There is renewed interest in hydrotherapy but is it being used the right way, asks Sylvia Thompson.
'In times past, knowledge of the bowel was more widespread and people were taught how to care for the bowel. Somehow, bowel wisdom got lost and it became something that no one wanted to talk about anymore."
This comment from an advocate of colon hydrotherapy is a reflection on how a therapy which was widely used in doctor's surgeries and hospitals (colonic irrigation machines were commonplace in the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s) became disregarded by medical doctors in the following 50-60 years.
But in the past five to 10 years in this country, there has been a renewed interest in the bowel-cleansing technique, and clinics offering colon hydrotherapy, colonic irrigation or simply colonics, as it is popularly known, have opened in Dublin, Limerick, Cork, Dundalk, Co Louth and other places.
Dr John McKenna is one of a small number of medically trained doctors practising nutritional medicine who recommends colonic hydrotherapy as part of the treatment for chronic intestinal problems. In his book, Hard to Stomach - real solutions to your digestive problems (Newleaf, €11.99), he says colonic irrigation is helpful for anyone, but is particularly helpful in chronic conditions such as dysbiosis (when there is an imbalance of bacteria in the digestive tract, causing a variety of symptoms), fermentation in the gut and constipation.
"Cleaning out impacted faecal matter is not the only way in which it can be of assistance; it can also be used to instill herbs and probiotics into the colon. Because colonic irrigation removes much of the bacterial flora in the colon, it is necessary to use a probiotic supplement afterwards," writes McKenna.
He suggests that adequately trained colonic hydrotherapists can also diagnose certain conditions by observing the faecal matter that is eliminated in the process.
Constipation is the most common problem that causes patients to seek out colonic hydrotherapy for themselves. Having at least one bowel movement a day is defined as normal in the western world, yet stressful lifestyles, poor eating habits and ignoring the urge to go to the toilet have created chronic constipation problems for many people.
Some practitioners suggest that up to 90 per cent of the Irish population have a bowel movement every two to three days which is an unhealthy situation.
"I got the idea to offer colonic hydrotherapy to people from my experience as a nurse seeing people on the wards and in nursing homes who had an underlying bowel problem," says Ciara Murphy, registered nurse and colonic hydrotherapist who runs a colonic hydrotherapy clinic in Dublin.
Murphy is adamant that clients need a few treatments to see an improvement. "People expect a quick fix but it takes a few treatments and lifestyle and dietary changes. Some people feel energetic after a treatment while others feel exhausted, it depends on the toxicity in the body," she adds.
One of the problems associated with the renewed interest in colonic hydrotherapy is that some people are choosing to go for the treatment for weight loss.
Lisa O'Kelly (32) went for colonic hydrotherapy because she suffered from chronic constipation.
"I also had quite a bit of weight on me and I had a series of colonics and was given advice on my eating habits and I've lost six and a half stone in a year. I also have regular bowel movements now," she explains.
Practitioners say they discourage clients from having a colonic as part of a weight-loss programme.
Stephen Langley and Anne McDevitt include colonic hydrotherapy as one of the treatments on offer at McDevitt's beauty clinic in Dublin.
However, they are keen to point out that they wouldn't encourage anyone to have a colonic hydrotherapy session as a way of losing weight.
"Many will say that they feel lighter and more energetic afterwards and this feeling of wellbeing often helps them make changes to their diet," says McDevitt.
Another risk with the upsurge of interest in the treatment is that there are as yet no minimum standards of training to become a colonic hydrotherapist. The Irish Association of Colonic Hydrotherapists is still in its infancy and there is concern that some practising colonic hydrotherapists do not have adequate training in anatomy and physiology.
"I think practitioners of this treatment should have two years training in physiology and anatomy before they do the colonic hydrotherapy training which is itself so short," says Murphy, who did a one-week course in colonic hydrotherapy in England. "There are things you need to know about colitis and ulcerative colitis that you just can't learn in a week," she says.
As in other therapies which have yet to have official registers of practitioners, articles of association and code of ethics in this country, it is a case of 'buyer beware'. Anyone planning to have a treatment should at least check the qualifications of the practitioner against the minimum standards of the guild of colon hydrotherapists in Britain.
For further details see also www.colonic-association.com