Colon Cleanse and The Kidney....to cleanse or not to cleanse?

photo credit: DoctorWho

The notion that the normal operation of the Gut results in pounds of un-excreted toxic materials, that accumulate over the lifetime of a human being is the basis of the colon cleansing industry that has sprung up nearly simultaneosusly world wide.

The theory behind colon cleansing hails back to the era of the greek and egyptian schools of medicine. Where autointoxication was believed to be responsible for all causes of disease. Autointoxication refers to an ancient theory that food enters the digestive system and rots giving rise to pus which enters the blood stream and causes all manner of ills. By 1919 the idea of autointoxication had run its course being debunked in the professional literature of the time. However despite the fact that there is no evidence of any benefit derived from the process, colon cleansing is still vigorously advertised as a mainstay alternative medicine treatment.

The claims below are derived from a popular website.

Toxins from the colon are supposedly able to:-

• Go to the brain and disturb mental function


• Go to the joints and cause pain and stiffness


• Weaken and stress the heart


• Go to the skin and cause blemishes, paleness, psoriasis, liver spots, wrinkles


• Irritate the lungs and cause foul breath


• Go to the muscles and cause weakness and terrible fatigue


• Rob you of your youth and ruin your health



Colon Cleanse Dietary Supplement (Photo credit: SpecialKRB)

While Colon Cleansing has the following positive effects.

• Controls your weight


• Increases your energy level


• Prevent constipation and disease of the colon


• Eliminates waste such as fatty tissue, cholesterol, cellulite, toxins, mucus, hardened fecal matter, harmful drug residue


• For the glow of health inside and out that shows with clear skin, bright eyes, and shiny hair

Those are some wonderful claims that would tempt anyone. But what is not mentioned are some of the dangers particularly if you have kidney disease. Oral phosphate preparations used for the purpose of cleansing the colon have recently been shown to cause sudden worsening of kidney function a state known as acute renal failure. This reduction in function tends to occur in two patterns based on the timing of onset of kidney failure after ingestion of the cleansing compound.

If symptoms begin to occur within 24 hours of ingestion (lethargy, confusion, seizure and sever muscular spasms) the course of the illness can be particularly stormy and even death may occur. On the other hand the patient may be fine after taking the cleansing compound for days to months after, however during this time an insidious process of calcification occurs within the kidney where much of the framework of the delicate tissues of the kidney are converted to a bone like substance. Death with this second pattern is unusual but patients go on to have chronic kidney disease.

Many proponents of colon cleansing will be quick to point out that they are aware of this problem with phosphate containing cleansers and would never use them for the purpose of cleansing the colon. They will then insist that proven herbal methods are available which are far more gentle and safer. They may also claim that by performing an enema using nothing but water the effect of the cleansing is guaranteed to be safe.

Unfortunately its still not as simple as that. Even irrigation with water has been shown to be dangerous, in fact perforation of the sigmoid colon has been documented to occur in patients with chronic renal failure who underwent irrigation enema's. Also instilling large volumes of dilute fluid into the colon of patients with kidney disease may not be a good idea. Dilution of the electrolytes ( important minerals within the blood) can result in abnormalities of cardiac function muscle spasm and abnormal brian function even seizures all of this for no proven benefit. Cleansing tends to lead to excessive excretion of fluid particularly if carried out regularly and this results in dehydration. Dehydration can give rise to acute renal failure as well.

I urge you to find some other way to find that glow of health inside that shows clear skin, bright eyes and shiny hair...please.