Colon cleansing
From NursingWiki
Colon cleansing is a group of paramedical and nutritional procedures, including enemas, colonic irrigation, and the ingestion of herbal products, to improve or restore the normal function of the human colon. Colon cleansing is a mainstay of the naturopathic school of medicine, but it is medically controversial, because for the human colon, there is no clear definition of normality, and because the physiology or function of the colon cannot be observed directly. For all anatomic and histologic studies (for example radiology, colonoscopy), the colon must be empty, requiring routine procedures to prepare the colon for inspection. The content of a functioning colon consists of a mixture of gaseous, fluid, soft, and solid matter and has the same optical transparence as human live tissue. The functions of the colon include the extraction of water and ions, the cultivation and symbiotic housing of microbes, and the peristaltic transport and excretion of digestive and microbial waste.
Arguments for colon cleansing are in part indirect, and they include biochemical or pathological consequences of the malfunctioning colon, sometimes declared as in a toxic state. Considering the physiology of the human colon is another cause for colon cleansing as a needed means of healing. Mechanically, the colonic peristalsis depends on the viscosity of the colonic content. The extraction of water thickens the content. If defecation is delayed, part or all of the waste solidifies just above the sigmoidal flexure. Solid colon content at this site cannot easily get excreted. Laxative medication and water-retaining food can slow down the water extraction and improve defecation. Habits and age may gradually lead to a near-complete and permanent state of constipation, even though routinely taken laxatives may maintain a pathway through solid masses. Extreme cases of permanent constipation can be recognized as Megacolon, but lesser cases may be more common than admitted.
Advocates of colon cleansing define the colonic normality as a state of temporary, partial or complete emptiness, in contrast to a near-permanent constipation interrupted by rare events of partial defecation. Therefore they advocate the routine use of large-volume enemas as part of the daily healthcare. This routine requires careful attention to the details of the enemas. It also requires attention to, and possibly major changes in, the patient's life style, his habit of exercising, his additction to nicotine, and his choice of food.
Chronic constipation or malfunctioning or sluggish peristalsis leads to a colonic space problem and cannot be cured instantly with a high-volume enema. Colonic space must be restored in small steps, that is, through one or several series of low-to medium-volume enemas, with at least 5 minutes of retention time after each enema. The enema fluid should be water with a mild peristaltic stimulant. A similar procedure with less retention time is attempted in commercial colonic irrigation. In published discussions of colon cleansing, both of these techniques are considered appropriate.
