The colon is the sewer system of the body.

Almost.

It still absorbs some remaining water and nutrients from the sludge that the small intestine dumps in.  Like any piping system, the colon needs cleansing.

The colon is a tube more than five feet long and three and a half inches wide.  It goes up, the ascending colon, over, the transverse colon, and then down, the descending colon. Ending in the anus. 

The muscles of the colon contract and move the sludge along.   Since there might be more than five pounds of this toxic stuff in the colon, it is important to detoxify the colon.  If we store it for too long, the toxins may affect the colon or the rest of our body. 

So while the liver detoxifies the blood, the colon removes toxins from the digestive system.  It gets rid of all the parts of the food that we cannot use..

What can go wrong with the colon?

Constipation

Constipation is any change in your regular bowel movements.  Some people go once a day others once every two days.  So long as the pattern doesn’t change, you are OK   Some people get constipated when they travel, that is clearly not a medical problem.

Natural Colon Detox Methods

• Exercise, walk for 20 minutes four or five times a week.

• Drink water during the day.  Water softens the stool making it easier to pass.  Keeping the colon clean.

• Don’t use laxatives.  They work by irritating the colon and can be habit forming  Aloe vera gel capsules are a natural laxative.

• Eat more fiber. Fiber naturally scrapes the colon, detoxifying it.  Fruit on your cereal for breakfast, fruit snack at lunch, fresh vegetables at dinner.   Bran is an insoluble fiber that adds bulk to your stools and scrapes out the colon.  Sprinkle it on yogurt or add it to your morning cereal.  If it causes gas or bloating, try psyllium fiber instead.

• Take psyllium with a lot of water.  Otherwise you may obstruct your colon.

Hemorrhoids

Four out of five Americans have hemorrhoids at some time in their lives. They are enlarged veins in the anus and rectum. You first notice them if there is blood in your stool or on the tissue when wiping. 

They are caused by insufficient dietary fiber and straining at the stool

• For immediate relief use an ointment like zinc oxide, petroleum jelly, or witch hazel.

• Increasing fiber in your diet will soften the stools and increase their bulk so that there is less strain to have a bowel movement.  Then there will be less chance of hemorrhoids. 

• Rutin, a bioflavanoid, is thought to strengthen the capillary system.  So the veins don’t sag. 

Check with your doctor to make sure that the rectal bleeding is not from colitis or colon cancer.

Colitis

Irritable bowel or colitis is when the inner lining of the colon is inflamed. Stress is a factor in colitis. Stress keeps the digestive system from working properly. It sends all the energy to the muscles and away from digestion. So exercising or constructive rest or yoga, whatever reduces stress for us will also help detoxify the colon.

Colon Cancer

Colon cancer is the third most often diagnosed and the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States for both men and women. When caught early, at stage 1, the five-year survival rate is 91 percent. However, if not caught before spreading locally, which is stage 2, the five year survival rate drops to 60 percent. And if not caught before further spreading, which is stage 3 or 4, the five-year survival rate plummets to only 6 percent.

For those over 50, schedule a colorectal cancer screening.

Then keep the appointment.

At least 90% of people diagnosed with colon cancer are 50 or older with the average age of diagnosis is 64. Research shows that by age 50, one in four people has polyps which are colon cancer precursors.

There is a tumor suppressor gene in the cells that line the colon that is turned on by butyrate, a fat produced by bacteria in the gut.   So if you have the right bacteria in your gut, you turn on the tumor suppressor gene that stops tumors from growing.

For example, acidophilus bacteria, found in yogurt with active cultures,  eat soluble fiber found in the vegetables that we eat.  They produce the butyrate which nourishes the lining of the colon.  So we want these bacteria in the gut and we want to feed them by eating plenty of fiber.

Good habits keep the colon detoxified so that we avoid all of these problems.  Salads are refreshing and fruit is sweet so it isn’t that hard to eat.  Plain yogurt with bran sprinkled on it is a light breakfast.