Colonic Irrigation in History
Cleansing of the colon has been practiced since 1500 BC. The first known reporting of this practice is in Egypt in the 1500's. There are reports of the frequent use of the colon cleansing by Egyptians and other races. The practice was documented in the Ebers Papyrus, a record of medicinal practices of the period.
Information on the use of colon cleansing was also recorded on the cuneiform inscriptions on Babylonian and Assyrian tablets. There are also reference to colonic irrigation in Hindu medical texts.
The use of the colon cleanse continued to grow and by the time of the famous English surgeon, John Ardene (1307-1390) it was used extensively in England by women of that day. Medical practitioners of the time recommended that everyone should be purged three to four times a year to maintain good health.
During the seventeenth century it was the fashion in Parisian society to enjoy as many as three or four enemas a day, the popular belief being that an internal washing or "lavement" was essential to well-being.
After this period the practice gradually declined. It wasn't until 1917 when the famous Dr. Kellogg promoted the merits of colonic irrigation again. Dr. Kellogg was a proponent of colonic irrigation in the treatment of many diseases. He reported in the 1917 Journal of American Medicine, "in all but twenty cases, he had used no surgery for the treatment of gastrointestinal disease in his patients..." The interesting fact is that Dr. Kellogg had more than 40,000 cases of gastrointestinal disease.
Towards the mid-1960's, the use of colon irrigations and colonic hydrotherapy slowly dwindled until the early 1970's when most colon hydrotherapy equipment was removed from hospitals and nursing homes in favor of the colostomy, Fleet enema and prescriptive laxatives.
The method used in the West today has its origins in 19th Century European spas. A colonic irrigation treatment begins with an assessment, and an explanation of the steps in the process. The patient lies down on a table and warm, purified water is introduced into the colon via the rectum, and massage techniques will be used to stimulate the release of stored fecal matter. The entire process typically takes around half an hour. Herbal and probiotic supplements may be used and dietary advice given following the treatment.
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