Ass Plumbing & the Big Reseach Hoax

Morning guys!

As I wrote yesterday, I had my first colonic! It was a fun experience but before I get into that I’d like to adress a comment to yesterdays post. Lenna wrote:

“Hello, i love your post on the “me-days”, these are so important. And good to know you are going on with your detox. I was still indecesive about all the colon cleansing thing and today I found this article, which provides somenot so good information, I am posting just to let you know: Colon Cleansing uses herbal ingredients, laxatives, enemas, colonics, and/or irrigation devices. These can disrupt the normal functioning and balance of the large intestine, resulting in electrolyte imbalances, diarrhea, dehydration and damage to the protective bacteria in the large intestine. Doctors don’t recommend colon cleansing for improved health and well-being or for the prevention of disease. The colon doesn’t need to be cleansed. In fact, the only appropriate use for colon cleansing is in preparation for a medical procedure used to examine the colon. (http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/nutrition_articles.asp?id=706&page=2)”

I would like to say something not just to Lenna but to all my readers, and actually people in general, which is why I am posting it here instead of in a comment.

I used to read research papers like they were novels and based all my beliefs on them. Yet over the last few months I have shifted my way of thinking and today I am no longer relying on what research point out, but am instead empowering myself with my own knowledge. Being a dietician in training and being bombarded with research papers on a daily basis will do that to you (hopefully). Because I find out firsthand that research, although very useful, in the end most times means squat.

Every year, every 5 years, every 50 years, new research always points out the former conclusion, based on research, was all wrong. Maybe we misinterpreted it, who knows. Take this great example (and if you want more, just hit me up I have about 50 more) : for decades we have believed that fat stored around the abdominals was unhealthy, and fat stored around the hips, butt and legs was less unhealthy. The pear and apple shape theory. Just last week, this theory was ‘proven’ wrong. To me, in fact, it proves nothing. It only proves, once again, research is always inconclusive and can be (mis)interpreted in so many ways. When I pointed this out my teacher said ‘well things change’. That’s the point. It doesn’t. The risk factor of belly fat hasn’t changed, we have changed, research has changed. Nature doesn’t decide one day to change her story.

I also have to stress that you can find 50 sources telling you that colonics are good for health. You can, indeed, also find 50 sources telling you colonics are dangerous and unhealthy and a waste of money. It all depends on where you look, what you want to find, and whom you ask.

I personally don’t trust research anymore, and I don’t trust doctors and medicine at all. I trust they are good at what they do: curing symptoms and prescribing meds. Of course I am making a generalization here, and doctors are very important indeed. Just usually when our health is already so screwed up we ‘need’ medicine or need surgery. I am an advocate of prevention, through diet but also through alternative or holistic, whatever you want to call it, medicine. Self-care, lifestyle, believing in yourself. I wouldn’t expect any doctor to recommend cleansing/detoxing/fasting other than to prep their patients for their treatment. They would be out of a job if we all started taking actual good care of ourselves .

This may all sound a bit radical but so be it. Like I said, I am done being so naive as to believe in what some research paper or doctor found out. I am converted to listening to my own inner logic, my intuition. If I read something, somewhere, no matter the source, I’ll notice soon enough if I feel a click, a feeling of common sense. Some of that might be research-based, some of it might not. Most of all nowadays I try and experiment as much as I can myself. Who cares if it works for millions of people, if it doesn’t work for me than it won’t help me. The same goes for the other way around: it might not work for millions of people but if it works for you, than who cares? More power to you!

As for the article Lenna quoted, it’s from SparkPeople, a dieting community. The aritcle is written by a dietician. The article is about cleansing in general, not a colonic (colon cleansing and a colonic are not the same!). From what I gathered, the message to be taken away from the article is that detoxing is not good for weightloss, with which I whole-heartedly agree! I do not agree with her saying the colon doesn’t need to be cleansed, but that is my opinion.

My point is: please don’t believe everything you read. But also please don’t believe everything I say. Create your own sense of intuition and judgement and, most importantly, experience everything firsthand! See what works for you, find out what feels good for you, not for me or someone else. I never believed in detoxing because research apparently says it’s a hoax. Well, I have never felt better, physically and emotionally. I have never looked better, if I may say so myself. My skin is clear and my need for make-up has deminished to some mascara. And even that I don’t wear all days. Because I look and feel healthy from the inside out! Detoxing may not work for everyone, colonics may not work for everyone, I’ll be the first one to recognize that fact. But I’d like to share my experience with a colonic.

It was… interesting. It was uncomfortable and comforting at the same time. Feeling your abdominals slowly filling with lukewarm water feels unnatural and a tad uncomfortable, yet I got used to it soon. The belly rubbings were very intense. It took quite some time and effort for ‘my gunk’ to be released. I asked if I was doing it wrong, if I was a freak . But she assured me every body is very different. I myself am suspecting that because I have had a pretty clean lifestyle for the last six months (no animal products, no smoking, very little coffee, alcohol, I exercise almost daily, etc), my ‘gunk’ is from before that time, older, and may take some more time to release. For example with this detox, I have experienced no common detox symptoms like headaches, fatigue, illness, skin outbreaks, etc. But I am suspecting for me this might come in later in the process as prior to me converting to healthinism (yeah it’s a word, I just made it up), I smoked, drank and drowned myself in meat and dairy (sexy, no?). I was also a coffee and redbull (ew) addict. But all this gunk might be hidden away quite well, we’ll see.

Most of all it felt SO good, emotionally, to see a lot of old gunk flush away. It’s a surreal experience to say the least. I have experienced no symptoms afterwards. This morning I woke up at 6:30 without my alarm, jumped out of bed and had my best run in ages. I am not saying it is directly connected. I can’t ‘prove’ any connection to the things I have been experimenting with lately (fasting, juicing, detoxing, oil pulling, colonics) and the way I have been feeling. Maybe it’s all one big coincidenc. Except for the fact that a wise woman always tells me there’s no such thing as coincidence, we create our own destiny. That wise woman may or may not be be my mom.

I would like to add real quick that I highly recommend the clinic I visited (and, as per usual, I am not receiving compensation for any of my recommendations!). Liesbeth, the woman that treated me (who looked 10-15 years below her age by the way) was super nice. She turned out to have done the exact same study as I am doing now, and she did the study (holistic medicine/healing) I am planning on doing after I’ve got my health bachelor. She’s also been performing colonics for 22 years, she’s certified, and her treatments are refundable by your health insurance (if yours covers it, mine turns out to cover it 100%!). I think it is a positive sign even health insurance covers colonics and definitely ‘proof’ it is not a health hazard. She was also very honest. When I asked her if it was a good idea to get a colonic 4 times a year she said I might only need it once or twice a year. Her small clinic looked sterile yet home-y. The treatment room was warm, there were candles and incence and some relaxing music. A treatment costs €90 which is a standard prize for colonics (I’ve looked around). You can visit her website here: bodytuningclinic (Amsterdam).

Thank you for reading all about ass plumbing today . I’ll make it up tomorrow with some food porn, perhaps?

TGIF!

Love,

Sabine