In April, cleansing your colon naturally provides energy, improves digestion and helps to “deflate”.
After the winter where we ate rich, the spring is the right time to do a colon detox. A natural detox (by absorption of fiber and water or by washing rectally) allows empty it and clean it to improve digestion, regain good energy and even “deflate”, assures Stéphane Tétart, naturopath, author of “Je m’initie à la naturopathy” and “Secrets de naturopaths” (Ed. Leduc S). In any case, you have to drink lots of water whatever the detox method chosen.
Why do a colon detox?
The colon is the portion of the digestive tract where the remains of digestion are stored in the form of food waste. Its role is to absorb the last nutrients of interest to the body in this waste before their elimination through the stools. It happens that this waste are not sufficiently eliminated, either in quantity or in terms of frequency. Waste then accumulates in the colon, stays there too long and degrades. Toxins grow And the overloaded colon loses its capacity to absorb nutrients. Colon cleansing methods allow it to be emptied and cleaned without unbalancing the intestinal microbiota. Ideal for :
- Effectively combat constipation and bloating
- Improves digestion
- Boost energy
- Act against migraines (when linked to poor digestion)
- Act against nausea, discomfort and the feeling of clogging
- Improves skin condition and has better look
To lose weight ?
Detox does not make you lose weight strictly speaking, but allows you to “deflate” thanks to better digestion and elimination.
For whom especially?
Colon detox is indicated in case of regular constipation, poor digestion, frequent bloating, gas. “Refraining from having a bowel movement during the day leads to a problem with stool elimination, specifies the naturopath. And the more constipated we are, the more we tend to be..” Colon detox is also indicated “in people who have a transit too long, too slow. The fruits of digestion will stay too long in the colon, degrade and toxins will accumulate. It must be emptied. “
5 natural colon detox cures
► Sachets of fibers : “The colon detox cure throughabsorption of inulin or psyllium is recommended when our diet does not contain enough fiber and transit slows down“. One sachet of one or the other per day, for 10 to 20 days, by drinking enough water to better eliminate, allows you to obtain more abundant stools. “The two most effective fibers found commercially are inulin and psyllium. These fibers will weight the colon without irritating it“. It is nevertheless necessary make sure you drink enough water so that these fibers swell well, weigh down our transit and are well lubricated.
► The Clark cure : “Dr. Clark’s cure, best known for cleansing the liver, consists of taking fiber for a week (either through food or fiber sachets), then on the seventh evening take 4 tablespoons of magnesium sulfate heptahydrate (called Epsom salt) with 2 to 3 glasses of water which will accelerate the transit, then take a mixture of half oil and grapefruit juice in a glass. The next day take 1 to 2 glasses of Epsom salt to completely empty the colon and intestines (no more than a week of use). We get bad diarrhea ” warns the naturopath. This will give extremely liquid stools so we will completely empty of all hard matter, warns Stéphane Tétart. After practice, you can eat normally again.
► The yogic purge : accessible to everyoneshe uses the just the right amount of salt necessary to avoid adding too much to the body. To taste, the water is salty like a tear. This cure gives liquid diarrhea, almost like water, since with the Clark cure previously practiced, the solid parts were eliminated. Thanks to the absorption of this warm salt water we will be able to eliminate the last residues still present on the walls of the colon and intestines. In such a way that we have a effective and not too violent result. The intestinal microbiota remains preserved. “UOnce the intestines and colon have been emptied due to a diarrhea effect (as in the Clark cure), drink lightly salted water (4g per liter) – isotonic water – while practicing yoga exercises between each drink. It is possible to drink 1 to 2 liters in total. This water will rinse the intestines and eliminate the last residues on the walls of the colon while preserving the intestinal flora.“
► The rectal douche : easily accessible to people who have mild digestive problems, those who are constipated for help to have daily elimination without irritating. “It is done at home, using a bock or enema bag which consists of introducing 1 to 3 liters of water into the colon via an anal cannula. After 5-15 minutes, we go to the stool to empty ourselves by a mechanical effect” explains the naturopath.
► Colon hydrotherapy : the most intrusive method which is not suitable for everyone. It is used in cases of significant digestive problems: migraine, nausea, digestive slowness, accumulation of toxins with repercussions on the skin. This full wash of the colon is performed by a practitioner equipped with a specific machine. The machine will introduce 5 liters of water then proceed to drain it, and repeat the operation two to three times.
Any contraindications?
“Always seek the advice of your doctor, but if you have no problem with fiber, the treatment which consists of adding fiber does not carry any risk” reassures the naturopath. Colon detox is not recommended in cases of:
- Crohn’s disease
- Irritable bowel syndrome
- Hemorrhoids
- Polyps
- Cancer pathologies
- Pregnancy
- Not before adolescence.