Trendy colon cleansing a risky ritual

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Detox danger: Trendy colon cleansing a risky ritual By HealtDay

Despite the popularity of colon cleansing, there's no evidence that the

procedure -- which can be done at home or in day spas -- offers any health

benefits, a new study finds.

However, colon cleansing can cause serious side effects ranging from vomiting to

kidney failure and death, the authors of the report say.

Colon cleansing -- also called colonic irrigation or colonic hydrotherapy --

often involves the use of chemicals followed by flushing the colon with water

through a tube inserted in the rectum, explained the town University

researchers.

They analyzed 20 studies about colon cleansing that were published over the last

decade and found little evidence that the procedure offers any benefits.

Instead, a number of the studies noted side effects such as cramping, bloating,

vomiting, electrolyte imbalance and kidney failure.

The findings appear in the August issue of The Journal of Family Practice.

" There can be serious consequences for those who engage in colon cleansing

whether they have the procedure done at a spa or perform it at home, " lead

author Dr. Ranit Mishori, a family medicine physician at town University

School of Medicine, said in a university medical center news release. " Colon

cleansing products in the form of laxatives, teas, powders and capsules … tout

benefits that don't exist. "

It's also important for consumers to know that the U.S. Food and Drug

Administration has no authority to monitor these products, she added.

Mishori also noted that many colon cleansing services are offered by people who

call themselves " colon hygienists, " but have no significant medical training.

She pointed out that the National Board for Colon HydroTherapy (NBCHT) and many

other groups that promote colon cleansing require hygienists to have little more

than a high school diploma.

But Dick Hoenninger, a spokesman for the International Association for Colon

Hydrotherapy (I-ACT), which oversees the NBCHT, took issue with the findings.

" Colon hydrotherapy when performed by a trained therapist using FDA registered

equipment and disposable speculums or rectal nozzles is safe, " he said.

According to Hoenninger, the study also " mixes up laxatives, both pharmaceutical

and herbal; and colon hydrotherapy. Most of the studies referenced are for the

use of laxatives, not colon hydrotherapy. "

He also noted that, " I-ACT therapists are trained in the proper use of the

[colon cleansing] equipment and are told to not make any statements or

advertisements that cannot be verified in peer reviewed literature. "

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