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Colon cleanse
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bstone
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Sep 2, 2011, 02:42 PM
 
Have you ever had one? Know anyone who has? What was your or their experience? Would you do it again?
Emergency Medicine & Urgent Care.
     
turtle777
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Sep 2, 2011, 02:46 PM
 
Just heard someone offhandedly say they hadn't and it got me curious.

-t
     
chabig
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Sep 2, 2011, 02:53 PM
 
I did one two years ago. Although I wasn't really hungry I missed food and had cravings to fight. I lost a little weight. Otherwise, no big changes.
     
Person Man
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Sep 2, 2011, 03:05 PM
 
I don't generally recommend them for my patients.

Here are a few reputable (i.e. not sponsored by companies that sell "colon cleanser") links to look at.

Natural Colon Cleansing: Is It Necessary?

Colon cleansing: Is it helpful or harmful? - MayoClinic.com

The Dangers of Colon Cleansing, Journal of Family Practice, August 2011

Unless Recommended by a Doctor, Colon Cleansing Should Not Be Attempted

I encourage you to look through this information before deciding whether or not to try it.
     
Doofy
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Sep 2, 2011, 03:47 PM
 
Vindaloo. That'll clear you out.
Been inclined to wander... off the beaten track.
That's where there's thunder... and the wind shouts back.
     
Person Man
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Sep 2, 2011, 04:13 PM
 
Originally Posted by Doofy View Post
Vindaloo. That'll clear you out.
Even has "loo" in the name.
     
olePigeon
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Sep 2, 2011, 04:14 PM
 
At best they don't do anything, at worst they can dangerous and even deadly. The claims about the colon containing 5 to 12 pounds of undigested matter are demonstrably false. If you ask any gastroenterologist who does endoscopies or xrays, the inside of a colon of someone who fasted and someone who "cleansed" are identical.

Fiber still remains as the best way to "cleanse" your colon if you're concerned about it. It's healthy, too.
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bstone  (op)
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Sep 2, 2011, 06:06 PM
 
Originally Posted by Person Man View Post
I don't generally recommend them for my patients.

Here are a few reputable (i.e. not sponsored by companies that sell "colon cleanser") links to look at.

Natural Colon Cleansing: Is It Necessary?

Colon cleansing: Is it helpful or harmful? - MayoClinic.com

The Dangers of Colon Cleansing, Journal of Family Practice, August 2011

Unless Recommended by a Doctor, Colon Cleansing Should Not Be Attempted

I encourage you to look through this information before deciding whether or not to try it.

Very interesting. BTW, you say your patients. Are you a doctor?
Emergency Medicine & Urgent Care.
     
Doofy
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Sep 2, 2011, 06:26 PM
 
Originally Posted by Person Man View Post
Even has "loo" in the name.

Caps.
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That's where there's thunder... and the wind shouts back.
     
imitchellg5
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Sep 2, 2011, 08:00 PM
 
Why would you even want to do it without reason? I had to do it a couple weeks ago for surgery, and about two months before that for a colonoscopy and it wasn't fun. It isn't terrible, but you're in the bathroom for a full day, you feel weak, hungry, and exhausted.
     
Person Man
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Sep 2, 2011, 08:47 PM
 
Originally Posted by bstone View Post
Very interesting. BTW, you say your patients. Are you a doctor?
Yes. I am an internal medicine physician.
     
ghporter
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Sep 3, 2011, 08:11 AM
 
The intestinal tract is complex and intricate-tinkering with its workings is a recipe for disaster. Or for continued sales of "products" that got the user into the problem he needs those products for in the first place...

The colon is self cleansing. It sloughs off old cells, secretes sufficient mucus to keep things sliding along, and does not hold onto contents unless there is Something Wrong. This sort of "something" doesn't just happen, it's going to be caused by some outside agent, but outside of cancers, the most common colon problems I see in my elderly patients are related to "motility." Anything that artificially slow down colon movement can allow wastes to congregate, which can be a Bad Thing if that happens for any length of time. A whole lot of medications slow the colon, most especially opioid pain medications-which are commonly used for surgical pain relief.

A healthy person who feels he "needs to cleanse his colon" should go with lots and lots of fiber and lots and lots of clear fluids. And plan to camp out on the pot for a while. The only typical reason to clean the colon that has any validity is preparation for a procedure such as a colonoscopy, and the agents used for such prep are hard to misuse. But since the major job of the colon is to recover as much water as possible from the digestive process, misuse of colon cleansing preparations can cause dehydration VERY quickly, so when a patient is instructed on how to prep for a colonoscopy, the entire process is build around avoiding dehydration. Messing with your colon is a quick way to get into a lot of trouble; a decent diet is the most effective way to ensure "colon health." Almost anything else is snake oil, "anti-science" mumbo-jumbo, or stupidity, all of which are to be completely avoided.

Glenn -----OTR/L, MOT, Tx
     
bstone  (op)
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Sep 3, 2011, 08:21 PM
 
Originally Posted by Person Man View Post
Yes. I am an internal medicine physician.


My future is either in IM/FM or neurology. Apps just went out. Are you solo or part of a group?
Emergency Medicine & Urgent Care.
     
Sealobo
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Sep 5, 2011, 11:54 AM
 
a few years back, this was a medical novelty here in HK. Due to mass media coverage, the general public thought it's the healthiest thing to do as regular maintenance. Until one day someone got STD from the operation due to contaminated apparatus.

lol.
     
sybil
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Sep 6, 2011, 05:18 AM
 
Originally Posted by bstone View Post
Have you ever had one? Know anyone who has? What was your or their experience? Would you do it again?
Yes, I am a regular user of Colonix Program, it is not a drstic cleanser, so it fits into one's daily routine, it is effective, was for me anyway, so I recommend it, it worked for me, just fine.
     
ghporter
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Sep 6, 2011, 06:25 AM
 
Hmmm. Please tell us, Sybil, why you felt the need to use this particular product...

Let's all watch for the response here. Should be interesting!

Glenn -----OTR/L, MOT, Tx
     
Person Man
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Sep 6, 2011, 09:28 AM
 
Originally Posted by bstone View Post


My future is either in IM/FM or neurology. Apps just went out. Are you solo or part of a group?
Multispecialty group of about 30 physicians in northwest Ohio.
     
sybil
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Oct 11, 2011, 05:14 AM
 
Originally Posted by ghporter View Post
Hmmm. Please tell us, Sybil, why you felt the need to use this particular product...

Let's all watch for the response here. Should be interesting!
Well I don't know if the response will fascinate you or not, but here goes.. 3 years ago, I got a 3 month program from my girlfriend, and because it worked for me, I stuck with it. Was that interesting enough? I don't think so...there are no dramatic big reasons, simply it worked, that's all, satisfied?
     
ghporter
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Oct 11, 2011, 06:44 AM
 
Originally Posted by sybil View Post
Well I don't know if the response will fascinate you or not, but here goes.. 3 years ago, I got a 3 month program from my girlfriend, and because it worked for me, I stuck with it. Was that interesting enough? I don't think so...there are no dramatic big reasons, simply it worked, that's all, satisfied?
Satisfied? Not really. You didn't say why you thought you needed to cleanse your colon to start with. And what do you mean by "it worked for me?". What did it do for you, other than make you spend a lot more time in the bathroom? This is a serious question, since overuse of laxatives and other colon cleansing materials can cause lots of very serious problems, such as dehydration and kidney damage.

Glenn -----OTR/L, MOT, Tx
     
Tiresias
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Oct 11, 2011, 10:49 AM
 
Go with your gut feeling bstone.

Sorry.
     
Millennium
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Oct 11, 2011, 02:02 PM
 
I've never done the colon cleansing thing, nor do I intend to. Unless, of course, you count eating at Taco Bell.
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Chongo
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Oct 11, 2011, 02:48 PM
 
There's always "high fiber cereal" (or is it fibre?)
Hulu - Saturday Night Live: Colon Blow
45/47
     
The Final Dakar
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Oct 11, 2011, 03:47 PM
 
Ah, that's a classic.
     
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Oct 11, 2011, 03:57 PM
 

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sybil
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Oct 12, 2011, 05:43 AM
 
Originally Posted by ghporter View Post
Satisfied? Not really. You didn't say why you thought you needed to cleanse your colon to start with. And what do you mean by "it worked for me?". What did it do for you, other than make you spend a lot more time in the bathroom? This is a serious question, since overuse of laxatives and other colon cleansing materials can cause lots of very serious problems, such as dehydration and kidney damage.
Well, seriously!!!!!!!, I was constipated, had spots, and sometimes, actually, most of the times felt that I did not digest food properly. Must say you are asking like a CAPO!!! It worked for me, I meant just that, dehydration, should not be an issue, 'cos one must drink 2 liters a day anyway, so this is a no argument. I felt really lighter, had more energy, and my skin improved tremendously. That was such a bonus!!!!!
     
ghporter
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Oct 12, 2011, 07:04 AM
 
I asked because one of the marketing tactics used for colon treatments is to suggest to people that they aren't "right" even if they're regular. Every person is different, but marketers want you to believe that you should have one or two movements daily, and if you don't "oh no! you have real problems1!!" That's not true, and it leads people to abuse laxatives and those "cleanse" products-and that sort of abuse can cause real health problems.

I'm glad you found an answer to what was obviously a real problem for you. I'm not even going to ask if you'd seen a doctor or a dietician to make sure that there wasn't something wrong with your diet or some sensitivity to foods that caused your problem - which takes restraint on my part!

Glenn -----OTR/L, MOT, Tx
     
The Final Dakar
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Oct 12, 2011, 09:23 AM
 
I'm not sure five and six exclamation points at a clip is properly conveying the level of outrage here.
     
Spheric Harlot
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Oct 12, 2011, 10:19 AM
 
Originally Posted by ghporter View Post
I asked because one of the marketing tactics used for colon treatments is to suggest to people that they aren't "right" even if they're regular. Every person is different, but marketers want you to believe that you should have one or two movements daily, and if you don't "oh no! you have real problems1!!" That's not true, and it leads people to abuse laxatives and those "cleanse" products-and that sort of abuse can cause real health problems.

I'm glad you found an answer to what was obviously a real problem for you. I'm not even going to ask if you'd seen a doctor or a dietician to make sure that there wasn't something wrong with your diet or some sensitivity to foods that caused your problem - which takes restraint on my part!
In all honesty, is there any reason at all not to assume that that's spam?
     
osiris
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Oct 12, 2011, 10:33 AM
 
Originally Posted by The Final Dakar View Post
I'm not sure five and six exclamation points at a clip is properly conveying the level of outrage here.
Harumph!!!
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TomR
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Oct 13, 2011, 05:58 PM
 
Originally Posted by bstone View Post
Have you ever had one? Know anyone who has? What was your or their experience? Would you do it again?
I had a colonoscopy a few years ago. They had me drink this buffalo Pi$$ called "Half lightly". If I didn't hold on to the seat I would have went into Earth orbit. You can NOT get any cleaner inside than I was.
     
ghporter
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Oct 13, 2011, 06:58 PM
 
Originally Posted by Spheric Harlot View Post
In all honesty, is there any reason at all not to assume that that's spam?
No, but it is a lot more work for the purveyor of spam to actually answer my questions. So I made the spammer earn his/her/its visibility, and that makes me smile.

Glenn -----OTR/L, MOT, Tx
     
brassplayersrock²
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Oct 13, 2011, 07:06 PM
 
perhaps he wasn't a spammer, and decided to ring in on his experience?
     
Spheric Harlot
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Oct 14, 2011, 05:27 AM
 
Originally Posted by ghporter View Post
No, but it is a lot more work for the purveyor of spam to actually answer my questions. So I made the spammer earn his/her/its visibility, and that makes me smile.
Glenn, have I mentioned that you're awesome?

You're awesome.
     
ghporter
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Oct 14, 2011, 07:10 AM
 
Originally Posted by brassplayersrock² View Post
perhaps he wasn't a spammer, and decided to ring in on his experience?
There is a non-zero probability that this is the case. Which is one reason I asked detailed questions. On the other hand, the answers were less than sufficient to rate that probability as being within three or four zeros of the right hand side of the decimal place...(I'm thinking it's way farther to the right, like 10 or 12 places). I cannot conclude anything about the poster except that it really appears a real person answered my questions with realistic statements. Time will tell, mostly through the presence or absence of some product endorsement...

Originally Posted by Spheric Harlot View Post
Glenn, have I mentioned that you're awesome?

You're awesome.
I sincerely appreciate the endorsement.

Glenn -----OTR/L, MOT, Tx
     
Spheric Harlot
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Oct 14, 2011, 05:17 PM
 
Originally Posted by ghporter View Post
Time will tell, mostly through the presence or absence of some product endorsement...
Well, that already happened in his first post.
     
ghporter
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Oct 14, 2011, 08:23 PM
 
Originally Posted by Spheric Harlot View Post
Well, that already happened in his first post.
Well, yes... But he hasn't given us any more, has he. Points to the "suspicious advocate of a particular product" for that.

Glenn -----OTR/L, MOT, Tx
     
olePigeon
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Oct 15, 2011, 02:18 PM
 
Originally Posted by TomR View Post
I had a colonoscopy a few years ago. They had me drink this buffalo Pi$$ called "Half lightly". If I didn't hold on to the seat I would have went into Earth orbit. You can NOT get any cleaner inside than I was.
One of the dangers is that people will use it all the time. They risk severe dehydration and infection. Your digestive tract and colon contain healthy bacteria, and if you keep flushing it out, it allows for more dangerous bacteria, viruses, and even amoebae to proliferate. The latter, in some instances, can result in death.

They're really only to be used as prep medicine for an endoscopy.
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