Working in healthcare, I’m not a big fan of non prescription medicines. Dubious claims are legion in the alternative health products marketplace – no more so than in the area] of [colon cleansing. What is strange then is that there are a large number of people out there who say they have had good results from bowel cleansing products. So are there genuine benefits to be had from colon cleansing?
I’m really quite a sceptical woman. I like to evaluate things scientifically and to base my decisions upon genuine evidence, that is certainly lacking in respect of the claims made for ‘colon cleansing’ products. I don’t believe toxins actually build up in the small intestine or that food decomposes there as some suppliers claim. It is irrational to believe that these products have any noticeable effect on prevalence of colorectal cancer – what we can say is that they are often used by people who make health enhancing changes to their lifestyles at about the same time they begin colon cleansing courses. I’m not a clinician, but I do have a career where clinical evidence has to be taken very seriously and I am not aware of any credible clinical trials of these products. That said, I am aware that literally thousands of other people swear they have had life-changing results from these cleansers. I would not have given the matter a second thought had I not found myself in need of help.
For a 44 year old, I was still reasonably fit and active. I got a fair amount of exercise through walking, swimming and SCUBA diving, in spite of my desk job at the health board. Constipation was still a ‘funny’ subject, but less so as I had witnessed its sometimes dire clinical consequences in my work. I enjoyed life, but things were about to go downhill fast.