient is maintained.
During the empty cycle, the therapist gently manipulated the abdomen over the intestine to facilitate removal of waste material. Under the direction of a physician, the temperature of the water can be alternated, inducing relaxation and contraction of colon muscular walls with warm and cool water respectively, providing benefit for the atonic bowel condition.
Colon hydrotherapy instruments also offer the administration of oxygen by prescription with the inflowing water for the treatment of parasites, as well as for anti-inflammatory and healing purposes. Supplemental infusion solutions (i.e. saline, kayxelate, etc.) or others as prescribed by a physician can be offered.
There are instruments, which feature a built-in check valve, which prevents waste water from returning to the water source. Colon hydrotherapy equipment also features a disposable unit, which consists of a speculum, obturator, water and waste line, eliminating any possible contamination of the patient from a previous treatment.
Colon hydrotherapy is thought to remove fecal material from colon walls and dilutes the bacterial toxin concentration in the large intestine. The cleansing effects of colon hydrotherapy reduce stagnation and subsequent bacterial proliferation in the colon and maintain harmony of the intestinal flora in promoting optimal colon health.
Therapeutic effects are improved muscle tone, which facilitates peristaltic action and enhances the absorption of nutrients from the cecum and ascending colon, while minimizing the absorption of toxic waste material. In addition, the removal of stagnant waste material and comprised toxins could rejuvenate the immune tissue that resides in the intestine — recent European studies speculate that a greater portion (80%) of immune tissue, than previously thought, resides in the intestines.
Colon hydrotherapy is not a cure-all, but an important adjunctive therapy in the overall health care of the patient. The principle involves tubular and cellular drainage outwardly from the rectum and inwardly via the portal and mesenteric lymphatic system.
The enema's cleansing ability is limited to the area of the rectosigmoid and shorter periods of time because of the body's natural wish to expel material from the rectum. Colon hydrotherapy extends beyond the natural expulsion area to offer greater cleansing and therapeutic benefits.
Variations in the enema therapy include: cleansing, which softens the feces and promotes evacuation of the bowel; retention, which softens the feces and lubricates the lower bowel and rectum, carminative, which is used primarily to relieve flatus (gas) and nutrient, which provides liquid nutrition for rapid absorption by the colon and rectum.
Disease and functional disturbances of the digestive organs are the most frequently complained about problems today. The health of most organs as well as our overall well-being depends upon how well our bowels (intestines) function. A change in the diet after many years of wrong eating habits does not assure optimal colon health.
The American Cancer Society suggests that bowel cancer is caused by environmental agents such as pesticides, herbicides and carcinogenic agents in the air.
Research has shown that regular use of refined carbohydrates and lack of fiber in the diet increases the transit time of bowel wastes and stimulates putrefaction in the colon. Both of these factors have been linked to constipation and certain bowel diseases such as: diverticulitis, colitis and colon cancer, which has a high success rate for cure with surgical management when detected early.
The American Cancer Society has provided evidence in recent years which suggest that bowel cancer is caused by environmental agents such as: pesticides and herbicides sprayed on crops, hormones, and antibiotics fed to animals, and carcinogenic agents in the air we breath.
Periodic cleansing of the colon could minimize the exposure of these potential carcinogens to the colon wall.
The indications for colon hydrotherapy as determined by the physician include:
acute fecal impaction constipation or bloating
colitus diarrhea
parasitic infections atonic colon
mucus colitis fever therapy
hyper/hypothermia para/quadriplegic bowel training
flatulence hemorrhoids (mild)
intestinal toxemia nutrient supplementation
diverticulosis detox alcohol/drug units
preparation for Barium x-ray colonoscopy or surgery
Other indications, which require direct supervision by physician, are Diverticulitis, ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease, on site preparation following trauma, and up to 4 months of pregnancy.
The contraindications for colon hydrotherapy include:
Severe cardiac disease, (uncontrolled HTN or CHF), aneurysm, severe anemia, GI hemorrhage or perforation, severe hemorrhoids, cirrhosis, carcinoma of the colon, fissures fistulas, advanced pregnancy, abdominal hernia, recent colon surgery or renal insufficiency.
Common Concerns about Colon Hydrotherapy:
Laxatives vs. Colon Hydrotherapy
Laxatives act as chemical irritants and stimulate the muscular walls of the colon to abnormally contract to expel the irritating substances. It is very easy to become dependent upon these drugs.
The oral route of administration is the least optimal method of evacuation of the large intestine. Very important digestive processes occurring higher up in the alimentary tract (stomach and small intestine) are interfered with. Most laxatives and other cathartics precipitate dehydration in the patient.
Colon hydrotherapy alternately fills and empties the colon and would improve the hydration status of the patient.
What about possible electrolyte depletion in the colon?
When the body is properly nourished with good quality organic foods containing sodium, potassium and magnesium, the electrolyte level of the colon is replenished as part of the diet.
Will the intestinal flora be disturbed by Colon Hydrotherapy?
The large intestine is producing bacteria on a daily basis and adherence to proper nutrition will enhance the colon's ability to maintain balance following colon hydrotherapy. The physician may elect to prescribe lacto acidophilus/bacillus culture to facilitate this process or incorporate low fat dairy products (yogurt, etc.) into the patient's dietary program.
What about possible contamination?
Following a colon hydrotherapy treatment, the instrument is thoroughly cleansed and disinfected. A potent germicidal solution is used to properly disinfect the instrument and its contents are not harmful to the colon environment. When the disinfecting procedure is completed, the instrument is generously cleaned with water to flush the germicidal solution completely from the colon hydrotherapy instrument.
What about possible perforation of the colon?
Modern instruments can introduce a minimal starting pressure of 1/8 - 1/4 psi, which produces one pint of water per minute flow. The treatment, then, can be performed effectively, below the 1 psi setting (in contrast to a standard hospital enema, which starts as 2 psi and increases another psi per foot of elevation.
Colon Hydrotherapy as a preparation method?
Colon hydrotherapy offers valuable application as a preparation method for diagnostic study of the large intestine. The superior preparation would provide an optimal study (x-ray, sigmoidoscopy, and colonoscopy) and allow for a more accurate diagnosis. The procedure would minimize the incidence of improperly prepared patients and the need for repeat studies, which represents a significant cost factor, as well as in the case of Barium Enema, additional radiation exposure to the patient.
Over $400 million is spent annually on laxatives in the U.S.
Patient discomfort resulting from retained barium could be avoided utilizing colon hydrotherapy cleansing of the barium solution. Following the x-ray study, colon hydrotherapy would eliminate the problem of residual opaque material in subsequent upper GI series of plain film studies.
Finally, improved quality of the preparation preceding barium implantation may decrease the risk of perforation at the time of administration. In the specialty of gastroenterology, colon hydrotherapy would provide optimal preparation for sigmoidoscopy/colonoscopy and maximize the physician's timetable.
Colon hydrotherapy would also function as a valuable preparation for gastrointestinal surgery. This colon cleansing system would provide a more optimal surgical field and potentially decrease the risk of postoperative complications
Good health is as much a function of our elimination status as the quality of food we ingest. Consider that over 400 million dollars is spent annually on laxatives in the United States.
Every year 140,000 Americans are diagnosed as having colorectal cancer. Of this population, 44% will die as a result of the disease.
Colon cancer is the second leading cancer killer in the U.S., following lung cancer in men and breast cancer in women. At least two million suffer from colitis, ileitis and diverticulitis, and 100,000 have a colostomy each year.
Periodic cleansing could minimize the exposure of potential carcinogens to colon walls. The colon hydrotherapy procedure allows the opportunity for digital rectal examination. At this time a hemocult smear (persons over 30) could be obtained, and a screening method for the detection of colorectal cancer observed. Periodic cleansing could dilute the toxin concentration in the cecum and facilitate the removal of same.
The result is a reduced load on the portal and lymphatic system allowing the five eliminative organs to the body to balance the removal of these toxins with their production. When a breakdown in one or more of these systems exists and toxins abound, the potential for disease is greatly increased.
Research has shown a definite correlation between the nature of the diet and type of flora in the intestine. A diet high in protein results in predominantly proteolytic putrefactive bacteria, which produce toxic compounds, some of which are absorbed. Alteration of the physiologic Flora (balanced) can predispose to some 36 bacterial toxins. The physiologic (normal) Flora consists of 30 - 40% gram negative bacillus and over 30% acidophilus. The pathogenic Flora consists of streptococus, staphylococcus, E. coli, etc., which are present normally in small numbers.
When conditions exist that alter this proposed balance, the pathogenic Flora can flourish and be a source of disease.
Small amounts of protein, fats and carbohydrates escaping digestion in the small intestine may be digested by bacterial enzymes in the large intestine. These organisms are capable of breaking down (cellulose) and synthesize folic acid and other B vitamins, as well as vitamin K. E. coli has recently been recognized as being able to split triglycerides (fatty acids). Certain amino acids: tryptophan, tyrosine, phenylalanine and histidine under bacterial enzyme influence produce the toxic compounds: skatole, indole, phenol, cresol, histamine, etc.
The products of putrefaction may be absorbed in small quantities by the mucosa and transported to the liver, where they are detoxified to be excreted by the kidney in the form of sulfates and glucuronides. The material which remains in the colon and is eliminated in the feces contain indole, skatole, mercaptan, hydrogen sulfide and bacterial end products of cystine, which gives the feces an unpleasant odor. The color of the feces is due to bacterial action on stercobilin (bile pigment).
Some ammonia is formed by bacteria in the intestine, mainly from digestive products of proteins and converted to urea in the liver. In liver disease such as cirrhosis, increased levels of ammonia in the vascular system can cause neurological symptoms resembling hepatic coma. A low protein diet may ameliorate these systems.
Cleansing the colon serves to dilute and remove the toxin concentration in the large intestine and respective blood supply. Speculation has been made that a change in diet from high protein to high carbohydrate results in dominance of a non-putrefactive Flora.
Other evidence implies that the ingestion of fermentable carbohydrates (glucose, fructose, lactose) results in delay of or complete inhibition of the putrefactive process. The liver is the main detoxification organ of the body. The portal vein drains the gastrointestinal tract, gall bladder, pancreas and spleen. The blood retrieved from the stomach and intestines is not returned to the heart but shunted to the liver where portal blood is discharged into sinusoids of the liver, which are surrounded by liver cells. In addition to removing, altering, storing and delivering the body digested fats, carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins and minerals, hepatocyte (liver cells) would detoxify and toxic material present and remove them from the system.
The problem arises when toxins are present in too great a number to be adequately handled by the liver. As with any organ or system in the body, the liver has a certain capacity for performing these functions of metabolism. When an unusual burden is placed on any one system, a breakdown occurs which affects the body as a whole.
This breakdown results in an increased absorption of toxic substances, and if left uncollected the body will poison itself (autointoxication).
Intestinal cleansing is a therapeutic measure, which addresses the cause or source of the problem. Other measures, which treat only the symptoms, will provide only temporary relief of the problem. Colon hydrotherapy could clean and dilute the toxin load in the large intestine, resulting in a reduced burden on the liver, allowing the eliminative organs to function optimally.
Colon hydrotherapy could also prevent stagnation and minimize the exposure of carcinogenic agents to the colon wall. The above combined effect may serve to rejuvenate the immunological system and truly be a pathway to vibrant health!
References for this article will be supplied upon request.
About the author: Tony Centracchio, P.A., is a graduate of Cornell Medical College who has devoted years of research to upgrading and refining the technology of today's colon hydrotherapy instrumentation and who is closely associated with Dotolo Research. All editorials are submitted to our editorial board for review. Each article published is selected for its technical merit and overall excellence. Reproduced in its entirety from the October 1986 issue of "The American Chiropractor."
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