Before colonic treatment

Before colonic treatment takes place, you will be asked to remove some of your clothing. We are offer disposable gown to wear instead of clothes. You will also need to have a good wee and get your bladder as empty as possible before the treatment. Some people worry that they might not have been for a poo on the day of their treatment but honestly, this is not a problem at all.
Begin by lying on the couch on your back so that colonic therapist can feel around your tummy to see what is going on. Tapping of the lower abdomen will reveal pockets of gas, and feeling around the tummy for heat can also give information about underlying inflammation. We always encourage our clients to feel their tummies before and after the treatment, so they get an idea of the difference.

The Thing that goes up your Bottom

The instrument that goes up your bottom is called a speculum. It has an inlet pipe and an outlet pipe, both of which stay outside of your body. Speculums may vary slightly in size and made from plastic. Plastic speculum will be single use and disposable.
The part that goes into your bottom is not longer than two inches and is smaller than an average poo. It is our experience that “the thing going up your bottom” bit is what is at the forefront of people’s fears, but honestly, it’s nothing like you think and nowhere near as unpleasant. It literally takes a couple of seconds to insert it and, much as you won’t believe this, you will probably forget about it being there after a couple of minutes.
The speculum should be warmed and nicely lubricated to ease insertion. Beyond the speculum, the only thing that enters your body is water. Colonic therapist may use herbal remedies, but more often we use only pure, ordinary water that has been filtered and warmed to body temperature, give or take a couple of degrees.

During colonic treament

Unlike an enema where you have to withstand a large amount of water in the bowel in one go, a colonic is much more gentle. It is a “washing in” and “washing out” kind of process. Once the speculum is up your bottom, some water will be introduced into your bowel. Initially, this will feel like a little pressure in your bottom and you will feel like, for a split second, you are going to poo yourself. I know how this sounds but don’t panic! The pressure will be instantly relieved and your bowel, in all its wisdom, will set about pumping out the water that has been introduced, carrying with it any waste or gas available for removal from that part of your bowel. When that has happened, a little more water will be let in, which will travel a bit further up, and you will experience the same thing again. And so this carries on throughout the treatment.
Lying on your back enables the water to travel up the descending colon and along the transverse colon. During this time, your practitioner will probably be doing some massage on your tummy. This helps to free off any matter that might be stuck in the pockets of the bowel and it encourages peristalsis. It also gives the therapist information on how far along the water is getting and how much more there is to release. In our experience, the entire colon is washed during a colonic treatment and after the process, the clients abdomen feels significantly softer and more comfortable to them. The ascending colon on the right hand side of your body gets cleared whilst you are lying on your back, so there is no need to make another turn to clear this section.
During the colonic treatment you can watch the waste leaving your body. Some clients are really uncomfortable with this as they feel embarrassed, but others find it psychologically very rewarding. The amount of waste removed is not really the measure of a successful treatment, but I cannot deny that it is a bonus to see the waste flowing away.

Does it hurt?

Now, a very common question is whether or not the colonic treatment is painful. We have had hundreads colonics over the years now, each one a very different experience to the others, but we have never had anything that we would describe as being even close to painful. It is a really weird experience but not painful. In several years of practice, we would say that on average 90% of our clients do not experience anything painful. The remaining 10% occasionally experience bouts of cramping during the treatment process. These episodes can present two or three times, each lasting about ten to fifteen seconds. The cramp is described as the feeling you get when you have a bout of diarrhea, and these usually precede a big release of waste. These cases are definitely in the minority, but they do occur from time to time.

At the end of the treatment

Towards the end of the treatment, you will be asked to turn back over onto your left side again. The next bit is the removal of the speculum. It only takes a second, but during that second you will fear that the whole world will be about to fall out of your bottom. THIS DOESN’T HAPPEN! It has never happened in our experience. Not once.
From here, you will be asked to remove yourself to the lavatory, which should be close to the colonic treatment room, where you can relax on the toilet and what is left in your bowel will come out, easily and comfortably. For some people, this takes a few seconds, and for others a few minutes. You should not be hurried in this process. Once you have finished, you can put your clothes on and re-join your practitioner.
Your practitioner will discuss with you what their findings have been during the treatment. Information on probiotics should be available if deemed necessary and perhaps a leaflet offering basic information on how you can maximize the affects of your treatment over the next few days. You should be able to go home or continue about your daily business, but honestly, the best thing you can do is go home and put your feet up, especially if it’s your first time.
You would be advised to avoid alcohol for one or two days. If you do have to drink, be aware that your system may be very sensitive, so a little alcohol will go a long way. The best thing you can do is avoid it altogether because you want to feel better and there is little point in polluting something you have just sought to clean out! Drinking lots of water will support you best and help to flush out any toxins are being released.