Colon Hydrotherapy - part one

Recently, I had my first Colon Hydrotherapy session. It was life changing in a most positive way. Learning about different holistic wellness modalities is a passion of mine and I love to share with others, to support them on their holistic paths. In this two-part posting, I will share the following details of my Colon Hydrotherapy experience.

In part one, I will explain:

• Why I decided to try Colon Hydrotherapy
• Why I chose Total Body Image in northeast Ohio
• How a Colon Hydrotherapy session is performed

The three main reasons I have incorporated Colon Hydrotherapy into my wellness routine.

Statistics – According to the Center for Disease Control, colorectal cancer is the second most deadly cancer in the United States. This type of cancer does not discriminate based on gender like some cancers do. Both men and women are equally at risk for developing this potentially fatal yet preventable illness.

Sage Wisdom – Native Americans have historically been known to use a combination of herbs, fasting, and sweating to remove toxins that build up within the body. One of my most trusted gurus of natural health, Dr. John Christopher, looked up to them and adopted their belief that the colon needed to be kept clean to prevent disease.

Then he met John Harvey Kellogg, who ran the Battle Creek Sanitarium in Michigan. Kellogg taught him the medicinal value of hydrotherapy, in its many forms.

Christopher went on to establish The School of Natural Healing in 1953, where he pulled all of this sage wisdom together to share with his students…including me. The school is still thriving today and is where I earned my first Herbalist certification many years ago.

Sedentary Lifestyle – Activities such as standing, walking, and climbing stairs all stimulate the digestive system and play a vital role in healthy elimination of the bowels. The body is designed to move and when there is lack of movement is when issues can easily arise.

However, a full-time wheelchair-user with a very short and compressed stature like me can’t engage in these types of physical activities. My body responds much better to natural remedies than pharmaceutical drugs so; I decided to take a holistic approach to managing my colon health instead of relying on stool softeners and laxatives.

Since I have been on this holistic path, I have successfully maintained healthy bowel function with:

• Exercise that is appropriate for my mobility level
• Balanced Diet
• Proper water intake
• Eliminative herbs

Then I entered my 40’s… My bowel movements seemed a bit less complete and less frequent than they used to be. This indicated to me that my body’s needs had changed; therefore, I needed to find a new modality to support these changes.

Total Body Image

I have known about Colon Hydrotherapy for years but I didn’t know if it was a safe option for my body because of my connective tissue disorder, Osteogenesis Imperfecta. Now, after having my first session, I realize that part of the reason for my previous apprehension was because I did not fully understand the process.

Renee Bolz, Colon Hydrotherapist and Owner of Total Body Image, took the time to explain to me how a Colon Hydrotherapy session is performed. She also explained that she never had a client as small as me before and I truly appreciate that degree of honesty (I’m 31 inches and weigh 38 lbs). Before making a commitment to go through with the procedure, she even allowed me to do a ‘dry-run’ to see if the bed was safe and comfortable for me to lie on. This is the kind of customer service that gets my business!

How it works

In image one, you will see the type of bed I lied on for my treatment. The wedge pillow can move forward or backward for comfort and support. I had it moved forward quite a bit. The triangular open slot in the middle aligns with a client’s genital area.

IMAGE ONE

Typically, the client’s feet would rest at the top of the rise, opposite the wedge pillow. My legs are far too short for that so, I planted one foot on other side of the slot. This put me in a bit of a squatting position, which I believe was helpful.

Within the triangular open slot on the bed is a small tube. This is where people’s imaginations go wild (including mine) and they envision something between a shop vac and a power washer being inserted in their anus. That is most definitely not the case. The tube is very thin, like a pencil. The Colon Hydrotherapist applies some personal lubricant to the tube for easier insertion. It only goes into the anus 1.5 inches.

As soon as I made myself comfortable on the bed, with the tube inserted, it was time to turn the machine on! Referring to image one again, you will see the on/off buttons are directly above the grab bar.

The tall, upright portion of the system includes the water tank. I like that there is a window where the tank is so that I could watch the water level go down as I used it. Also, there is a mirror angled so that I could view the water and waste as it exited my body. The warm water flow is very gentle. Gravity does most of the work.

IMAGE TWO

It was a surprisingly comfortable experience in all. Image two is one of the therapy rooms at Total Body Image in northeast Ohio. As you can see, it is a very private and serene environment with towels for covering up during a treatment.

In part two, you can look forward to:

• How Colon Hydrotherapy effected my body
• How to find a qualified Colon Hydrotherapist near you
• More photos