This is a safe and effective method of removing waste from the large intestine. It is a restorative procedure to detoxify the body. In recent years, colon hydrotherapy has become the latest celebrity health fad in a long history of exotic diet and detox practices. Damon Wayans was chatting up “colonics” (the term for a colon hydrotherapy session) on Howard Stern’s radio show recently, while Usher was profiled on E! as an avid user. “Always start any detox program with the colon,” advises colon hydro therapist Felecia J. Turnbough, RN, BSN, of Cleansing Waters Wellness Center in Stockbridge. Only then can you effectively move on to the ever popular liver and kidney cleanses or detox diets, experts say.

Princess Diana was also an outspoken fan of colon hydrotherapy, which uses sterile water to flush debris from the colon, reportedly to remove toxic buildup. Movie start icon Mae West believed in the benefits of colon cleansing, which she claimed greatly contributed to her unusual vitality and lasting beauty during her senior years. Perhaps you’ve wondered about the procedure (in a less public way) and what it could do for your own beauty and vitality. The health payoff, according to promoters, is a strengthening of muscles in the digestive tract, restored pH balance, better assimilation of nutrients, a feeling of heightened energy, a stimulated immune system, an overall boost in health and vitality, and improved regularity.

The procedure itself is carried out by a certified colon hydro therapist. A disposable plastic hose, which is connected to an FDA-approved irrigation machine on one end, is inserted into the patient via a speculum. In a closed system, the hydro therapist oversees the entire 30- to 40-minute procedure, adjusting the volume and temperature of the water that is pumped in. “With gentle pressure, the water is released through an evacuation hose in cycles, washing impacted waste from the colon walls and leaving your internal ‘plumbing’ far less toxic,” says Amber Wimby, a certified colon hydrotherapy of the Health and Longevity Center in Atlanta.

If that paragraph was difficult to read, brace yourself: According to some experts, most people are carrying matter around 10 to 25 pounds of dried fecal matter inside their colon, which contribute to a litany of maladies, including constipation, diarrhea, frequent headaches, backaches, fatigue, bad breath, body odor, irritability, weight gain, skin problems, gas and bloating, and joint problems. “Because the typical American diet is so desperately low in fiber and so astronomically high in processed foods, fatty meat, refined sugar, and various preservatives and toxic chemicals, the necessity of colon hydrotherapy is absolute,” notes Turnbough. “Even if you have maintained a decent diet, we live in a toxic environment.”

Doctors traditionally disagree on the value of colon hydrotherapy, and the American Gastroenterological Association (gastro.org) refuses to make and official judgment. “We have no position on colonic irrigation,” says Carole Anikis of the AGA News Bureau.

Although, many gastro strongly sanction the procedure, like Leonard Smith, M.D., a board certified gastrointestinal surgeon of more than 25 years. Dr. Smith fully endorses the procedure, especially for ill patients, specifically those with cancer. “Seriously ill patients tend to be chronically constipated, sterilized, can trigger serious infections, and Dr. Perezzo doesn’t buy the “autointoxication” basis for the treatment. “The simple job of the colon is to package the final indigestible particles of what we consume into stools. It would only be filled with toxins if, in fact, one ingested them in the first place,” explains Dr. Perezzo. “The wiser approach would be for people to avoid the hydrogenated fats, processed foods, smoked and pickled foods, deep fried foods, food dyes, and so forth, in the first place, and then the colon could do its happy little job without getting bad press.” Those with medical conditions, such as diverticulitis, Inflammatory Bowel Disease (Chron’s and ulcerative colitis), colonic or rectal tumors (i.e. cancer), severe hemorrhoids, or a pre-surgical bowel, should avoid the procedure.

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Have you ever had a good old fashioned “belly ache”? This is the pain and distension that occurs in the abdomen, below the waist, not up between your ribs where the stomach is located. Do you know what is really bothering you? The problem is your intestines and, in most cases, the large intestine, better known as the colon.

The colon is your “main drain”. You would not believe what is in that drain of yours. If your sink drain at home were like your own colon, you would do something immediately. Otherwise you would have stagnating water and a horrible smell. Well, think about it!

Toxins from environmental pollution, undigested food and fecal material can collect for years from chronic or occasional constipation, from improper diet and poor digestion and from just plain living. A colonic is the only method available for cleansing the colon. Everyone has some of the following eliminations with this treatment: plaque (fecal matter so old it looks like black porcelain chips and adheres to the deepest convolutions of the colon), parasites, gas, mucus, undigested food and hard fecal matter. You may wonder why your waistline isn’t so small anymore or why, after you have worked out at the gym faithfully, those abdominal muscles are not flat. The colon is probably the reason. The best way to take care of this situation is to clean out.