History
The concept of decomposing stool causing disease originated in Ancient Egypt. It was thought decomposition could get into the bloodstream causing fever and pus. The Ancient Greeks expanded on the idea and incorporated it into their humoral theory of medicine. Over time it became generalized into autointoxication (endogenic toxicosis) where the body naturally builds up endogenous waste and toxins it cannot fully dispose of, with a focus on intestinal autointoxication. This was orthodox doctrine up to the end of the 19th century, along with the purported benefits of colon cleansing. In the early 20th century it was discredited.
Criticism
The Mayo Clinic states that colon cleansing is unnecessary as the body naturally removes waste material. Colon cleansing can disrupt the balance between bacteria and natural chemicals as well as the colon's ability to shed dead cells. Other reported complications include bowel or rectal perforations, infections, and heart attacks related to electrolyte imbalances. The frequent use of enemas or other colon cleansing tools may lead to dependence and an inability to defecate without assistance or withdrawal symptoms. Some herbs that are consumed for colon cleansing rather than taken through enema may also interfere with drug absorption and effectiveness.
FDA warnings
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not regulate colonics, meaning claims made by supplement manufacturers are not scientifically verified. The FDA has issued several warning letters to practitioners and suppliers of equipment about making false claims of effectiveness, safety issues and quality control violations.
See also
References
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.
Last updated on Thursday October 09, 2008 at 13:28:47 PDT (GMT -0700)
View this article at Wikipedia.org - Edit this article at Wikipedia.org - Donate to the Wikimedia Foundation
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Copyright © 2009, Dictionary.com, LLC. All rights reserved.
