What we know and don't know about Colon Cleansing

An article by Shalom Volchok, son of Blessed Herbs Co-Founders read my personal story here The purpose of this article is to provide a clear picture of what is known and unknown about colon cleansing and to allow you, the consumer, to make an educated decision whether it is something you want to do for yourself. It is divided into three parts. Part One covers our experience with colon cleansing in general and specifically the Colon Cleansing Kit. Part Two covers the observational data gathered by two Naturopathic Doctors who studied and used colon cleansing extensively as well as some observational data from ourselves. Part Three presents the view from some medical professionals that colon cleansing is useless and unproven. Part One: Our experience and point of view on colon cleansing. The Colon Cleansing Kit was created by my mother, Martha Volchok. She is a professional member of the American Herbalist Guild and has been a practicing herbalist for over thirty years. About twenty-five years ago she had extreme digestive disorders and started using colon cleansing to assist herself. Since that time she has continued with, at least, yearly cleanses. She has used many products and different herbal combinations. Four years ago she decided to create the Colon Cleansing Kit, a product of her own, based on her years of self experimentation. She says: "I have tried many different herbal formulas for colon cleansing over the years, but it wasn't until I decided, as a professional herbalist, to create my own formula that I got everything that I wanted -strength of action combined with gentleness- to make colon cleansing as thorough and comfortable as possible." (read full article here) The benchmark for any colon cleanse is the ability to consistently produce thick, dark and rubbery bowel movements, the sign of a successful cleanse (view photos). Martha created such a cleanse in the Colon Cleansing Kit. The process is simple; it consists of two formulas and a system for taking them. After she had created the Colon Cleansing Kit my dad, myself and six or seven of our employees were the first to use the Colon Cleansing Kit. We all followed her recommended system, which included a five day liquid only diet, and all of us saw similar thick, dark and rubbery material being passed in our bowel movements. This was our first observational data that the Colon Cleansing Kit was indeed performing as a great colon cleanse should. At this point I want to clarify the difference between observational and experiential data and "scientific data". First, the governing scientific bodies and major medical journals want proof in the form of double blind, randomized, placebo controlled, crossover trials. That is what I mean by "scientific data". Scientifically speaking they don't like observational data. However, even some of them are starting to recognize the limiting nature of this mindset. I recently read a study from the British Medical Journal (a major medical journal, no less) making fun of this strict process. My favorite quote from that study is shown below: "Conclusions: As with many interventions intended to prevent ill health, the effectiveness of parachutes has not been subjected to rigorous evaluation by using randomised controlled trials. Advocates of evidence based medicine have criticised the adoption of interventions evaluated by using only observational data. We think that everyone might benefit if the most radical protagonists of evidence based medicine organised and participated in a double blind, randomised, placebo controlled, crossover trial of the parachute." (read full article at www.bmj.com) That said, we are currently working on creating one of these trials. However, traditional holistic practices, like colon cleansing, resist the narrow view needed to conduct one of these scientific studies. The benefits of colon cleansing are different for everyone and even if we create a successful study on the Colon Cleansing Kit we must pick "one" benefit to study and there is no guarantee we will be able to conclusively prove anything that is relevant to you or your health. All that said. I want to emphasize the importance of YOU taking responsibility for your own health. Not just here, with your decision to use the Colon Cleansing Kit, or not. But with every decision you make in your life. It's your life. For me, embracing the responsibility for one's own life is the the principal that I see at the heart of holistic living. I urge you to not hand it over to us or anyone else. Only you know what is right for you. With that mindframe we believe you, the consumer, should have access to other people's experiences with products that are not yet and may never be proven in that scientific way. Remember these are other people sharing their experiences. Even the Naturopathic Doctors (NDs) are just sharing what they know for themselves to be true. It's your job to apply this information to your life and accept that colon cleansing is not "proven" like mainstream medicine. It's a different process. The process is people sharing what they got, you applying that information to your life, making an active decision and then taking full responsibility for your decision. Remember, this is not just about our product. Do it when you go to the doctor or the acupuncturist. Do it always. Which brings me to SAFETY. Have you ever stopped and asked yourself what "safe" means? What does "safe" mean? Again we feel this is your responsibilty to decide. Take for example, prescription medication. It is highly tested and supposedly safe, yet an article in the Journal of American Medical Association says that approximately 106,000 people die every year from non error, adverse effects of medications (article available at: www.jama.org - $30.00). That means prescription medication is the sixth leading cause of death in the USA. I'm not saying don't take prescription medication. I'm not telling you to take or not take anything. I am inviting you to use a three step process I feel is the heart of a healthy, holistic life. One, take responsibility for your own health. Two, educate youself about your options (there are always options). Three, make an educated choice and take full responsibility for that choice. Four, (I know I said three) don't blindly trust us or anyone else! When it comes to the safety of the Colon Cleansing Kit. This is what we know. Over 10,000 people have now done our Colon Cleansing Kit. We offer a satisfaction guarantee and just under 2% return the Colon Cleansing Kit to us. Some people return the kit because they didn't get the results they wanted and others complain of cleansing reactions such as: headaches, bloated feelings, constipation, abdominal pain and sore eyes. Cleansing reactions are part of cleansing and are not the same as "side effects" normally associated with medication. These cleansing reactions are regarded by those experienced with cleansing as the body dealing with whatever it is releasing during the cleanse. That said, if you experience anything you are not comfortable with during the cleanse you should stop immediately and only continue with the supervision of a holistic practitioner who is familiar with cleansing. The herbs in the kit have been safely used for hundreds of years and observational data suggest the Colon Cleansing Kit is safe when used as directed. Again you're the one putting it in your body. Take that responsibility. Part Two: Observational data supporting colon cleansing. When it come to these thick, dark and rubbery bowel movements produced by our Colon Cleansing Kit, and a few other programs, we don't know what they are in scientific terms. In observational and experiential terms a substantial amount is known. That is what I am going to share with you now. Below is an excerpt from Tissue Cleansing Through Bowel Management, (Escondido, CA: Bernard Jensen, D.C., 1980), by Dr. Bernard Jensen, DC, ND, Ph.D. Bernard Jensen is one of the pioneers of using colon cleansing to improve a person's quality of life. If you buy this book there are some amazing stories of things he saw accomplished through colon cleansing and removing this rubbery matter. In fact it was out of this book that my dad made my mom her first "colema board" over twenty-five years ago. "The heavy mucus coating in the colon thickens and becomes a host of putrefaction. The blood capillaries to the colon begin to pick up the toxins, poisons and noxious debris as it seeps through the bowel wall. All tissues and organs of the body are now taking on toxic substances. Here is the beginning of true autointoxication on a physiological level. One autopsy revealed a colon to be 9 inches in diameter with a passage through it no larger than a pencil. The rest was caked up layer upon layer of encrusted fecal material. This accumulation can have the consistency of truck tire rubber. It's that hard and black. Another autopsy revealed a stagnant colon to weigh in at an incredible 40 pounds." Another leader in cleansing is Dr. Richard Anderson, ND, N.M.D Dr. Anderson has also written two books on cleansing which can also be purchased at Amazon.com or most large bookstores. He also has tremendous personal experience with colon cleansing and conveys much of this in his two books: Cleanse and Purify Thyself Volume 1 & 2. In an internet article on "colon plaque" he says: The phrase, "mucoid plaque," is a coined term that I use to describe various conditions found throughout the body, especially in hollow organs and the alimentary canal. It is a substance that the body naturally creates under unnatural conditions, such as attack from acids, drugs, heavy metals, and toxic chemicals. Read the full article here. (Recommended reading.) An article written by Marc Leduc on his independent website dedicated towards healthy living. http://www.healingdaily.com/colon-kidney-detoxification/colon-health.htm An article written by Kristina Amelong, CNC, CT documenting intestinal buildup and its effects on the body. http://www.optimalhealthnetwork.com/tek9.asp?pg=cleansing The experience of colon cleansing by Martha Volchok, AHG. "...I observed all of my bowel movements and studied them as a scientist would. After my first cleanse, I got out just what Dr. Jensen showed in his book, Tissue Cleansing through Bowel Management. Not only that, but popcorn kernels came out and I hadn't eaten any popcorn in years! Having something come out after all those years, gave me more faith in Dr. Jensen's work. I reasoned that if the popcorn was that old, how old was the rest of the stuff coming out? Surely some of it was from that same time period. I understand even more, now, after years of observing the material that comes out whenever I do colon cleansing. I have observed that the material coming out now has become progressively lighter, less smelly, and of a consistent texture; rather than initial dark, hard, rubbery, foul smelling stuff. There was a time when I would see some chunks of the hard rubbery stuff mixed in with the type of stuff I see today. Whenever I do my yearly cleanse now, I see clearly the striations on the outside of stool that reflect the same indentations from different parts of the intestinal wall; both small and large (colon). Could this be an actual thin layer that had accumulated directly on the intestinal lining? These markings are never present on my everyday bowel movements. The stool from my colon cleanse has a thin, outer layer that is decidedly a different, deeper color than the inside of the stool. It is also much firmer and cannot be pulled apart; whereas the inner portion of the stool looks remarkably like the Toxin Absorber drink and it is possible to pull apart easily (see photo)." (read full article here) Part Three: The other view on colon cleansing. There are some doctors who say there is no buildup in the intestines and colon cleansing is a complete hoax. I feel their point of view is valuable and you should be exposed to other opinions. I know this information and I still do colon cleansing. Your decision is yours for you to make. The following is a quote from Quackwatch.com saying that "mucoid plaque" doesn't exist: "I have seen several thousand intestinal biopsies and have never seen any "mucoid plaque." This is a complete fabrication with no anatomic basis. The small and large intestines normally secrete mucus for lubrication, but it does not form into any type of 'plaque'." (find site here: www.quackwatch.org) Dr. Richard Anderson's response to such statements in his book Cleanse & Purify Thyself: Book Two, (Mt. Shasta, CA: Christobe Publishing, 1998), page 88-89: "Surgeons and regular doctors are not trained in the subject of mucoid plaque and therefore remain unaware of this important bowel condition. The mucoid plaque is usually less than one-fourth of an inch in many areas of the bowel (except in heavy meat and dairy eaters). It usually develops from a semi-transparent liquid solution (mucin) and may look like it is part of the intestinal wall itself as it takes on the exact shapes, striations, and bulges of the intestinal wall. Until the mucoid plaque begins to mix with fecal matter, its color and texture may appear similar to healthy bowel mucosa. Unless one knows what they are looking for, it may be difficult to identify, especially by sight. Therefore, to doctors using endoscopy and to surgeons, it is unnoticeable unless they are familiar with the many different appearances mucoid plaque may have." You may have seen the following quote on other colon cleansing sites. In fact we once had it on our own site before I realized the information on John Wayne and Elvis was probably false: The following was reported in January 11, 1999 issue of USA Today: "Most people who eat the standard American 'goo and glue' diet have about 5-10 pounds of matter stored in the colon. It's said that, according to the autopsy, John Wayne had 40 pounds of impacted fecal matter in his body at death. Elvis reportedly had 60 pounds." This quote has drawn a large amount of negative attention to colon cleansing on the internet (example view: www.snopes.com). I tried researching it and found that the information on John Wayne and Elvis is very hard to verify and is most likely false. I was able to find the complete article from USA Today and the quote was part of an article talking about the journalist's experience at a health spa. Someone at the spa told her that information and she quoted it in her article. I think it is unfortunate that so many sites in their enthusiasm to prove the benefits of colon cleansing grab such information without verifying the source. Even I was guilty of this. In hindsight I see this reflects poorly on what we do know and the real experiences of people who have done colon cleansing. The fact is colon cleansing is not widely accepted by the medical profession and I think it's OK to share that with consumers. I think this gives more validity to the experiences we do know. Again I'll say it is critical thinking that is the key to holistic health. It is not accepting what someone else proved or disproved. If you want to know more about colon cleansing and the many benefits experienced by thousands of people I suggest you read Cleanse & Purify Thyself: Book Two, by Dr. Richard Anderson and also Tissue Cleansing Through Bowel Management by Dr. Bernard Jensen.

Shalom Volchok

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