Question for Heather on Enema and Colonics
#34696 - 12/31/03 09:49 PM
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Claire
Reged: 01/27/03
Posts: 65
Loc: Paris, France
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Hi all
This was a question for Heather, though I'd be interested to read all other comments and personal experiences..I wondered what you think of enema and colonics? I am coming to the belief that cleaning out the bowel, as long as it is done safely, cannot possibly be a bad thing (apart of course for those with inflammatory bowel conditions such as Crohns).I'm sure fiber is a good way of cleaning the bowel, and possibly more gentle, but perhaps you could look at the bowel as a trash bin and say that fiber is like gently emptying or scraping away all the rubbish and colonics is like giving the trash can a good wash out. Surely the latter is better in the long run?
I look forward to your comments.
Claire 
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Hi Claire,
If I remember correctly I don't think the colonics is something that is recommended for people with IBS. I had considered it at one time. But I think it can really be disruptive to your colon and we need to keep things as calm as possible down there to avoid the spasms. I'm sure Heather will respond as well on this.
I have been taking the Acacia fiber with great results and a much calmer stomach. It's nice to have that to drink if I have gone too long in between meals and I am able to drink that before a meal and know that my stomach as a bit of a buffer zone from any meals that may be high in fat. Good luck.
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I'm not an expert, but everything I've read from those who are say that the idea that "toxins" are just hanging out in your colon is a big myth. In general all of the stuff I've read says don't do it you'll make things worse. But, like I said, I'm not an expert.
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for Claire?
#34705 - 01/01/04 03:48 AM
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Gerry10
Reged: 10/15/03
Posts: 450
Loc: Las Vegas,Nev.
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you said you take Acacia.when you first started to take it how much did you take.I have just started taken it an can,t get reg,on it.please help me out.gerry10. 
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Neta G.Yale
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Actually, you don't want an empty bowel, because it needs something to 'grip' on to. Heather does a better job of explaining this here:
Quote:
Why is soluble fiber so special? Because unlike any other food category, it soothes and regulates the digestive tract, stabilizes the intestinal contractions resulting from the gastrocolic reflex, and normalizes bowel function from either extreme. That's right – soluble fiber prevents and relieves BOTH diarrhea and constipation. Nothing else in the world will do this for you.
How is this possible? The "soluble" in soluble fiber means that it dissolves in water (though it is not digested). This allows it to absorb excess liquid in the colon, preventing diarrhea by forming a thick gel and adding a great deal of bulk as it passes intact through the gut. This gel (as opposed to a watery liquid) also keeps the GI muscles stretched gently around a full colon, giving those muscles something to easily "grip" during peristaltic contractions, thus preventing the rapid transit time and explosive bowel movements of diarrhea as well.
By the same token, the full gel-filled colon (as opposed to a colon tightly clenched around dry, hard, impacted stools) provides the same "grip" during the muscle waves of constipation sufferers, allowing for an easier and faster transit time, and the passage of the thick wet gel also effectively relieves constipation by softening and pushing through impacted fecal matter. If you can mentally picture your colon as a tube that is squeezing through matter via regular waves of contractions, it's easy to see how a colon filled with soluble fiber gel is beneficial for both sides of the IBS coin.
As a glorious bonus here, normalizing the contractions of the colon (from too fast or too slow speeds) prevents the violent and irregular spasms that result in the lower abdominal cramping pain that cripples so many IBS patients. This single action alone is the reason I don't eat anything on an empty stomach but soluble fiber. Ever. The only foods I want to trigger my gastrocolic reflex are soluble fiber, as that's the only way I can keep those contractions (and thus my life) normal. I routinely snack on small quantities of soluble fiber foods all day long, every single day. If I don't have a chance to eat or I'm not that hungry, I'll take a soluble fiber supplement.
from web page
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Hi - I would stay far away from enemas and colonics. They're not what your body is naturally meant to have - and they can seriously disrupt the normal function of your colon, which is the last thing you want with IBS. Mags is right too - you don't want an empty gut, ever. You want a constant supply of soluble fiber throughout your gut, to keep your colon contractions stable and your bowel function normal.
Search the board for past posts on colonics too - that's come up recently.
- H
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Heather is the Administrator of the IBS Message Boards. She is the author of Eating for IBS and The First Year: IBS, and the CEO of Heather's Tummy Care. Join her IBS Newsletter. Meet Heather on Facebook!
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I liked your analogy about "washing out the trash bin," but I don't think it makes sense anatomically...every day the cells that line your intestines are shed by your body and become part of your BMs, so nothing can "stick" to the ever-changing walls of your intestines. Does that make sense? It would be like trying to hang a poster in a room in which the wallpaper was torn down and replaced every single day...the poster wouldn't have anywhere to stick to, you see?
There's more info here .
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Thanks very much for your reply and interesting link. I will go away and think about this one. The arguments for and against are so convincing. The fact is, there is a risk involved and us IBS sifferers aren't too keen on risks when it comes to our bowels are we?!
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I've read that among the various "insults" to the gut that can trigger the onset of IBS (abdominal surgery, dysentery, pregnancy, etc.) giving enemas - especially to children - could be one of them. There aren't any clinical studies of this that I've ever seen, but enemas were on the list for possible gut insults. I think the general theory is that anything that interferes with or disrupts the natural motility of the gut could possibly permanently alter the gut's nervous system, leading to IBS.
I know it's a little tempting to think that maybe this could work in reverse, and if you take someone who already has IBS, and insult their gut, maybe that will then alter their gut's nervous system back to normal. But I've never seen anything - not even a wild-eyed theory - to support this. And common sense says that insulting a body part that is already insulted will make things worse, not better. If IBS was external, and you had very sensitive skin, the last thing you'd do would be to deliberately irritate it with a loofah or perfumed lotion in the hopes that this would shock your skin back into a state of non-sensitivity.
- H
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Heather is the Administrator of the IBS Message Boards. She is the author of Eating for IBS and The First Year: IBS, and the CEO of Heather's Tummy Care. Join her IBS Newsletter. Meet Heather on Facebook!
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