Dr. Adams, I am wondering if colonics are a farce or something all of us should be participating in? Are our colons really that infested with worms and is there really crusty old crap in the crevices?
Dr. Adams responds:
Hello,
I would say that for the most part, colonics are a farce, a waste of time, and a waste of money. The only reason I could see a colonic having some benefit would be in the case of chronic constipation. But in that case, increasing the dietary fiber would be a more effective and healtier option. Also, a fleet enema is easier and much cheaper and just as effective if an enema is necessary to treat constipation.
I am not really sure what the rationale behind a colonic is. I am also not sure how popular this sort of practice is. I do know that a lot of money is charged to have this procedure performed. There is absolutely no evidence whatsoever that colonics have any impact in decreasing the risk of digestive diseases any more than simple fleet enemas and/or an increased fiber diet.
In addition, all of the bacteria and fecal debris that a colonic expells will re-appear quite fast. The billions of bacteria in the colon will re-populate and unless you starve yourself, the fecal remains will soon re-accumulate.
So please, do not waste your time and money with colonics. The evidenced supporting a benefit of this practice is very limited. The benefit of a high fiber diet is far greater than any benefit of a colonic.
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Dr. Adams is a resident in the Department of Internal Medicine at North Shore University Hopsital in Manhasset, NY. Got a question [1] for him?