It’s Like Sticking A Potato In The Car’s Exhaust Pipe!

“Do you think my daughter and I should agree to a “detox diet?” a reader asked. Several of her friends had already undergone detoxification, she said, and had never felt better. So do I think it makes sense to purify our bodies? After all, who doesn’t want to feel healthier?

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The rationale of this therapy appeals to medical consumers who are apprehensive about our polluted world. They contend we’re constantly accumulating toxins in our bodies from air, chemicals in the water, processed foods, perfumes, artificial drinks and a host of other things. And that, in today’s society, it’s virtually impossible not to have a polluted large bowel. And if you think you’re an exception, think again. Web sites provide detox enthusiasts with lessons in human physiology. They explain how intestines absorb nutrients the body needs every day. How layers of fecal matter build up on the colon wall and are not removed by bowel movements. How this makes it difficult for the colon to absorb nutrients, and eventually toxins pollute the body. As one web site says, “It’s like sticking a potato into the exhaust pipe of your car”. This situation is obviously not good for cars and they argue it’s not good for humans. As well, toxins lead to fatigue, poor vision, joint pain, bad breath, increased irritability, and insomnia. The list of troubles goes on and on. But detox diets, proponents say, can mop up all this bad stuff. But what is a detox diet? The basic resolve is to give up certain foods that are thought to contain toxins, combined with a temporary fast. Many such diets also stress the need for colon irrigation which means enduring the “Mother of all” enemas. Some enemas use water, others herbal supplements to aid the purification process. Drinking a laxative, such as senna tea, is often a major selling point of detoxification. After all, believers claim, what better proof of purification than frequently sitting on the potty to pass loose toxic stools? So do these web sites know something not taught at the Harvard Medical School? I doubt it, and I’m not aware of any reliable medical source that advises purging the body this way. Colonic irrigation can sometimes be more powerful even than the “Mother of all” enemas. People who have frequent or prolonged irrigations occasionally develop an electrolyte imbalance, nausea, vomiting, abnormal heart rhythms, cardiac failure and some have lapsed into coma. Colonic irrigaton should never be used in patients who suffer from diverticulitis (hernias of the bowel wall), ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s Disease, kidney problems or those who have just had bowel surgery. Infections have been reported, no doubt due to contaminated equipment or the result of removing normal and beneficial colon bacteria. And there’s always the risk that the large bowel can be perforated during the procedure, a serious complication. Experts say that Detox diets, which include fasting, can also deplete muscle tissue including heart muscle. And it can decrease the size of the heart and liver. Remember that the human body does a good job of purifying itself without requiring any additional help. Each day the liver handles a variety of toxins which are eliminated through the kidney, bowel and skin. Unfortunately many of us do not treat our colons well. I know when I feel hard rock-like stools during rectal examinations that patients are not eating sufficient fiber. It’s possibly the worst dietary error committed these days. A lack of fiber is often associated with obesity, diabetes, constipation and hemorrhoids. But, rather than digging deep down into pockets for expensive detox diets and colon irrigations, it would be safer and more effective to buy inexpensive All Bran. I can only think of one good reason for a colonic cleansing. It’s for that visit every five years or so to undergo colonoscopy to rule out colon cancer. And that’s enough colonic cleansing to last for years. “Amen” to that one.