I was wondering if anyone has ever done a colonic or has any thoughts on this subject. I was reading about coffee enema's too and the supposed benefits of it, which seem to be many, although I have no idea if the evidence is there or not. I don't know, I guess since it is something that affects the colon that it would be worth throwing out there for comment. I have also read other places that it is a waste of money to go to a place that performs the colonic. Plus, maybe whatever benefits might be there have nothing to do with healing the colon. Just thought I would ask the group here.
Thanks,
Kim
Colonics
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I read an article that it can be detrimental as it removes too many of the good bacteria and actually hurts the lining of the gut...perhaps others will weigh in with different opinions...
Sunny
Sunny
"It is very difficult to get a man to understand something, when his salary depends upon his not understanding it. "
Upton Sinclair
Upton Sinclair
Hi Kim,
The theory behind colonics is that all sorts of gunk tends to stick to the walls of the colon, causing various health issues, and therefore the key to good health is a good colon cleansing, now and then. Trust me, those of us who have diarrhea predominant MC, aren't likely to have any gunk sticking to the walls of our colon. Not anymore, anyway.
Anything that might possibly have been sticking was thoroughly flushed out by the first wave of explosive watery diarrhea. And if that didn't do the trick, the next few hundred trips to the bathroom during the following week surely took care of it. 
I agree with Sunny. The medical reports that I've seen haven't been favorable. The treatments used for colon cleansing are typically pretty hard on the mucosa of the colon when it's healthy, let alone when it's already inflamed and angry. Antagonizing it even more, seems counterproductive.
That said, it has been noted that occasionally a cleanout such as the prep for a colonoscopy exam has been known to bring remission from symptoms (at least for a few days). Though it only has that effect in a relatively small percentage of cases (and it's usually only temporary), it is thought that the effect is due to the shock imposed upon the colon by the treatment, sort of similar to the shock created by a large dose of prednisone. In my case, the cleanout didn't bring remission. Instead it made me as sick as a dog, all 3 times.
Tex
The theory behind colonics is that all sorts of gunk tends to stick to the walls of the colon, causing various health issues, and therefore the key to good health is a good colon cleansing, now and then. Trust me, those of us who have diarrhea predominant MC, aren't likely to have any gunk sticking to the walls of our colon. Not anymore, anyway.
Anything that might possibly have been sticking was thoroughly flushed out by the first wave of explosive watery diarrhea. And if that didn't do the trick, the next few hundred trips to the bathroom during the following week surely took care of it. I agree with Sunny. The medical reports that I've seen haven't been favorable. The treatments used for colon cleansing are typically pretty hard on the mucosa of the colon when it's healthy, let alone when it's already inflamed and angry. Antagonizing it even more, seems counterproductive.
That said, it has been noted that occasionally a cleanout such as the prep for a colonoscopy exam has been known to bring remission from symptoms (at least for a few days). Though it only has that effect in a relatively small percentage of cases (and it's usually only temporary), it is thought that the effect is due to the shock imposed upon the colon by the treatment, sort of similar to the shock created by a large dose of prednisone. In my case, the cleanout didn't bring remission. Instead it made me as sick as a dog, all 3 times.
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
Greetings, All!
It's true that a clean-out sometimes results in improvement. I believe Dr. Fine thinks it is because those pesky food antibodies get washed out temporarily and cannot do their usual damage. In fact at one time he was designing a treatment using oral Epsom salts on a regular basis to keep those antibodies washed out. But I never heard any more about it.
I am not a believer in colonics.
Happy New Year!
Polly
It's true that a clean-out sometimes results in improvement. I believe Dr. Fine thinks it is because those pesky food antibodies get washed out temporarily and cannot do their usual damage. In fact at one time he was designing a treatment using oral Epsom salts on a regular basis to keep those antibodies washed out. But I never heard any more about it.
I am not a believer in colonics.
Happy New Year!
Polly
Blessed are they who can laugh at themselves, for they shall never cease to be amused.
Thanks for the good advise. I certainly don't need something else to spend my money on either. :-) Just as a side note, and I know this is another topic, but while I am now on a diet that excludes the things I am sensitive to, should I discontinue the Immodium so that I know when the new diet is doing what it is supposed to? If I don't take it at all, I have diarrhea several times a day, vs. when I take it I am much more stable. Not sure whether to wait awhile and then try weaning off of it at a later point. I feel like I am starting to feel just the very beginnings of healing after about a month. No where where I need to be, but it makes me hopeful.
Thanks for all your responses.
Kim
Thanks for all your responses.
Kim
Kim,
As long as you are still having D without Imodium, you might as well continue to use it, as long as it works well for you, and it makes your life more pleasant. I would think (but I'm just guessing here) that in most cases, constipation symptoms will begin to develop when the time comes to reduce the dosage, or stop taking it. For most of us, there are other indicators that also tell us when we are healing, such as a reduction in joint and/or muscle pain, fewer headaches/migraines, more energy (less fatigue), less brain fog, etc., but not everyone has all those symptoms.
Imodium is one of the safer medications available, and the only long-term risk that I'm aware of, is that it may become less effective (require a larger dose to have the same effect) if it is used regularly for years (that's true for all medications), but there are no known significant health risks, to the best of my knowledge.
You're very welcome,
Tex
As long as you are still having D without Imodium, you might as well continue to use it, as long as it works well for you, and it makes your life more pleasant. I would think (but I'm just guessing here) that in most cases, constipation symptoms will begin to develop when the time comes to reduce the dosage, or stop taking it. For most of us, there are other indicators that also tell us when we are healing, such as a reduction in joint and/or muscle pain, fewer headaches/migraines, more energy (less fatigue), less brain fog, etc., but not everyone has all those symptoms.
Imodium is one of the safer medications available, and the only long-term risk that I'm aware of, is that it may become less effective (require a larger dose to have the same effect) if it is used regularly for years (that's true for all medications), but there are no known significant health risks, to the best of my knowledge.
You're very welcome,
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.