does our body really need help with BM's?

[happy_kauai]

hello,
I'm planning on starting a juice fast tomorrow. How essential are things such as enemas, colonics, and such? it seems so invasive and pushy to me, I couldn't imagine doing any of that. i went on a 5 day water fast last week and tried laxitive tea, but it gave me such bad cramps that I didn't take it again. i went 4 days without a BM. (I usually have about 2 a day) is this bad? Once I started eating again, my BM's went back to normal.
I'm nervous that a juice fast will stop my BM's, but I also feel that this should be o.k. if it does happen because shouldn't our bodies be able to handle elimination without assistance?
I would love to hear some advice about this subject.
Thanks!

[dhammala]

The colon is the biggest way your body will release it's toxins. If you are cleansing heavily and not letting those toxins out, I personally don't think that would be very supportive of the cleanse. On juice fasts and water fasts, there is not enough bulk to keep pushing things through.. colonics or enemas are a must to get those toxins out of your body. Isn't that the point of your cleanse?

It is my understanding that if the toxins are just sitting there in the colon, then they can be reabsorbed by the body. Normal elimination of the toxins happens with bulk and solids. Be careful with laxitaves -- they work by engaging the muscles of the colon, and if the muscles have nothing to push through the colon, it is going to be quite painful.

When I have fasted in the past, juice or water, I would be sure to do a colonic cleanse at least once a day. I own a Colema board just for this purpose. It makes the process much easier with the right equipment and being at home (instead of at someone's office).

Hope that helps..

[happy_kauai]

thanks for your advice, dhammala

The thought of colonics or enemas still make me nervous. What about phylum husks, senna leaf tea, or prune juices? Would those have a helpful effect or are enamas and colonics really the best way to go? no pun intended :p !
Thanks for your help!

:)

[rawpriestess]

I try to be as natural as possible, and enemas and colonics are not natural, neither is drinking fruit juice.

Eating the entire fruit is natural.

You see, I think it is the weirdes thing in the world, to juice your fruits and veggies, toss away the fiber, then give yourself an enema to get your colon moving, when that is what the fiber does.

I say, just eat your fruits, or if you really want to drink them, then plop them in the blender, or Vita Mix, and blend them all up together and drink them.

but I feel enemas and colonics are extremely invasive to the body, and unatural.

If you really NEED something to help you go to the bathroom, raw spinache, psyllum husk powder, cherries, and oils, will help you along.

[happy_kauai]

thanks so much for your reply rawpriestess!

you feel the same way that I do! I also don't feel it's natural at all to invade my body in that way, but it's helpful to hear I'm not the only one uncomfortable with that whole idea.

Also, it's very helpful to hear that putting fruits in a blender allows you to keep the fiber - that's what I am planning to do on my fast. I don't have a juicer anyway. So, perhaps the fiber in the fruit drinks will be enough to keep my digestion system moving?
The main reason I've decided to go on a juice fast is to give myself the opportunity to completely break my current eating habits and start fresh. Otherwise I'd just eat the raw whole fruits, like you said.

Thanks also for informing me about spinach, cherries, and oils! I'll keep them in mind.

[VeggieMel]

In my opinion, in an ideal world without any SAD food, the body would need no help with BMs, but I put SAD food in my body for 20 years, and I was constipated a lot of the time, so my body really needs the help cleansing out hard things and stuff that's stuck to the colon wall. It's a history of eating SAD that makes it necessary for me. I was to the point where I felt like my colon was all clean, but then a messed up on my raw diet. Now colonics and enemas are necessary again.

[rawruh]

may i suggest you check out Nora Lenz's website: www.rawschool.com. she has a brilliant article about enemas and colonics, which will make you run a mile from them.

I even find laxative teas too strong. I have done the Master Cleanse a number of times (never again though), but never took the laxative or salt water flush, i was going to toilet dramatically enough without it. i think these suggestions for laxatives are for people who are on SAD and really need help to get their bodies moving, but if you have been a lot or all raw, you body is already working well.

so my humble suggestion, would be to be gentle with your body! and trust your inner voice that feels that it is invasive and unnatural.

i know everyone has a different opinion about this issue, but this is mine.

[RawTruth]

I agree with rawruh when she says to listen to your inner voice -- do what you feel is best. If you have gathered a variety of views and understand the different positions on it, I think you will do what's best for you. I have several friends who hold the absolute opposite opinion about juicing, colonics, etc. that I do, but we agree to disagree. There's no one way to do this -- except, IMO, to be all raw.

Best of luck to you.

[MoniDew]

I have done the Master Cleanse a number of times (never again though), but never took the laxative or salt water flush, i was going to toilet dramatically enough without it.

I've been considering doing the Master Cleanse. Could you please go into why you won't ever do one again? I'm very curious. I'd like to know more so I can determine whether or not I should do a Master Cleanse.

[misslinda]

Ughhhhhhhhh !@*(!*#%^()$#^


Okay, I can't help but feel a little tweeked since viewing this thread as I just started a juice fast but then ate pears since reading the article on Nora's site. I can view all information from all angles---so I am in the "swivel chair" at this moment.



btw, triphala works great.

[Tombi]

Greetings to everyone. I am just starting in the World of the Raw. In fact I have been lurking for the last two months and have just gotten past the stage of procrastination. I know that I need to cleanse and while reading the threads here I realized that I have actually done the Master Cleanse a few times and I really liked the results. I did not do colonics or enemas and I really did not get constipated. However, from reading this thread I realize that it is important to purge the contents of the colon.

My question: Could I use organic coconut oil in slightly warm water as an agent to move the contents of the colon along?

[rawpriestess]

You do NOT need an enema or colonic to clean out anything.

What they do is put things back up into you where they don't belong.

Your body is infinitely intelligent on what you as a physical being need to survive on this planet.

enemas and colonics are not natural, the closest thing to one is diarrhea, when you are really sick, this is the body's way of cleaning you out.

You really don't need to help it along.

If you have ever done this you will feel cramping and pain and a urgency to evacuate your bowels, not of what was in there, but of what foreign substance was put up in there where it doesn't belong. This is the body's infinite wisdom.

Please simply eat fresh raw ripe fruits and vegetables, and allow your body to clean itself out in it's own way, don't force water and herbs, and oils and things up inside your body, it would be the same as shoving a tube into your stomache, and force feeding you, and that is really terrible.

Just allow the body to heal itself and clean itself out.

Victoria Boutenko talks about the unnecessary enemas and colonics and all in her books, that she and her family never had to do, they just ate raw and living foods, and they are truly healthy.

Please reconsider this invasive barbaric practice.

You may also wish to read the information on Nora Lenz site www.rawschool.com under articles about enemas and colonics, I never felt they were right, now I KNOW they are bad.

[happy_kauai]

I read that article by Nora Lenz, and I really think she's right. I believe that our bodies have a good sense of what needs to be done and when. I don't think it needs such drastic methods of "helping it along." It's hard to be patient, but we've all spent years and years abusing our bodies, that it's going to take time for it to heal.

I encourage anyone else who has questions about colonics and enemas to read this article. It makes sense.

Thanks again for all your replies! :)

[rawruh]

in repsonse to Moni dew's question on Master Cleanse and why i won't do it again.

to be honest, i have done it so many times in the past, that i just can't stand the taste of the lemon drink. even when i have done the fast after one week, i just stop drinking it and carry on with water.

yes, i have lost weight on it, but i've always put it back on, because fasting doesn't change your habits. you still have to deal with that when you come off. you feel that when you are on the fast, you never need to eat again, and that freedom is nice, but it does give you a false sense of an improved relationship with food.

also, i had read somewhere that maple is syrup is not raw, it is cooked and cooked and cooked, and not good for the body at all.

i think fasting really needs the right motive and if the motive is quick weight loss, then i find it comes back just as quickly, you can't seem to rush the process of healing body, and soul.