Colon hydrotherapy involves a gentle wash out of the colon, using warm water to remove waste matter, rehydrate and exercise the bowel.
The concept of ‘auto-intoxication’ or the idea that food enters the intestine and rots, provides a rationale for colon cleansing. The theory of colonic hydrotherapy, or irrigation, is based upon enemas which are amongst the oldest recorded medical treatments. Implements for giving enemas and descriptions of their use are recorded in the Egyptian Ebers Papyrus dating from 1500 B.C. Enemas were used extensively as health treatments until around the mid-1800s when medicine became a science-based practice. At the turn of the 20th century, the first present day colonic equipment was developed. Enemas and colonics continued to be used in the home and hospitals, usually administered by nurses or midwives. Colon hydrotherapy in the UK remained a minority treatment until the mid-1980s when Dr Milo Siewert, of the National College of Holistic Medicine (NCHM) began training therapists in colonics. (Later the NHCM amalgamated with the European College of Colon Hydrotherapy (ECCH) and is now known as the National College of Colon Hydrotherapy- see below).
While the treatment has taken many forms over the centuries, the essence of the therapy has remained the same – a gentle wash out of the colon, using warm water to remove waste matter, rehydrate and exercise the bowel. Waste material in the colon is flushed out of the bowel using water squirted through a tube inserted into the rectum. The procedure is carried out while the person lies on their side and takes around half an hour to 40 minutes. Around 60 litres of water may be used for the procedure. Some colonic hydrotherapists add herbal infusions to the water first.
Auto-intoxication is said to be responsible for many systemic disorders with the following symptoms: fatigue, headache, weight gain, low energy and low vitality. The colonic treatments also help in improving mental outlook and improving the immune system. The effects of herbal, homoeopathic or conventional treatments are often enhanced. It is, however, not recommended during pregnancy or for the following disorders: heart problems, high blood pressure, fissures, haemorrhoids, kidney disease and some digestive disorders, including ulcerative colitis.
The National College of Colon Hydrotherapy (NCCH) is a member of the General Naturopathic Council.
The Association of Registered Colon Hydrotherapists (ARCH)
General Naturopathic Council
The Complementary and Natural Healthcare Council (CNHC)