Colon Cleanse - The Dirty Truth About This "Healthy" Practice

I recently had a friend have his life turned upside down.

He was a superheavyweight bodybuilder who realized that after years of competing that he needed to be healthier. So after hearing that all of the meat he is eating is just sitting in his colon and making him toxic, he decided to go to a clinic and get a colon cleansing.

Related: 7 Tips to Cut Bodyfat Fast and Effectively

The claims that these anal flushers make are super-exciting. You feel that if you don't have a water hose shoved in your butt and turned on to expel all waste, that you are barely living and are impaired by the toxins invading your body.

I went to a hippy butt-cleaning site. You can read the page yourself by clicking here. What I found are some bold claims. I will list them one by one, with witty commentary.

Colon Cleansing Claims

Improves digestion and prevents constipation

Umm, for that day, yes. It is hard to be constipated when gallons of water are pumped into your butt.

They claim that the undigested waste stuck in your colon is preventing digestion. I will give it to them, during the cleansing, nope, you won't be constipated.

Increases energy and concentration

It is amazing the FTC doesn't shut all of these idiots down. They claim the toxins in your colon impair vitamin absorption. Even without the knowledge bombs I will drop later, this is pure hogwash.

Jump-start weight loss

Fully cleaning out all poop matter will do this. They also claim here that increasing fiber intake will do this. Ummmm, that's the point. If well hydrated and eating enough fiber, there will be no old poop in the colon anyway! OR, just eat Mexican food, you'll be cleaned out!

Supports overall colon health

Another issue. The colon is meant to process poop, this is what it does. We were designed for this.

Encourages whole body detox

They never stop selling. Here they say something about an oxygen cleansing. I am guessing that means pumping air into your butt?

Jump-starts weight loss? Sure, pumping 16 gallons of water into your butt will make you lose some weight, but what we do know is this WILL increase risk of dehydration.

My Friend's Colon Cleansing Story

Long story short, they messed up. Blew his organs up, literally, and he almost died.

My friend has been bed-ridden for over a year. He will never be the same again. This is a rare occurrence, but it demonstrated there is risk.

Now that we heard their pitch, let's use some science to see if you should get your colon cleansed.

There is no evidence that colon cleansing improves digestion and constipation in the long term. Daily fiber intake is the determinant in this alongside hydration. If your fiber intake is adequate and you?re well hydrated, the potential issue of extra poop chillin? in your colon is minimal.

There is no evidence that this improves energy or concentration. Cleaning your colon has no link to improved vitamin absorption and no evidence of any benefits? really at all.

Jump-starts weight loss? Sure, pumping 16 gallons of water into your butt will make you lose some weight, but what we do know is this WILL increase risk of dehydration. That is not fat loss, that's water weight loss. Hardly a long-term solution to obesity.

This does not support overall colon health. In fact, it increases the risk of bowel perforations (like my buddy had) and also the risk of infection is high. Plus it flushes out healthy bacteria.

Does colon cleansing encourage whole body detoxing? The only thing it encourages is explosive diarrhea.

So What is The Solution?

The solution is simple. Eat a healthy diet with whole foods, consume 30-50g of fiber per day and stay well hydrated.

This is it. No secrets, no water hoses stuck in your butt. No chances of bowel perforations, nothing.

So stop looking for a quick fix, especially one that requires anal penetration, and stick to the tried and true method of healthy diet and staying hydrated. Because avoiding bowel perforations is not a game!