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    Bocasean's Avatar
    Bocasean Posts: 147, Reputation: 20
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    #1

    Jun 9, 2008, 01:29 PM
    Colon Cleansing Bootcamps?
    In the mid-90s, I heard about the concept of a "Colon Cleansing Bootcamp." Here's how it was described to me at a fitness seminar:

    "For a 3-day weekend, you consume nothing but this thick liquid. Nothing else. What happens is the liquid fills your entire intenstinal tract and expands, somewhat like the 'Foaming Snake' style of Liquid Plumber. By expanding, it is adhering to your intenstinal walls and as it solidifies, it grabs all of the paste, parasites, and leftover food that's stuck in your colon and intestines. Then, by the 3rd day, you start a bowel movement that you cannot stop. The liquid has solidified to the consistency of a soft rubber, similar to a rubber fishing worm, and you can't stop until it is all out of your body. It comes out in the exact dimensions and shape of your intestines...it essentially looks like a black rubber mold of your insides. But all of the junk that's trapped inside us is gone with it, which means the toxins are gone and you can digest all of the nutrients you ingest without obstruction. To ease any discomfort, they will often wheel you around on a wheelchair with a hole in the bottom, and push you around until you have excreted the entire amount. What's left behind is a 4-8 foot rubber BM. The cost is several thousand dollars for the 3-day camp."

    Now, as sexy as that sounds, I would actually like to do this. I'd love to know that 3 decades of garbage are gone from my system, and that all of the food I eat is actually being assimilated. The problem is, I can't find any evidence that matches up with this description. I've seen some SICK... literally... on some of the "colon cleanse and detox" websites, but they're all selling a product. They don't involve the same 3-day process, and the 8-foot rubber poopy doesn't seem to happen, either.

    Has anyone else ever heard of this? If not, ask your parents or wife or girlfriend... preferrably over dinner. I want to find out more.
    Sonador101's Avatar
    Sonador101 Posts: 298, Reputation: 14
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    #2

    Jun 9, 2008, 02:22 PM
    Oh that may be helpful, and it probably makes you more healthy but YUCK. Sorry that slipped out, I would suggest to go to your fittness center and see what they know
    Wondergirl's Avatar
    Wondergirl Posts: 39,354, Reputation: 5431
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    #3

    Jun 9, 2008, 03:03 PM
    I just talked with my chiropractor who in chiro college had had a stint in the college's colonic (colon cleaning) clinic. The colon cleaning was finally outlawed by the college as worthless.

    Dave says the intestines are constantly being lined with mucus (like the inside of your mouth) so that nasty things will not adhere to the walls of the colon. If you have a tapeworm, the gunk you mentioned will remove the tapeworm body, but the head is imbedded in the intestine wall and the worm will grow new segments. Dave says there is absolutely NO advantage to colonics except to the doctor or person who offers them, and that will be a financial advantage to him. In fact, he says colonics screw up your good flora and fauna and mess up peristalysis (colon movement to expel waste), so that your intestines may never work right after a colonic. You will also become dependent on them to remove waste since your intestines will no longer work properly.
    Bocasean's Avatar
    Bocasean Posts: 147, Reputation: 20
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    #4

    Jun 9, 2008, 03:29 PM
    Don't get me wrong... I have a very healthy skepticism about the nature of such things, especially when nearly all of the "authorities" on the subject are trying to sell me something.

    I'm also not talking about a colonic, which I would classify as going "in through the out door" with a liquid and washing out the lower intenstine. I'm talking about an ingested substance that is most likely comprised of some sort of fiber, which should have no ill effects on the digestive system. They've been common in eastern medicine for centuries.

    My specific question was about the "boot camp" that I heard about years ago. I don't even know if they really exist, but the pictures they showed seemed real enough. I was just curious if they were still around. Nothing I've seen in recent years seems to match up.

    I don't have a great deal of faith in the whole colon cleanse fad, but I'm also not afraid to try something once.
    Wondergirl's Avatar
    Wondergirl Posts: 39,354, Reputation: 5431
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    #5

    Jun 9, 2008, 03:38 PM
    Dave is nearly 60 years old and has never heard of such "camps," and figured they were merely big moneymakers if they ever existed.

    I realize "colonics" is not quite what you asked about but the concept is the same.

    I've seen web sites that tout intestinal cleansing that use an herbal ayurvedic therapy such as these:

    Triphala Herbal Colon Cleansing, Constipation, Internal Cleanser

    Colon Cleansing with Triphala

    I'm not at work today but will consult with my Indian coworkers tomorrow about the benefits of such therapies.
    lovelesspa's Avatar
    lovelesspa Posts: 1,019, Reputation: 127
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    #6

    Jun 9, 2008, 03:44 PM
    The colon doesn't need cleansing. Eat a diet that is high in fiber and drink lots of water. The phase they use "Mucoid plaque"... it is a term created by persons who created cleansers. The majority of herbal based cleansers are just fiber based, some have herbs and other ingredients, believed to be anti parasitic, which have laxative properties. But in general, fiber, bulks up when it comes in contact with water... Colon cleansers are harmless, for the most part, but if you want to save a lot of money and get the same results,. truly... use metamucal!
    Bocasean's Avatar
    Bocasean Posts: 147, Reputation: 20
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    #7

    Jun 9, 2008, 04:00 PM
    Yeah, I've heard the same thing from proctologists I've networked with. I'm not much for fads or hype or any of the following. But I also remember a time from in my own lifetime when doctors told most people that lifting weights was detrimental.

    I do use metamucil. My body simply doesn't... um... act the same way it did digestively that it did 10 years ago, yet my diet has remained the same. That's probably the one area where the naysayers are leaving me with questions... they SAY that the colon cleanses itself, and site coroners who observe healthy colon after healthy colon, yet they can't explain why people who have had noticeable digestive changes after such therapies.

    Again, I don't believe most of the hype. I also don't completely believe conventional wisdom. I'm pretty sure it's somewhere in the middle... otherwise my body would work the same way it did when I was 20. If the cleansers and boot camps are bogus, which many respected, intelligent people believe, that doesn't eliminate the possibility that SOMETHING would improve our digestive situation in the future. I don't believe it's as peachy as our sick care professionals would have us believe.
    Wondergirl's Avatar
    Wondergirl Posts: 39,354, Reputation: 5431
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    #8

    Jun 9, 2008, 04:12 PM
    Maybe aging has something to do with it. Your face isn't the same one you had when you were 20.
    Bocasean's Avatar
    Bocasean Posts: 147, Reputation: 20
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    #9

    Jun 9, 2008, 04:18 PM
    This is true... but going back to the naysayers, the colon regenerates its cells on a very regular basis, so it always stays healthy.

    But it's simply not as functionally sound as it was, which tells me that it does NOT keep itself as healthy as the experts claim. I don't have any proof, other than my own anecdotal experiences, but I'm always searching for the pinnacle of performance for my entire body. I guess I'm just greedy, but I want my body to act the way it did when I was younger. I'm only 31.
    lovelesspa's Avatar
    lovelesspa Posts: 1,019, Reputation: 127
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    #10

    Jun 9, 2008, 04:26 PM
    I really believe for the most part colon cleansers are a big business. Just like diet pills. The theory is our colons collect waste (true), and over time, this stagnates, causing toxins to form and spread throughout our bodies... ( don't agree with) But, the body is very good at taking care of itself. The cells in your gastro intestinal tract turn over I believe, every three days, fast enough so there's no rotten foods... left in"pockets". The bacteria in the colon naturally metabolize and detoxify food wastes, mucous membranes lining the intestinal walls block unwanted substances from entering the bodies other tissues. And remember the liver works to neutralize toxins, in addition! The kidney and lungs remove toxins and by products from our bloodstream and also, regular bowel movements remove any waste from our gastro intestional tract. There is no pockets in the colon, that I know of, that collect stool.. for "years". If you use these cleansers too often you could interfere with it's normal absorption, leaving you with a vitamin and mineral deficiency. The intestines aren't just a waste unit, they are a place where nutrients from food are absorbed to your blood stream to be moved throughout your body. Some cleansers can actually cause dehydration. The # or frequency of bowel movements vary over times and differ from person to person. It can be from a few times a day to a few times a week.
    But again like everything else, every "body" is different and needs boosts, aid, help once in awhile. I'm not anti cleansers, I just believe there are natural aids, at less cost.
    Bocasean's Avatar
    Bocasean Posts: 147, Reputation: 20
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    #11

    Jun 9, 2008, 05:13 PM
    Yeah, 3 days is the same timeframe that I heard. The one absolute fact that I agree with is that colon cleansing is HUGE business, and any fringe fad like that should be greeted with a great deal of skepticism. That's actually why I've never pursued it, despite hearing about it over 10 years ago.

    I would like something that actually works, though.
    lovelesspa's Avatar
    lovelesspa Posts: 1,019, Reputation: 127
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    #12

    Jun 9, 2008, 05:40 PM
    Best colon cleansers are a diet rich in raw fruit and veggies, very few processed foods. 1 tbsp flax seed in a glass of water in the morning and at night, and 8 glasses of water a day. 25-30 grams of fiber daily, additionally add ginger, cayenne pepper, fennel and garlic as well as 100% fruit juice and probiotics to your daily meals.
    Bocasean's Avatar
    Bocasean Posts: 147, Reputation: 20
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    #13

    Jun 9, 2008, 06:41 PM
    Yeah, you basically just described my diet, with the exception of fruit juice. Actually, the more fruits and vegetables that I'm consuming, the more gassy I become. It's just something I'll have to keep tweaking until I find a solution.

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