On this page we attempt to present a full picture on what is known and unknown about colon cleansing and the removal of old waste. Reading through this page you will find views from experts who have spent their lives researching colon health as well as skeptics who criticize colon cleansing categorically. You will also find information about our Colon Cleansing Kit™, specifically, as well as about colon cleansing in general.

A Look Inside of Your Intestines

Leading out of your stomach is a long tube that ends at your anus. This twenty feet or so, is called the small intestine and the final five feet is called the large intestine (colon). Unlike the colon, the small intestine has many small finger-like projections (villi) from its inner lining that present a surface area the size of a tennis court. It is within the folds of both intestines that waste and toxins may accumulate.

The graphics below are stylized for ease of demonstration and are based on the work and research done by Dr. Richard Anderson in Cleanse and Purify Thyself 2 and by Dr. Bernard Jensen in Tissue Cleansing Through Bowel Management.

How Old Waste Begins to Build Up

1. The food you eat is broken down during the process of digestion so it can be absorbed through the intestinal wall. What is not digested or absorbed is eventually eliminated as waste.*
2. Over time old waste and toxins may build up within the folds of your intestinal wall. Observational evidence suggests this is the result of excessive mucus secretions, stuck food particles, environmental toxins, constipation, etc.*

How The Colon Cleansing Kit™ Removes Old Waste

1. By giving your body a break from solid food the main formula in the Colon Cleansing Kit™, Toxin Absorber™, a Psyllium based drink, is able to bind to old waste and toxins and begin pulling it out of your digestive tract.*
2. Throughout the course of your five day liquids-only fast, old accumulated waste and toxins will be drawn out of your intestinal system by Toxin Absorber™.*

Rejuvenated Intestinal Lining

1. After completing the Colon Cleansing Kit™ your intestinal lining is left cleansed and rejuvenated.*
2. Throughout your five day liquids-only fast, Toxin Absorber™ continues to pull old, accumulated waste and toxins out of your intestines. As old, accumulated waste and toxins are eliminated you begin to feel thinner, more energetic, and full of energy. You won’t know how good you can feel until it’s gone.*

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More on Accumulated Waste: Expert Opinions

Dr. Bernard Jensen

Bernard Jensen DC, ND, PhD is one of the pioneers who used colon cleansing to improve a person’s quality of life. In his book, Tissue Cleansing Through Bowel Management (Buy this book on Amazon), he explains the importance of colon cleansing: “the heavy mucus coating in the colon thickens and becomes a host of putrefication. The blood capillaries to the colon begin to pick up the toxins, poisons and noxious debris as it seeps through the bowel wall. All tissues and organs of the body are now taking on toxic substances. Here is the beginning of true autointoxication on a physiological level. This accumulation can have the consistency of truck tire rubber. It’s that hard and black.” Dr. Jensen also documents some amazing stories of health benefits, accomplished by removing this rubbery matter through colon cleansing, in his book.

Dr. Richard Anderson

Another leader in colon cleansing is Dr. Richard Anderson, ND, N.M.D. He also has tremendous personal experience with colon cleansing and conveys much of this in his two books: Cleanse and Purify Thyself, Volumes 1 & 2 (Buy this book on Amazon). In an Internet article, he states, “I have always attempted to make it clear that the ‘Mucoid Plaque’ found in the bowel is not equivalent to the natural healthy gastric and intestinal mucosa. The natural mucosa serves as a necessary buffer for the gastro-intestinal wall and as a lubricant for intestinal motility. ‘Mucoid plaque’ of any description is un-natural and is found only after the body has moved towards diseased states. Medical science has many words to describe each of these conditions, but to my knowledge, there are no effective terms that describe them under one category.”

Martha Volchok, A.H.G.

Martha Volchok relates, “I observed all of my bowel movements and studied them as a scientist would. After my first cleanse, I got out just what Dr. Jensen showed in his book, Tissue Cleansing Through Bowel Management. Not only that, but popcorn kernels came out and I hadn’t eaten any popcorn in years! Having something come out after all those years gave me more faith in Dr. Jensen’s work. I reasoned that if the popcorn was that old, how old was the rest of the stuff coming out? Surely some of it was from that same time period.”

“My conclusion is that I am lifting off the intestinal wall a thickened layer that has accumulated quite like what happens to the plumbing in our homes. Over time any tube/pipe/intestine that has material going over it daily begins to have a build-up. Only we need our intestines to be as free of that as possible for the best, healthiest functioning. Of course, I cannot say for sure just exactly what is happening, but I can judge by the resultant great feelings that in fact I have done something truly positive for my health.”

“Whenever I do my yearly cleanse now, I see clearly the striations on the outside of my stools that reflect the same indentations from different parts of the intestinal wall; both small and large (colon). Could this be an actual thin layer that had accumulated directly on the intestinal lining? These markings are never present on my everyday bowel movements. The stool from my colon cleanse has a thin, outer layer that is decidedly a different, deeper color than the inside of the stool. It is also much firmer and cannot be pulled apart, whereas the inner portion of the stool looks remarkably like the Toxin Absorber™ drink and it is possible to pull apart easily (see photo below).”

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Some Skeptical Perspectives on Colon Cleansing

There are some doctors and scientists who say there is no buildup in the intestines and colon cleansing is a complete hoax. We’re aware of this – and we want you to be aware as well, so that you can make the most fully informed decisions regarding your health.

The following is a quote from Quackwatch.com saying that "mucoid plaque" doesn't exist:

"I have seen several thousand intestinal biopsies and have never seen any "mucoid plaque." This is a complete fabrication with no anatomic basis. The small and large intestines normally secrete mucus for lubrication, but it does not form into any type of 'plaque'." (find site here: www.quackwatch.org)

Dr. Richard Anderson's response to such statements in his book Cleanse and Purify Thyself: Book Two,(Mt. Shasta, CA: Christobe Publishing, 1998), page 88-89:

"Surgeons and regular doctors are not trained in the subject of mucoid plaque and therefore remain unaware of this important bowel condition. The mucoid plaque is usually less than one-fourth of an inch in many areas of the bowel (except in heavy meat and dairy eaters). It usually develops from a semi-transparent liquid solution (mucin) and may look like it is part of the intestinal wall itself as it takes on the exact shapes, striations, and bulges of the intestinal wall. Until the mucoid plaque begins to mix with fecal matter, its color and texture may appear similar to healthy bowel mucosa. Unless one knows what they are looking for, it may be difficult to identify, especially by sight. Therefore, to doctors using endoscopy and to surgeons, it is unnoticeable unless they are familiar with the many different appearances mucoid plaque may have."
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“Empirical” vs. “Scientific” Data

Our personal experiences with colon cleansing – and the experiences of the many healthcare practitioners and individuals who use our products - is not the same as having scientifically validated data. When we report the common sight of thick, dark rubbery bowel movements – this is “empirical” or observational data. It’s not invalid – but it does not conform to the standards used by governing scientific bodies and medical journals, who insist on data gathered from double-blind, randomized, placebo controlled, crossover trials. This type of data we refer to as “scientific”.

Of course, all methods have their limitations and we wanted to share a quote from the British Medical Journal, which pokes fun at today’s “gold standard” of testing:

"Conclusions: As with many interventions intended to prevent ill health, the effectiveness of parachutes has not been subjected to rigorous evaluation by using randomized controlled trials. Advocates of evidence-based medicine have criticized the adoption of interventions evaluated by using only observational data. We think that everyone might benefit if the most radical protagonists of evidence based medicine organized and participated in a double blind, randomized, placebo controlled, crossover trial of the parachute."

It should also be understood that traditional holistic practices such as internal cleansing resist the reductionistic view used in scientific studies. This is generally due to the fact that by definition, a “holistic” practice works from a “whole system” perspective, which is much harder to measure than an isolated “part” of a system, which is the hallmark of today’s current scientific methodology.
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Celebrity Colons

You may have seen the following quote on other colon cleansing sites, which was originally reported in the January 11, 1999 issue of USA Today:

"Most people who eat the standard American 'goo and glue' diet have about 5-10 pounds of matter stored in the colon. It's said that, according to the autopsy, John Wayne had 40 pounds of impacted fecal matter in his body at death. Elvis reportedly had 60 pounds."

This quote has drawn a large amount of negative attention to colon cleansing on the internet (example view: www.snopes.com). We tried researching it and found that the information on John Wayne and Elvis is very hard to verify and is most likely false. We were able to find the complete article from USA Today and the quote was part of an article talking about the journalist's experience at a health spa. Someone at the spa told her that information and she quoted it in her article. I think it is unfortunate that so many sites in their enthusiasm to prove the benefits of colon cleansing grab such information without verifying the source. We feel this reflects poorly on what we do know and the real experiences of people who have done colon cleansing.
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What We've Learned...

Despite years of “observational data” from hundreds of thousands of individuals who have derived a wide range of health benefits, colon cleansing is still not widely accepted by the medical profession. As we’ve stated earlier, this is mainly due to a lack of empirical, “scientific data” and to a more general lack of understanding about how holistic health methods work.

We also want you to know that the benefits of colon cleansing detoxificationwill be different for everyone and even if we did quote from a so-called “successful” study on cleansing, that’s no guarantee we can prove it will be relevant to your personal health. So just as we emphasize the importance of you taking responsibility for your health – we don’t shy away from our responsibilities to report all sides of the story – and we strive to continually provide you with the best available instructions, information and ingredients to serve your holistic health needs.