Summary
Is a colon cleanse good or bad for you? In this video, Dr. Richard Honaker’s short answer is: not a lot of good, and not a lot of bad.
Dr. Honaker describes two ways people cleanse the colon: taking something by mouth that pushes stool through and out, or working “from below” with enemas. People often feel better afterward simply because there is less stool in their body and they feel several pounds lighter.
Many people believe, or are told, that a cleanse gets rid of toxins. Dr. Honaker says that idea doesn’t hold up scientifically. The intestinal tract is very good at walling off the toxins in the colon so they don’t get into the body. Stool does contain toxins, but it’s fine for it to be in your body, and getting it all out at once won’t detoxify you.
Dr. Honaker adds a caution: it’s possible to overuse cleanses and come to depend on them.
Key takeaways
- Colon cleanses can be done by mouth or with enemas.
- People may feel lighter afterward because there is less stool in the body.
- According to Dr. Honaker, the claim that cleanses remove toxins doesn’t hold up scientifically: the intestinal tract walls off toxins in the colon.
- Overusing cleanses can lead to depending on them.
- Dr. Honaker’s general advice: don’t mess with it, and if you do, do it in moderation and rarely.
Questions Dr. Honaker answers
Does a colon cleanse remove toxins?
Dr. Honaker says that claim doesn’t pan out scientifically. The intestinal tract walls off the toxins in the colon, and emptying the colon all at once won’t detoxify you.
Why do people feel better after a cleanse?
Mostly because there is less stool in the body, so they feel lighter.
Is it OK to do a colon cleanse?
If it makes you feel better, Dr. Honaker says it’s probably OK, but in moderation and rarely, because people can come to depend on it.
