hilltopics
Friday, March 31, 2000
culture society entertainment health
8A
Hooked Colonics
Some say they're flushing their way to good health
Story by Kami Bremeyer Photos by J.M. Dailey
wenty gallons of water gently administered through the rectum, not aspirin, cured a KU student's fever.
When Maureen Goddard, Kansas City, Kan., graduate student, came down with a 101-degree temperature, she went to see her colon therapist instead of seeing a doctor.
Goddard took a colonic, and a few hours later the fever disappeared, which she attributed to the treatment.
"I felt completely better," Goddard said.
Now Goddard sees her colonic therapist every time she begins to feel ill.
Colonic therapy is a method of cleansing the colon of waste material by repeated gentle flushing with water. Also known as colonic irrigation, the treatment has been growing in popularity with people who are interested in a homeopathic approach to health.
The driving belief behind colonics is that the waste left in the colon from a high-fat diet can build up and cause toxicity, which creates ailments such as fatigue, headaches, foul body odor and possibly arthritis.
Kathy Schmidtberger.
a DeSoto-based dental hygienist, watched a co-worker metamorphose from being sluggish and unhappy to being juvenated and healthy.
"I finally asked her, 'What are you doing?'" Schmidtberger said. "When she told me it was colon irrigation, I wouldn't discuss it with her for three weeks, because as a hygienist I was told not to discuss anything below the belt."
Schmidtberger's health was at an all-time low.
Exhausted by traditional approaches to healing, she decided to give colonics a try.
"After my first colonic, I'll never forget, I felt so much better," she said. "I felt clean inside and my stomach felt lighter."
Schmidtberger continued receiving
Below: Various scented oils have recently been added to the therapy process at Heartland Cleansing in DeSoto.
colonics about twice a week for three months and said she saw drastic improvements in her health. Colors became more vivid, her energy level increased, hair she had lost grew back, and her outlook on life improved.
Schmidtberger said receptor sites that affect the senses are in the colon. The receptors can be clouded by impacted fecal matter, she said, and can dull a people's senses if they are not cleansed.
The medical profession does not recognize colonic therapy as a means for enhancing sensory experience, nor does it license colon therapists. Most therapists receive training only from the manufacturer of the equipment they use.
Randall Rock, chief of staff at Watkins Memorial Health Center, said that generally the food you took into your system was pushed through the colon in a day's time. He also said it was normal for the colon to have fecal matter in it because the organ is designed to be a constant vehicle for elimination.
A colonic differs from an enema because in the average enema only half a gallon of water is used; most colonics use about 20 gallons of water. In an enema, water only reaches the first portion of the colon, the descending colon.
In the medical community, Rock said that enemas were used for conditions such as constipation but generally only after other methods proved unsuccessful.
A colonic is much more aggressive. It is able to cleanse deeper into the colon because of the amount water used.
Even though the medical community does not endorse colonic therapy, local colonic clinics are thriving.
Schmidtberger, a hygienist by day, is now moonlighting as a colonic therapist. In January, she opened Heartland Cleansing, 3350 Lexington Ave., in DeSoto. Her clients include a construction worker, a heavy equipment operator, a mother of four and a pilot.
Patients pay $35 for their first visit and
$50 dollars for each subsequent visit.
The focal point of the room is the Jimmy John III, also known as the irrigator. The eight-foot-long machine, approved by the Food and Drug Administration, is shaped like an L. The bed of the machine, similar to a reclining toilet, is connected to the control unit that has a 10-gallon tank of water and is mounted with a sort of rearview mirror. The mirror is positioned so patients can see their results be whisked away through the clear-plastic pipe that runs
Unlike a typical examination room, the walls in the Hearttand cleansing room are painted a friendly shade of peach. Against the east wall is a modern sink and counter adorned with scented hand lotions and a candle. In the corner is a high-back antique chair.
under the length of the machine.
Schmidtberger, who received colonics training from the manufacturer of the Jimmy John III, said she believed that a colonic treatment was most comfortable as a private experience.
Before patients begin therapy, Schmidtberger coaches them on how the machine and apparatus works so they can be self-sufficient and best maintain their dignity.
The colon begins taking in the water. When it is full, the muscles in the organ force the water out around the speculum and down the tube for viewing in the magnifying mirror. The repeated process of filling and releasing lasts for about 45 minutes, at which point the patient slides the lever back to turn the machine off.
First, patients undress from the waist down. Then while sitting down on the machine, the patient lifts up the speculum to slide it into the rectum. The patient then starts the machine by sliding the water release lever, similar to the throttle on a speedboat, toward him.
Following the treatment, Schmidt-berger said most clients felt refreshed and continued with their daily activities. She said that few people felt any side effects.
For two days following a colonic, Schmidtberger recommends a light diet focusing on fruits, nuts and acidophilus, a supplement to replenish the colon with healthy bacteria.
After her first colonic at Heartland Cleansing, Andrea Newton, Omaha, Neb., junior, was surprised.
"It didn't feel unnatural at all," she said. "It was very relaxing. I wanted to fall asleep."
Unlike Heartland Cleasing's self-service philosophy, Coon's Count of rural Lawrence, where Goddard received her colonic, is considered a full-service colonic clinic.
Owner David Coon quit his day job after receiving accreditation in colon therapy from Wood Hygienic Institute, a state-accrediting institution, to become a full-time colon therapist. Coon serves
Above: The Jimmy John III is the eight-foot-long machine that patients use to self-administer their colonics at Heartland Cleansing in DeSoto.
patients from the Lawrence area and charges $50 for the first colonic and $40 thereafter.
Coon assists the patient through the entire cleansing proc
ess. He helps insert the speculum and also controls water flow into the colon from his gravity-flow cleansing equipment.
Coon talks with patients during the procedure to accommodate their sensations while he massages their colon to help release impacted fecal matter. Anyone who is interested in maintaining good health is a candidate for colonics, Coon said.
"Taking a colonic is like brushing your teeth," he said.
Rock said he did not believe that colonics were necessary for people wishing to maintain optimum health. The medical profession says if the digestive tract is allowed to perform its designed function, it alone will be successful in sustaining a healthy body.
"If you have an adequate diet, water intake and a daily bowel movement, then you are accomplishing exactly what the body is supposed to do, and for no added cost." Rock said. "If you are paying $40 or $50 for a colonic cleansing treatment, something that happens anyway, I doubt that is very cost-effective."
Students should be aware of the potential risks involved. Complications in colonic treatments can occur if the equipment used is not sterile. Rock said it was also possible for the colon to be perforated if the speculum was misguided.
Rock encouraged students who had questions about colonic irrigation or were considering participating in colonic therapy to first speak to a nurse or doctor at Watkins.
Colonics patients may not be able to support medically the benefits of colon therapy, but for some the value of a colonic is intrinsic.
"Maybe it's just psychological, but it feels refreshing," Newton said. "I would like to try it again."
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