The Science Behind Colon Hydrotherapy
Competition or War?
Our body is an open ecosystem that contains our own bacteria, inherited from our parents, our friendly bacteria (microbiome), and microbes of opportunistic nature – staphylococcus, parasites and viruses entered from the outside. There is a continuous competition for dominance between these two groups – our own bacteria and the invaders. Most of our microbes reside in our gastro-intestinal tract, that begins in the mouth and ends in the anus. Our colon is a prime objective in our battle to remain physiologically and psychologically healthy.
40-60% of patients with functional gastro-intestinal disorders experience psychiatric symptoms and up to 50% of psychiatric patients are diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) [2] .
Predominance of unfriendly bacteria in our gut, disbiosis, can increase the chances of developing autism and neuro-generative conditions like Parkinson’s disease. Disbiosis is one of the main factors in increased level of diabetes, colorectal cancer and – being close to the kidneys – chronic kidney disease. An unclean colon can cause lower respiratory infections, manifested as repeated pneumonias.
A ‘dirty’ colon can also cause high blood pressure by pressing on the portal vein. Usually undetected this symptom is treated as a cardio-vascular condition. The colon full of old faecal mass and gas causes back pain that is not associated with poor gut health and may wrongly be diagnosed as muscular-skeletal dysfunction.
Are We a Bacterium?
Technically, we can be viewed as one enormously large bacterium. Microbial genetic materials outnumber the human genes by factor of 100. An average person has approximately 1.5 kilograms of gut bacteria [3].
Do We Have Two Brains?
Our gastro-intestinal tract has its own nervous system (the intrinsic nervous system), consisting of approximately 100 million nerve cells or neurons according to one source of literature and 200-600 million according to others. We have a nine-meter network of neurons, located between the oesophagus and the anus. The brain and gut neurons develop from the same embryonal tissue and they share similar neuronal networks and hormones. The gut neurons produce the same amount of dopamine – ‘high hormone’, and 90% of serotonin ‘happy hormone’, compared to the brain. The gut neurons co-ordinate digestive and defensive functions of the gut.
Is the gut self-regulating?
The digestive system neuronal channels can function independently. During a colon hydrotherapy it is often observed that the colon itself regulates how much water to take and for how long to retain it before releasing. The gut neurons monitor how the digestive system performs, identifying challenging situations, and send this information to the brain to solve the issue. However, stomach spasm, infections or insufficient blood flow in the gut can be corrected by the digestive system directly.
‘Hi Brain’, ‘Hi Colon, how are you today?’
The brain talks to the gut via the main nerve in our body – the Vagus nerve, which links the brain with two other organs – the heart and the lungs. Famous examples of how the brain and gut communicate are the sympathetic ‘fight or flight’ nervous response and the parasympathetic ‘rest or digest’ equation [4] . The balance of signals from the brain can affect the speed at which food moves through the digestive system, absorption of nutrients, secretion of digestive juices, and levels of inflammation in the digestive tract. When we are under pressure, stressed, anticipate any difficult situation or are anxious, our heart rate increases, our breathing becomes rapid and we find comfort in having a chocolate bar. When we are happy, have achieved our goals, in love or have other positive emotions we may not feel hungry and hardly think about food.
Stomach-Gut Balanced Nature
The gastro-intestinal tract is the largest endocrine organ in our body. If one part of it suffers, it means other areas of it affected too. As an illustration, our digestive tract is strictly divided into 3 zones, defined by their alkaline and acidic environment. The mouth is alkaline, the stomach is acidic and the intestines are alkaline. Stomach acidity may be reduced, for example medically, by using Proton Pump Inhibitors (PPI) – drugs with a good intention to support patients, who have to take aspirin or other highly acidic drugs orally in order to protect the stomach lining. However, the change in stomach acidity is flagged by the hormones, which are responsible for maintaining stomach acidity: they send a signal to restore the correct acidity, but PPI drugs prevent this process, and the acidity shifts lower down the digestive tract into the small intestine, causing damage to the bacteria, inhibiting their survival. Instead of out friendly bacteria, the small intestine is colonised by other bacteria, including pathogens, which can live and only survive in the acidic environment. The change of the acid-alkaline stability of the stomach and small intestine is detrimental, increasing urinary tract infections, acute kidney injuries and lower abdomen and back pain.
Line of defence
Our microbes, hormones and our own cells work together to maintain a functional immune defence system. The healthy gut balances the concentration of stress hormones – corticosterone and adrenocorticotropic hormone, or ACTH. Hormonal misbalance, caused by unhealthy gut, leads to inflammation and autoimmune responses such as type 1 diabetes.
All of the microbial population communicates with our brain, determining our behaviour and patterns of eating, sleeping and perceiving day-to-day environmental impact and stress. Our microbiome produces and secretes hormones and responds to the hormones secreted by other parts of the endocrine system. 90% of serotonin, the main neurotransmitter in the brain, is located in the intestines.
Bacteria in the gut activates the Vagus nerve, which is the main pathway between the gut and the brain. It can affect health and behaviour. Depression, lack of enthusiasm, anxiety, loss of appetite or increased cravings and insomnia are results of suffering in communications between the gut and the brain. To keep our gut healthy via irrigating the colon means to be in control of our lives on physical and non-physical levels [5].
Stress or not stress…
Due to the strong brain-gut connection, stress and a variety of negative emotions such as anxiety, sadness, depression, fear and anger can all affect the gut. These triggers can speed up or slow down the movements of the gut and the transit of the matter within it. The digestive system responds by bloating, pains, cramps and a general feeling of discomfort.
To be or not to be… negative?
This strong brain-gut dependency means that excessive negativity towards life in general or to a particular event or a person can over-sensitise the digestive system, making it easier for bacteria, decayed toxic matter from undigested food and toxic gases from poor fermentation to cross the gut lining and activate the immune system. The permeable gut causes inflammation and changes in gut microbiota, the bacteria residing in the gut. That is why stress and strong emotions can contribute or worsen such gastro-intestinal conditions as Inflammatory Bowel Syndrome (IBS), gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), and food allergies and sensitivities.
Negative changes in the gut feed back to the brain. Worldwide research shows that increased gut inflammation and changes in the gut microbial profile can have profound effects throughout the body and contribute to fatigue, cardiovascular disease and depression [6].
Diet, colonic and probiotics… the answer to our wellbeing? … Yes!
The healthy gut has an inner layer only one cell thick with a protective function. This protective layer allows absorption of nutrients and water and prevents the contents of the gut from infiltration into the blood stream. This one cell wide physical barrier can be damaged by poor diet, infection, antibiotics or toxic acidic residue, causing ‘leaky gut’. Toxins, inflammatory molecules, broken chains of undigested proteins, gas, as a side product of toxic metabolic responses and excessive fermentation enter the blood stream, affecting the physical and psychological state of our health. Some examples of leaky gut poisoning are bloating, Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), Crohn’s disease, skin rashes, psoriasis, anxiety, altered moods, brain fog and depression.
The unclean colon can cause constipation, IBS, inflammation and autoimmune diseases. Clean walls of the colon allow the attachment of friendly gut bacteria to work in partnership with the gut neurons in minimising the survival of opportunistic pathogens and maintaining the status quo: bad bacteria, fungi and parasites are continuously neutralised and are no longer able to send abnormal chemical messages into the bloodstream and on to the brain. On the contrary, they are outnumbered by our protective microbes. Probiotics support our digestive system. They, unlike our own microbiome, cannot reproduce within the gut environment, but, taken regularly, they can help to heal the walls of the gut and ‘push out’ unwanted microbes. Sufficient daily doses of probiotics are 5 to 10 billion bacteria of 6 strains usually, one capsule to be taken with room temperature water. This can be discussed in detail with your practitioner.
Your diet plays a huge role in supporting your good bacteria. Sweet potatoes, mushrooms, asparagus, broccoli, artichokes and avocadoes are some of the best veg for our bacteria to prosper. Colon hydrotherapy, introduction of a well-balanced diet and probiotics can help the gut restore its protective layer and replenish pathogenic microbial mass with our own friendly bacteria
Negative changes in the gut feed back to the brain. Worldwide research shows that an increase in gut inflammation and changes in the gut microbial profile can have profound effects throughout the body and contribute to fatigue, cardiovascular disease and depression [7].
Did you know...?
A mere 2% drop in body water can trigger fuzzy short term memory and a lack of focus and coherence.
8-10 glasses of water a day will significantly ease joint and back pain for up to 80% of sufferers. Drink half of it hot and the other half luke warm.
High fibre breakfast suggestion
Soak overnight (not in a fridge) – 3 teaspoons of chia seeds, 2 tablespoons of ground seed mixture (1 part sunflower, 1 part pumpkin and 1 part linseeds), ½ teaspoon of cinnamon powder. Mix and soak in 200-250 ml of water or coconut, almond or oat milk (select without added calcium or vitamins). Add fresh blueberries before eating.