The colon is the last section of the digestive tract, before excretion of the left over waste and toxins, otherwise known as faecal matter! We can see (to the right ) the digestive system as represented in the female body. From the top we have:

• The orbital cavity / mouth
• The Oesophagus, located from mouth to stomach
• The Stomach, located just behind the rib cage
• The Liver, located to the lower right of the rib cage
• The pancreas
• The small intestine, located mainly upper and middle abdomen
• The large intestine (colon), located up right hand side of abdomen, from right to left of lower rib cage, down left hand side of abdomen, (in order from start to end).

NOTE: When most people complain of stomach ache, what they are actually experiencing is discomfort in the colon.

Abdominal swelling is often mistaken as excess fatty tissue. Fatty tissue is soft, therefore a hard distended abdomen is swollen NOT FAT!!!

Abdominal swelling is likely to be due to the swelling of one or more of the abdominal organs. In the case of the colon this may be due to increased build up in pressure from accumulated/impacted waste, mucus, gas, inflammatory conditions etc, all of which can be drastically reduced by colon hydrotherapy. One may also note that the liver releases it's toxins into the colon via the bile duct, thus having a major 'knock on effect', the quicker and easier the colon releases, the quicker and easier the liver may also release/detoxify.

The colon is unarguably an extremely important organ in the process of well being, carrying out a multitude of functions such as:

• Re-distribution of vital fluids back to the body following digestion,
• Absorption of water soluble nutrients missed in the small intestine
• Production of vitamin K amongst a number of the B vitamins
• Elimination of food wastes
• Elimination of toxins from both the liver and lymphatic system (a system which carries toxins away from the cells, thus cleansing the body on a cellular level).
• A home for friendly bacteria, protecting us from both infection and disease.

Structural Problems

Stress, unhealthy foods, drinks ? especially alcohol, medication, recreational drugs, smoking, or even exposure to environmental pollutants, may all affect the balance of friendly / unfriendly bacteria in the colon. This has resulted in; Slowed transit time of waste matter through the body, which in the U.K is an average of 2-3 times slower than the ideal 24 hours. This gives increased time for toxins to be reabsorbed into the body, thus leading to self-poisoning (auto-toxaemia). The U.K being the most constipated nation, with the highest incidence of bowel cancer, at an average of 20,000 new cases per year. A third of people consulting their G.P have a bowel problem, meaning all prior mentioned bowel problems are now widespread.

As you can see from the above diagram, the colon is made of various membranes, we are not going to go into their functions today. More important is to point out that there are two layers of muscle: cross-sectional muscle, which runs around the diameter of the colon longitudinal muscle, which runs along the length of the bowel, The combined movement of these two muscles both squeezes and propels the waste matter along the colon.

These wave like contractions are known as peristalsis, when the peristalsis is not harmonious or in a state of dysfunction, the movement of faecal matter Will be greatly impaired. Basically the colon is largely a big muscle, and just like any other muscle it can be under active (lazy), hyperactive (spasm/cramp), or a little of both combined! Thus meaning that aside from the previously mentioned problems which affect the digestive system, i.e. poor eating habits, stress, dehydration etc, there are also structural issues that greatly affect bowel integrity! Indeed structural defects often occur as a resultant of one or more of the examples given above, such as poor eating habits or stress.

The picture to the left is of a flaccid/ lazy colon, where the bowel tone is too weak, a possible cause could be lack of exercise or slow metabolism, or simply a part of the aging process. The diameter of the bowel has become distended, and faecal matter accumulates here as the muscle in this area has become under active = constipation. Colonics help move this accumulated matter, and combined with stimulating herbs, also help bring back bowel tone. (See co-ton herbal bowel cleansers/stimulants at our on-line shop. Please remember these will not work well on a spastic colon.)

Note: Just as often one may be suffering from spastic colon, as mentioned below, or a bowel may even have both flaccid and spastic areas combined. In this combined instance one may use co-ton to get effective results, where co-ton is taken at dinner to have a stimulating effect over night, (a time when spasm is a lesser problem and flaccidity a greater)

Spastic Colon due to excessive stimulation, perhaps in the case of an over active thyroid, or may be even related to stress, can also lead to excessive stimulation / spasm in the colon, as seen above. In this case the colon can be so tense that the through way is closed off resulting in constipation or spasmodic waves may cause diarrhoea. It is not uncommon for one to suffer from either one or both of these symptoms, as in the case of IBS. Colonics combined with de-stressing techniques and relaxing herbs, are an effective treatment for this condition.

Note: Our emotions have a powerful effect on the gut, this is how we have derived sayings such as 'gut feeling', and one may refer to the feeling of butterflies in their stomach at times of heightened emotion!

Diverticuli is another common problem. Parasites, too many unfriendly bacteria, bad food or drinks, or anything leading to excessive gas is diverticuli, which are small pockets extending from the bowel wall, often containing trapped gas, mucus, toxins, faecal matter, etc.

Diveticuli may become inflamed, thus being very detrimental to the overall health of the gut. There are a number of ways to help alleviate this problem, but most important of all is to keep the bowel clean.