Thanks Edie for your heads up on this article. Naturally, this is a topic
close to my heart (admittedly a different part of the human anatomy ;-).
Thanks, too, Top Squirrel for posting the link. I'm not a subscriber to
the wsj, but I had no trouble reading the article from the link.
I guess I'm not surprised at the inability of either Melinda Beck or the
Wall Street Journal to think outside of the box enough to question the
status quo on the point of colon hydrotherapy, but it's nice to see the
topic getting some air time. You can tell from the comments of the readers
that the subscribers to the wsj aren't very out-of-the-box kinds of
thinkers. Healthy bodies are "self-cleaning" as well, and we don't think
twice about showering in spite of the lack of "peer reviewed" studies ;-).
I agree whole-heartedly with both of you on your points. I also would like
to add that the human body is such a mystery, I'm not sure we're ever going
to understand all of the effects colonics have, but one thing for sure is
that they do indeed have effects. Just because evidence is anecdotal does
not make it invalid. Dispelling a modality on the basis of NO peer
reviewed material is rather short sighted given the persistence - both in
duration as well as popularity - of the practice amongst many highly
intelligent individuals. After all, it is mentioned in the earliest of
medical texts (the Ebers Papyrus) and has remained a viable treatment for a
plethora of conditions ever since.
It's a shame Ms. Beck didn't find this most thoughtful treatment of the
subject:
http://www.meridianinstitute.com/reports/colonic.pdf
She might have learned of some interesting facts that could have given her
pause in her conclusions.
I've also done some of my own mental meanderings about this modality, and
I've put together my thoughts here:
http://healthforlifecoloncare.com/WhyColonics.pdf
In spite of the fact that the AMA gave Cayce the honorable title of "The
Father of Holistic Medicine", looking at what Cayce had to say about things
would probably be so far outside of the box, I doubt the wsj would touch
it.
As to the point about false claims, I found this quote to be particularly
interesting, "Claims for colonics and other forms of cleansing, Dr. Allen
says, "just play to people's fears and desire to lose weight."" Have you
seen the advertising campaigns of the pharmaceutical industry of late?
This statement "physicians began to challenge the lack of scientific
evidence and condemn some practitioners as quacks." is interesting as
well. It seems to me the physicians that discovered Helicobacter pylori as
being responsible for ulcers were labeled quacks for a while, and isn't it
funny that it has only been within the last few years the medical community
has discovered that the appendix actually does serve a very important
function and is not so useless as they had once believed. Don't get me
wrong, doctors are wonderful, but they are not infallible.
Here's another statement I find incredulous, "Some gastroenterologists
worry that colonics can wash out beneficial bacteria and create infections,
abscesses and electrolyte imbalances; there have been cases of rectal
perforations." On what peer-reviewed studies are they basing this "worry?"
I can assure you gastroenterologists themselves have been responsible for
some rectal perforations under colonoscopy. Should we throw out the
colonoscopy procedure because of this? I repeat, doctors are wonderful,
but they too can make mistakes (being human and all ;-)).
One of the few redeeming statements I found in the article is this, "Even
"natural" laxatives, such as the plants senna and cascara, can harm the
bowel, Dr. Landzberg says, ..."" This in fact has been shown in
peer-reviewed studies, and I'm grateful to see it stated.
Oh, and to your point about using a colonic for colonoscopy prep, this is
exactly what the enlightened folks in Danbury, CT are already doing. Check
out this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TeWjxHspRKs
Cheers,
Robin
www.healthforlifecoloncare.com
www.traditionalnutrition.org
www.ppnf.org
"Let thy food be thy medicine and thy medicine be thy food."
--Hippocrates (460-377 B.C.)
Just be careful how you define food ;-)
"The purpose of medicine is to amuse the patient until nature effects a
cure."
-- Voltaire (1694-1778)
"Doctors pour medicines of which they know little to cure diseases of which
they no less into humans of which they know nothing."
-- Voltaire (1694-1778)
-----Original Message-----
From: Top Squirrel [SMTP:squirrelbike1983@yahoo.com]
Sent: Wednesday, September 30, 2009 13:36
To: Colon_Hydrotherapy@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: (Colon-hydrotherapy & Relaxation) Wall St Journal article on
colon cleansing
Hey, Folks: There's an easy way to read the Wall Street Journal article.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB2000142405297020448830457443516184179253
6.html
Long-time subscriber. Went to their website and found it, read it through.
Edie has excerpted one of the few sections positive to us and what we do.
Gastropods repeat their old standard "can't help you and may harm you" and
they're so quoted there. I agree with them that rarely do you find pounds
of matter stuck to the walls. Claims to that effect do us no good. I claim
CHT benefits people because (1) It frees up the immune system, effectively
making it 3 or 4 times as powerful; (2) It stimulates production of
serotonin, a marvelous natural feelgood hormone; and the old standbys,
hydrates the bowel, tones the bowel, cleanses the bowel. Those are good but
not powerful like the first two.
Also, if gastroenterologists were to send us their patients for
precolonoscopy cleansing they could avoid all that horrible 'go-litely'
stuff that keeps them sitting on the pot for hours at a time and makes them
feel so wrung out. If they were to send them to us for that, they'd walk
away cleaned out and feeling on top of the world, and they'd love them for
it.
It would help if practitioners stopped making claims that just aren't so,
or for which there is insufficient evidence. Edie was right to mention that
point.
--- On Tue, 9/29/09, Edie Webber <ediewebber@yahoo.com> wrote:
From: Edie Webber <ediewebber@yahoo.com>
Subject: (Colon-hydrotherapy & Relaxation) Wall St Journal article on colon
cleansing
To: "Bowel Cleanse" <bowelcleanse@yahoogroups.com>
Date: Tuesday, September 29, 2009, 6:26 AM
A lengthy article was done by the WSJ on Sept 28th
entitled: Inner Beauty: A Healthy Colon in the 'Health Journal' by Melinda
Beck.
It is worth finding and reading in full. Among the other things in the
article is the following: "Steven Horne, a past president of
the American Herbalist Guild, says use of home-cleansing products can
result in startling results. But the expelled goo shown in online
photos is most likely the mucilaginous fiber in the purging products
themselves, combined with black bile from the liver, he says. "People
do pass this stuff, but it's a myth that it's coming off the lining of
their colon."
The article quotes doctors and colon hydrotherapists as well as
'herbalists' and, as I said, is worth reading.
Edie
From Edie Webber, Author, Basic In-Home Colon Cleansing: An Illustrated
Guide
the Table of Contents is at: http://www.newhealt hresources. com/Contents1.
htm
A special message from Edie:
Thanks to all who write about my health situation. Your support is
wonderful!
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