Ancient Wisdom for Modern Health: Colon Cleansing
Colonics rank among the top wellness practices that have helped me achieve and maintain good health. That's not a sentence I ever expected to write.
If someone had explained colon cleansing, colonics, and/or colon hydrotherapy to me ten years ago, I probably would have assumed they were either joking or trying to recruit me into a wellness cult. The idea of voluntarily scheduling an appointment that involves a tube being inserted into your butt so warm water can flow through and cleanse your colon sounds…weird.
Then life has a funny way of humbling you.
When you're dealing with health challenges and conventional answers aren't getting you where you want to go, you become willing to explore approaches you wouldn’t have considered before if there's a chance they might help you. That was me about four years ago. What started as a curious experiment became one of the most impactful wellness practices I've incorporated into my life and something I now return to whenever my body is telling me it needs a reset.
Interestingly, I have never met someone who has gotten a colonic and not noticed a benefit from it. And if you read reviews of reputable colon hydrotherapy practices, you'll find people describing the experience as very positive and even transformative: reduced bloating, improved digestion, better energy, greater mental clarity, improved regularity, and an overall sense of feeling better in their bodies.
So what exactly is colon cleansing, and where did this unique practice come from?
Colon cleansing is an umbrella term for practices that use water to support healthy elimination, digestive function, and the body's natural detoxification processes. There are several approaches, but the most common are enemas, colonics, and colon hydrotherapy.
If colons were cars:
🚿 Enema = rinsing your car with a garden hose
🚗✨ Colonic = taking it through a full car wash
🚗🎇 Colon Hydrotherapy Systems = the deluxe package at the car wash
While all of these approaches introduce water into the colon, professional colon hydrotherapy is generally more thorough because it allows for a continuous flow of water while carefully regulating temperature, pressure, and sanitation throughout the session. Unlike a traditional enema, which primarily affects the lower portion of the colon, a professional colonic is designed to support cleansing of the entire large intestine.
Although modern colon hydrotherapy equipment is relatively new, historical records of bowel cleansing date back more than 4,000 years. Ancient Egyptian medical writings described approaches to digestive health and elimination, reflecting a belief that stagnation within the body could contribute to illness. Some historical accounts even describe royal physicians whose responsibilities included monitoring the bowel habits of pharaohs and members of the royal court. "Shepherd of the Anus" may not have been the official title, but it probably wasn't far off. In a world without modern pharmaceuticals, maintaining proper elimination was viewed as an important component of vitality and longevity.
Similar ideas emerged in Ayurveda, one of the world's oldest systems of medicine. Ayurvedic practitioners developed a therapeutic practice known as Basti, a form of herbal enema that became one of the central therapies used to restore balance within the body. Rather than viewing digestion as an isolated bodily function, Ayurveda considered the colon to play a foundational role in overall health.
The ancient Greeks shared many of these beliefs. Hippocrates, often referred to as the Father of Medicine, wrote extensively about digestion and elimination in disease prevention and treatment. Although historians continue to debate whether he ever used the exact phrase, he is widely associated with the statement, "All disease begins in the gut." Whether or not those were his precise words, the sentiment accurately reflects the importance he placed on digestive health.
What is perhaps most remarkable about these traditions is that they were not primarily concerned with weight loss, detox trends, or aesthetic goals. They viewed bowel health through a much broader lens. Physical vitality, mental clarity, emotional balance, and even spiritual well-being were often considered interconnected, and practices that supported healthy elimination were believed to benefit the whole person.
Interest in bowel health experienced a resurgence in Western Medicine in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries thanks in large part to Dr. John Harvey Kellogg (yes, THAT Kellogg). Long before probiotics, microbiome testing, and wellness influencers made gut health fashionable, Kellogg was teaching that digestion, nutrition, movement, sunlight, stress reduction, and proper elimination were foundational pillars of health. As superintendent of the famous Battle Creek Sanitarium in Michigan, he attracted thousands of patients—including business leaders, politicians, and celebrities—who traveled there seeking better health. Colon cleansing was incorporated into Battle Creek's wellness programs alongside nutrition, exercise, and other lifestyle interventions. His emphasis on preventive health, lifestyle medicine, and digestive function feels remarkably modern more than a century later.
Today, gut health has become one of the most intensely studied areas of medicine. Researchers continue to uncover connections between the digestive system and immune function, inflammation, metabolism, hormone regulation, mood, cognition, and overall well-being. The ancients did not have microbiome testing, GI-MAPs, functional medicine practitioners, or scientific journals, yet many arrived at the same foundational insight: when the gut functions well, the rest of the body often functions better as well.
So why do people get colonics and colon hydrotherapy today? For some, the answer is straightforward. Chronic constipation, bloating, gas, sluggish digestion, abdominal discomfort, and feelings of incomplete elimination are among the most common reasons. Others incorporate colonics into broader health protocols that may include dietary changes, fasting, parasite-cleansing programs, detoxification protocols, or gut-healing interventions. Many describe the experience not as a treatment for a specific condition, but as a reset—an opportunity to clear out, slow down, and reconnect with their bodies.
One of the most common reasons people explore colonics today is as part of a parasite-cleansing protocol. The conversation surrounding parasites is often framed as a simple yes-or-no question: do you have them or don't you? The reality is considerably more nuanced. Humans are constantly exposed to bacteria, fungi, viruses, and parasites through food, water, travel, soil, animals, and contact with other people. Raw or undercooked meat, contaminated water, unwashed produce, international travel, pets, and environmental exposures can all increase the likelihood of exposure. Fortunately, the body possesses sophisticated defense mechanisms—including stomach acid, digestive enzymes, bile flow, immune function, and a healthy gut microbiome—that help keep these organisms in balance.
Exposure is a normal part of life. The question is whether the body's natural defenses are functioning optimally enough to manage that exposure effectively. Many functional and integrative practitioners believe excessive parasite burden may contribute to a variety of symptoms, particularly digestive complaints. While the extent of that impact remains the subject of ongoing debate, it remains one reason many individuals pursue parasite-cleansing protocols and incorporate colon hydrotherapy as part of those programs.
Interestingly, many of the symptoms that lead people to investigate parasite protocols are the same symptoms that often drive people toward colonics in the first place: fatigue, bloating, gas, digestive discomfort, irregular bowel habits, headaches, brain fog, poor concentration, sleep disturbances, skin issues, low energy, and a general sense that something is off.
When my complexion starts looking dull, my thinking feels foggier than usual, my energy drops despite getting enough sleep, or I notice body odor that isn't typical for me, I pay attention. I used to treat these as isolated annoyances. Today, I see them as information. None of those symptoms obviously point to the colon, but the body doesn't operate in isolated parts. It's an interconnected system, and symptoms often show up far away from their source. For me, those subtle signals are often a clue that it's time for a clean out.
Does that mean a colonic is the answer to every skin issue, sleep problem, or energy slump? Of course not. Health is rarely that simple. But supporting healthy elimination can be an important piece of a much larger puzzle.
If you live in Nashville, DC, or Atlanta, I have some recommendations for some amazing colon hydrotherapists:
Michele at Nashville Colon Care (Michele was my first 🤍 whenever I’m back in town, I always schedule time with her)
LBN Colonic in Alexandria (I’ve had Veronica and Catalina - both fabulous)
Korey at Clear Path Wellness Center in Sandy Springs (very gentle and thorough; decades of experience but you would never guess because she looks so young - probably in part thanks to routine colonics 😉)
