Colonic Irrigation

What to expect during treatment
A lot will depend on your initial state of health and on the extent of the co-operation of your digestive system during the treatment. If you are a healthy person with a reasonably good diet, with regular bowel movement (a satisfying release at least five or six times a week), you can expect to have a comfortable and short treatment (around 30 minutes).

While the water fills your bowels, you will probably experience a 'bizarre' sensation or cramps as the wastes and the water move towards the anus for evacuation. As the treatment progresses, a longer section of the bowel will be cleared of the residual waste and you will be able to hold the water for longer, thus encouraging it to wash out the more remote recesses of your intestines.

You should bear in mind that your large bowel is approximately the same length as your body from head to toe, and that it fits into quite a small area in your body. Therefore, you should try to encourage the water to travel up and down the curves of your bowel, and 'go inland' to the extent that it is reasonably comfortable for you, removing on the way back the wastes that have accumulated on the bowel wall.

In letting the water fill your bowel, it is useful to apply the same rule that wise people use for routine muscle stretching: on an exertion scale of 1 to 10, never push your body past the 7.5 mark.

If you feel that too much water is making you really uncomfortable, you should ask your therapist to stop filling and let the water flow out. Ask for a break if you feel you need one. Remember, this is your body!

Your checklist:

• Exposure to contaminated equipment is minimised when you go to a clinic that uses fully disposable kits. This is something you should ask for when booking your treatment. The more reliable and safety-conscious clinics use medical disposal firms to collect their disposable waste. No parts of disposable kits should ever be re-used.
• To reduce the risk of water contamination, you should ask whether the clinic uses a system with a mechanical break required by some water authorities in the UK. Also ask how the mains water is filtered, because filtering water is another very important aspect of risk reduction.
• When using a closed system, the risk of bowel damage is extremely low when a professionally trained therapist inserts the speculum at the start of the treatment. Please note that insertion rules are different in the USA. The speculum is inserted to a maximum of 5-6 centimetres (or just over 2 inches) and the therapist should always ask you how it feels. You may experience mild discomfort and/or mild irritation but no sharp pain. Pain is a signal to stop!
• In the open systems, the client wriggles onto a small speculum, in a process known as self-insertion. Your colon hydrotherapist should guide you through the process to make sure it is safe.
• Whenever you book a treatment, make sure the clinic carries full public liability insurance. An insurance certificate should be available for your inspection or displayed on the premises.

Galina Imrie's book, Always Look After Number Two! A Guide To Better Health Through Colonic Irrigation And Bowel Care, published by Fotherby Press, is available through www.amazon.com