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.