Colonic hydrotherapy has no proven benefits and carries risks

Colonic hydrotherapy, or irrigation, is promoted regularly in popular magazines and the media. Celebrity fans of the therapy - which uses filtered water to flush the colon, the final section of the digestive system - have transformed it from taboo to trendy in recent years.

Hydrotherapists tout the "detoxifying" benefits of colonic cleanses, which include improvements in well-being, energy, bowel movements, mood, energy, immune system and even weight loss. Each treatment takes 30 to 45 minutes and uses up to 60 litres of water injected into the colon via the rectum (the lower part of large intestine that stores stool). Herbs and other liquids, such as coffee, are sometimes mixed with the water.

Hydrotherapists believe the accumulation of faecal matter can form a thick layer of waste on the colonic wall and this can put unnecessary strain on the surrounding organs and the nervous system, and interfere with the absorption of essential nutrients from the colon.

Toxins in the accumulated faecal matter are absorbed into the bloodstream and spread throughout the body, leading to many immune system-related diseases.

No colorectal surgeon has ever observed compacted faeces accumulating on the colonic wall, leaving a narrow central passageway as described by hydrotherapists. Faecal matter in the right colon is liquid and it becomes more solid as it moves to the left colon.

Therefore, there is less and less contact between the toxins deep within the solid faecal masses and the absorptive colon lining. Introducing a large volume of water can actually break up this solid faecal packaging. Theoretically, this can disseminate the toxins and increase the chances of absorption.