I am finally doing it. After sitting on the sidelines and hearing all there is to hear about colon cleansing for the past few years I am entering the fray. I would like to start at the beginning.

My first real exposure to colon cleansing products occurred in the operating room. An OR staff member asked me to look at a colon cleansing product he bought to see if I thought it was safe. I was about to call him insane, but I thought better of it (he controls the OR schedule) and examined the product. Much to my surprise, it was essentially supplemental fiber – in high enough doses to have an impact on the colon.

This sparked my curiosity and I began reading all that was out there about colon cleansing. There were only a few case reports about colon cleansers in the medical literature – significant articles because folks had cardiac problems after using different colon cleansing enemas. Other than that, the only information is what you find on the web – and that is scary.

One of the classes I teach is about how to determine whether or not you can trust information regarding health on the web. One of the cardinal rules is evaluating authorship. Knowing the authors, their backgrounds and their scope of expertise helps one determine how accurate the information on the site is. If you cannot figure out where someone got a degree you never heard of - be skeptical of the information they provide.

As we launch this website, my goal and that of the medical advisory board is to provide honest and accurate information about gastrointestinal health as it relates to our diets. Colon cleansing as a toxin cleanout may be an en vogue thing to do, but it is in no way safe, nor is it healthy for you or your colon. Colon cleansing using fiber supplementation is a safe way to promote colon, gastrointestinal and overall health.

Read these articles, let us know what you think, and we look forward to creating a unique web based environment that will allow us all to learn about having better bowels.