Cleanses ?

You are ssooo funny
I have been doing my homework on this wonderful "disease" and am currently doing a colon cleanse
This is not a few days here and a few days there cleanse it is a serious cleanse that totally might take me about 2-3 months to complete. All depends on how it goes. I am learning that it takes time to move thie "stuff" out as much as it took time to put it there. Knowledge is power
My friend is on this too and we both have been noticing a bit of a difference...all for the good, of course....I wont go into graphic details but I am glad it is sitting in the toilet and not in me

I am doing a first time cleanse and I am having no issues

I have done a lot of research on this and if you like to contact me and I will fill you in on what I have learned [email protected]

Post Edited (Darn IBS) : 8/16/2009 9:02:13 PM (GMT-6)

I do have to say thanks to this site that I did order a colon cleansing and we will see how it goes it couldn't hurt

Colon cleanses are generally not recommended by GI doctors, and I would strongly advise against them if you have IBS-D. People with C can get some temporary relief from their symptoms, but I've never known anyone on here with C to do any sort of colon cleansing and be cured from constipation for good; the C always comes back when they get off it.

Some warnings about colon cleansing:

1) Colon cleansing (and this includes the laxatives prescribed prior to colonoscopies) can wipe out the good bacteria in your guts. The longer you cleanse, the more likely you are to seriously deplete the good bacteria in your guts. Without good bacteria, you can develop IBS symptoms, or make existing symptoms worse. You also leave your colon open to colonization by bad bacteria, which can make life much, much worse. Probiotics should be taken while doing anything like that, to try and keep up your good bacteria count.

2) Colon cleansing is just a euphamistic term for laxative. As with all laxatives, you have to be careful not to overuse them, or your colon will become dependent and you can set up serious (and permanent) constipation.

3) Any laxative can cause intestinal irritation. This shows up on a lot of people's colonoscopies after just one or two days of cleansing. The more often/longer you use them, the more likely you are to irritate the lining of your colon, which can cause IBS symptoms, or worse symptoms. Some people will be more prone to this than others, especially people who already have irritated intestines due to IBS or some form of colitis (and for that reason, people with colitis or Chron's shouldn't cleanse, except where necessary for medical testing). Calcium should be taken to try and combat this.

4) All laxatives can cause dehydration--the same as having diarrhea--and you must be careful to remain hydrated and drink more water than normal. Dehydration can cause constipation, headache, and other problems.

Poop does not get caked to the inside of your intestines like spaghetti sauce left in a pot overnight. The intestines are one, continuous smooth muscle, constantly undulating. They move kind of like a snake. And when was the last time you saw a snake with mud caked on it? Certainly hard stools can cause blockages--the muscle can't move them down the track--but that's not the same thing as it being stuck to the sides, and once something (like a laxative) has softened the stool up, it will move on through and nothing will be left behind.

As someone with D, there's no need for you to colon cleanse, because you're quite right that your colon gets flushed out regularly. Manys the time I've sat on the toilet with my intestines working and nothing coming out simply because there was nothing left in there to come out--not even water. And I've seen pictures from my colonoscopy after I had fasted and taken the prescribed laxatives--there was nothing in there. Clean as a whistle. So, to my mind, there's no difference between an herbal colon cleanser, GoLyghtly, or Correctol; if you take a lot of any of it and fast, you'll have empty intestines. Not that I know why anyone wants empty intestines, short of someone with chronic constipation. Mine have been empty more than once and it wasn't anything like a spiritual experience for me. Mainly I was just hungry because your digestive tract's not supposed to be empty; it's not natural. There's always supposed to be at least one meal somewhere in your GI tract; eating a new meal has a tendency to push an old one out. Thus why so many of us eat and then run to the bathroom!

Besides, nature already invented something that keeps your intestines cleared and working smoothly. It's called fiber. Soluable fiber for moisture, to keep your stools soft and flowing, and insoluable fiber to provide bulk so your muscles have something to work against. Something I've learned keeping a horse: fiber is a real necessity for the intestines. You can give a horse all the calories they need in to live from grain or some sort of liquid additive, but without insoluable fiber from grass, their intestines will sieze up and they will colic; without help or a return to normal food, they will die. Human bodies aren't nearly as sensitive as horses, but we likewise need fiber to keep our intestines working correctly; you can't keep your intestines empty all the time and not suffer consquences in the long run.

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