The idea of colon cleansing had been with us ever since the ancient Egyptians and Greeks began and spread its practice. Probably, it was around the time when people became aware of personal hygiene and its health advantages.

People thought the body’s internal disposal system needed help, along the lines of external hygienic practices such as brushing one’s teeth, taking baths, washing hair and cutting nails. Ancient medicine men then developed ways and devices for cleaning the bowels.

However, today’s medical authorities discredited the idea and declared that it does not have any medical value at all. On the contrary, they discovered a list of potential hazards in the practice.

Surprisingly, many people today swore by its medical benefits. As a matter of fact, a whole industry specializing in the manufacture of equipments and other related products are doing brisk business.

The authorities do not actually regulate the use of colon cleansing equipments and products associated with cleansing the colon. However, it exercises control on these manufacturing companies mostly on safety issues, false claims, and quality control.

Like all things in excess, overdoing bowel cleaning is not beneficial. Nor is it recommended.

Here are the top seven in the collated warning notes for users, actual or potential.

1. First order: always consult with your doctor. He is a medical practitioner. He knows your body and your health better than anyone. ‘Anyone’ includes friends and family, especially those people who are selling medical products and equipments for colon cleansing.

   This is a very important consideration, especially if one is currently taking any medication or has other health problems.

2. Always inspect the list of ingredients and their amounts in herbal supplements designed for colon cleansing. The basic premise is that you might be allergic to them, or that they might cause you some other health problems by way of interaction or amount.

   Example: Certain laxatives used in colon cleansing, such as those with sodium phosphate, can cause a rise in your electrolytes, which can be dangerous if you have kidney or heart disease.

3. If a medical practitioner engages the cleansing himself, make sure that he has a good reputation, is widely known in his circles or in the profession at large.

   Important, too, would be to make sure that what he uses are disposable devices and not those that had been used previously.

4. Avoid companies selling colon cleansing products with very broad, inflated claims of efficacy. Nowadays, the advertising thrust is that cleaning the bowels will cure specific illnesses (constipation, arthritis, etc.) or the fuzzy claim that colon cleansing can really improve one’s general health conditions.
5. Stay well hydrated by drinking lots of fluid if undergoing colon cleansing. This is to prevent dehydration which can be potentially dangerous. Some enema preparations have been associated with heart attacks and electrolyte imbalances.
6. If colon cleansing is used for treatment against constipation, try drinking water and other fluids first. It is also good dietary practice to eat fiber-rich foods and getting regular exercises to fight constipation problems.
7. Finally, repeated colon cleansing may interfere with the proper functioning of the colon itself. Some people become dependent on laxatives and enemas to move their bowels.
   Moreover, there is danger of loss of vitamins and minerals that have to be replaced. Some herbs used may reduce the effectiveness of other medication because of interaction.

What all these means is to simply be on alert. The medical profession may not have slammed on the practice because it is still along the lines of personal hygiene. What the authorities may be concerned about is the extensive commercialization and some over-the-top claims just to help in sales.

In the end, people may have forgotten that the body has its own amazing mechanisms on how to clean itself internally. Barring diseases and excessive strain, colon cleansing is, to be honest, simply redundant.

Weight loss programs are very popular nowadays. How many times have we heard of different kinds of advices from different people about speeding their weight loss. But what is real and what is not? There are common myths about weight loss, nutrition and diet.

Myth 1: Fad diet results are forever

Fad diets or popular weight loss program scan help you lose your weight in a short period of time, but it does not help you in keeping the pounds away. Making sure that you would be staying fit and maintaining the weight that you have achieved is by making changes on your lifestyle. There is approximately 95 percent of fad diet followers who would regain their weight after a year or two.

We are what we eat. What we are are based on our food intake, activity or exercise routine. Weight loss is not just about sacrificing unhealthy food that we love once in a while. It is about consistently eating healthy and making nutritious food choices, eating the right amount of food, and increasing physical activity.

Myth 2: There are certain food like grapefruit and celery that could help in weight loss

Unfortunately, scientific studies have found out that these cannot burn fat. Although, it is possible for some food to increase the metabolism of the body, it does not mean that it could burn fat and lead to weight loss. The best way to burn fat is to limit the amount of saturated fat, unhealthy food and calories that you intake. And at the same time, increase your physical activity like exercise and mobility.

Myth 3: Low-fat or non-fat food or drinks means that it has zero calories.

Processed foods are never calorie-free. Sometimes the non-fat or low-fat would have the same number of calories compared with the regular product. Non-fat or low-fat products could contain additional sugar, flour or ingredients which could still add to calorie number of the product. So what you can do to limit your calorie intake? Check the Nutrition Facts label of the processed food to identify how much calorie it is for each serving. You would based how much you eat to limit your calorie intake.

Myth 4: To lose weight faster, miss meals.

This is among the most common myth. Studies showed that if you skip breakfast or any meal it is more likely to increase their weight. Why? Because they feel more hungry throughout the day and eat more in the next meal. It would be better to eat four to five times a day in small proportions. Just make sure that the food you will be eating is healthy, low-fat and low-calorie.

Myth 5: Eating red meat would increase your weight. This is the same for dairy products.

Yes it is true that red meat contains fat and cholesterol, but it also contain protein, iron and zinc which is essential for the body to function properly. When eating red meat, it is best to avoid those that have visible fat. You could choose mead with lower fat like tenderloin, extra lean ground beef, flank steak, and similar kinds of meat.

For dairy products, there are low-fat and non-fat milk, yogurt and cheeses which has the same nutritional value but lower in fat and calories.

These are just some of myths surrounding weight loss. Bottomline is, if you would like to lose weight and retain the results for longer period of time, then lifestyle change is the key. You would have to be committed in sticking to a healthy dietary plan and change the bad eating habits that you have learned over the years. This may be difficult since change does not happen overnight. Just take it one-step-at-a-time. Losing weight does not mean how many pounds you have lost in a week, but how successful you were in the long run.