Frequently Asked Questions About How To Colon Cleanse
Q. How is fiber colon cleansing different from a colonic?
A. When thinking about how to cleanse your body, there are many options. When people think of how to cleanse their colon, some think of colonics. Colonics, or colon hydrotherapy, cleanse mostly new material from the colon. They are beneficial in some cases to cleanse mild buildup or to cleanse harmful bacteria from the lower and middle intestines. However, colonics work in the opposite direction as nature. Water is inserted into the colon and moved upward into the body using water pressure and sometimes external massage of the belly. This can push fecal material or even toxins upward before they are able to come down again. When done in a longer series, colonics are sometimes able to allow a person to pass impacted matter from the colon and intestines but they do not always have the complete results that are achieved by fiber colon cleansing.
Q. How much does a colon cleanse cost?
A. There are pre-packaged colon cleansing kits available, but by getting the ingredients yourself you can have all the necessary ingredients for under $15. For a few dollars more, you can purchase higher quality ingredients for a better taste. When the mixture tastes better, you will be able to cleanse longer.
Click here now for $10 off your first order at Vitacost.
Q. If I buy my colon cleanse ingredients separately, what should I look for?
A. The four cleanse ingredients you should buy at a health food store are:
- psyllium husks
- bentonite
- organic herbal tea or miso broth or vegetable broth
- organic ginger (optional)
Organic psyllium husks can be found in canisters for about $12. Or, psyllium husks can be purchased in bulk bins at some stores for less than $3 per pound. A word of caution though, the bulk bin psyllium tends to be of a lesser quality. It does not dissolve as well or taste as good as the psyllium in the canister.
Bentonite for cleansing is sold two ways: powder and liquid. Do not EVER attempt to consume powder bentonite unless you first mix it with a large amount of water. It is recommended that for your first cleanse, you buy the bentonite already in liquid form. Bentonite is a natural cleansing clay and when bought in a liquid form, it has been pre-mixed with the proper amount of liquid. Bottles of bentonite can be purchased for about $12. If you need to save money, you can find powdered bentonite in bulk bins at some health food stores for under $3 per pound. If you do buy this powder, put one part bentonite powder with 20 parts of filtered water in a container or blender and shake or blend until all the lumps are out.
Organic ginger can be found in the baking aisle of your health food store with the other seasonings.
Q. Why is it important to buy organic ingredients?
A. When you are considering how to cleanse your body, you are planning to release toxins. Organic ingredients have been certified to be free of toxins. It can be dangerous to add more toxins while you are cleansing your body because cleansing puts our bodies in a vulnerable state. It is also counterproductive to put in toxins while you are trying to cleanse them.
Q. Why can’t I eat during my colon cleanse?
A. The main ingredients in the colon cleanse bind with whatever is in your intestines and draw it out to be passed through your bowel. The goal of the colon cleanse is to bind with and remove the built up, thick, rotting debris from the walls of your intestines that normally would stay in your body for life. If you eat during your cleanse, the cleanse ingredients will bind to your recently eaten food and only remove that. When I have had clients who did not pass the hard, thick lining from their bodies, they confessed that they had continued eating or snacking during their cleanse. The best way to prevent eating is to be sure to have a colon cleanse drink every 2 to 3 hours.
Q. Will I have to run to the bathroom all day?
A. While cleansing, many people are conditioned to believe that the more they go to the bathroom, the better. This is not the case. The psyllium and bentonite components of the cleanse need time to stay in the intestines and colon to do their work. As they settle into the colon, the cleansing happens as they begin to absorb old toxic buildup from the intestinal walls. During a colon cleanse, it is best to eliminate about three times per day. The good news is that you can modify your cleanse if you find that you are eliminating too often. Overactive elimination is almost always caused by the use of too much of the laxative ingredient you have chosen. If you are going to the bathroom more than three times a day, you may choose to use less salt in your salt water flush or less senna tea or fewer laxative capsules.
Q. I am not eating regular food and I am going to the bathroom every day but I didn’t pass that dark, rubbery stuff yet. What else can I do?
A. There are three things you can do to move the colon cleansing process along:
- abdominal massage
- drink more water
- get more rest
Most people begin to pass sections of the impacted mucoid plaque lining of their colon and intestines within the first 3 days after they stop eating regular food. If more than three days have passed and they are not having the desired results, abdominal massage can help. By massaging the abdomen and areas of the belly above the intestines, circulation is stimulated. This helps the impacted material to detach from the walls of the colon and intestines.
It is important to drink plenty of water while colon cleansing. This keeps the lining of the intestines hydrated. Bowels are sluggish when our bodies become dehydrated.
It is very important to get enough sleep and rest while colon cleansing. Any amount of stress causes our bodies and our bowels to become tight and constricted. Relaxing, taking deep breaths and resting when possible make the process much easier. The body needs sleep in order to do what it does. Cleansing is extra hard work. A good night’s sleep or naps as needed will go a long way toward having a successful colon cleanse.
Q. How long does a colon cleanse take?
A. There are pre-packaged cleanses that last anywhere from 3 to 10 days. If you opt to buy the raw ingredients and make your own cleanse drink, you will be unlimited in the time that you take to cleanse your body. It is helpful to know that this type of fiber colon cleanse attaches to the impacted, old mucoid plaque lining of the intestines and pulls it out. The body then creates new fresh mucous to replace the lining. Because there are up to 10 meters of intestine in the adult human body, it can take a while until the very top portion of the intestine is cleansed. The mucoid plaque that is passed bears the shape and size of the intestine that released it so it is easy to tell when the intestines are mostly cleansed because at first very large, thick chunks and ropes of mucoid plaque are released from the colon and large intestine and toward the end of the colon cleanse process, very thin, small portions of the smaller, upper intestines are released. After my first two 10-day cleanses (one in 2001 and the second in 2006), I did the colon cleanse for 21 days in 2008 until only small, thin strings of mucoid plaque were coming out. For some people, it can be difficult to stay on a cleanse for that long. As a general rule of all cleansing, a person should always listen to their body intuition to determine when it is a good time to start a cleanse and how long they should stay on it. Once a person has released mucoid plaque up to the smaller intestine, it is not advised to repeat the colon cleanse process because the fresh new mucous lining is doing its job and will not need to be disturbed until or unless it becomes impacted and hardened again due to poor diet.
Q. Why does the colon cleanse make me nauseous?
A. When cleansing any part of the body, some toxins will be released back into the bloodstream. This can cause discomfort, headaches, and nausea if the body is unable to metabolize or release the toxins. If nausea happens during the colon cleanse, it is most likely due to releasing toxins that are not absorbed quickly enough by the psyllium/bentonite mixture and that are not cleaned by the kidneys. There is usually a kidney deficiency or kidney toxicity to blame. This can be helped by increasing the amount of ginger added or replacing the tea with miso broth. If nausea continues, it may be necessary to stop the colon cleanse and do a kidney cleanse first.
Related Articles
Colon Cleanse Hacks for Best Results
