There have been many reported indications for colonics.  Linda Secora, LMT, who is a certified colon hydrotherapist, reports some of the common complaints of patients seeking treatment are constipation, excessive flatulence, as part of a detoxification regime, and some just feel like they need it.  According to www.colonblow.com, the average person has three to eight undigested meals in their colon at any given time and there are similar reports in other sources.  However, these sources are generally unable to provide any evidence for their claims of feces adhered to the colon wall.  In an article supporting colonics, Thomas Dorman, M.D. tried to answer the obvious question of why is there little or no adherent debris observed during colonoscopies?  To which he replies, “in preparation for endoscopy, the patient invariably is asked to take a strong purgative to clean out the contents of the bowel so the endoscopist can indeed inspect the lining. Almost certainly these purgation's remove any material that might have been static in this situation and therefore not observed when the endoscopic inspection is performed.”

There are a myriad of conditions associated with toxicity, and toxins absorbed from the colon is one of the commonly reported causes.  Some of these conditions are: arthritis, acne, headaches, foul body odor, menstrual irregularities, fatigue/depression, and asthma.  Again, no evidence was provided to substantiate these claims.  In his article Colon Hydrotherapy and its Clinical Applications Donald J. Mantell, M.D. provided a list of toxins that were supposedly found in a toxic colon, these include ammonia, botulin, phenol, and putrescin.  Apparently, a colonic is able to remove toxins from the colon and thereby decrease to overall amount in the body.

Of all the reported indications for colon hydrotherapy constipation appears to be the most common.  Again, there are many reported causes of constipation that include diet low in fiber and high in processed foods which are reported to stick to the bowel wall, delaying the urge to defecate, parasites, antibiotic usage and the death of the “good” bacteria in the gut, and the decreased colonic mucus production secondary to debris.  Chronic constipation can lead to decreased peristaltic action of the colon wall muscles, which then leads to more constipation.  This stretched and weak bowel can be helped with a colonic by loosening and removing the stool and stimulating the muscles to start contracting again.  There are also certain herbs known to colon hydrotherapists that can stimulate mucus production.

To receive the full benefit, Ms. Secora recommends starting with six treatments and then reevaluating the patient’s condition to decide if more are necessary.  Her reasoning for this is that in her experience it often takes several treatments to get a good release from the colon.  Because of this Ms. Secora reports patients may not notice substantial benefits until well into the series.  Her patients report a myriad of benefits which include increased energy, decreased constipation, decreased flatulence, fewer headaches, decreased subcutaneous fat, and an increased feeling of wellbeing.  The one benefit that is often noted immediately is decreased bloating.