sdyer@bbncc5.UUCP (Steve Dyer) (08/21/85)
In this discussion, it's worth noting that colonic irrigations are illegal
in Massachusetts unless administered by an M.D.. Last year in this state a
patient died from infection after administration of such a "cleansing", due
to poorly sterilized instruments and/or irrigation fluid. In response, the
state closed down a number of "naturopathic" practitioners without medical
degrees who were administering such treatments. For all intents and
purposes, this shut down the practice entirely, since there were very few
bona-fide M.D.'s operating such clinics in Massachusetts.
At the same time, the New England Journal of Medicine published an
editorial on the issue, stating the bald truth: namely, that such practices
have no basis in human physiology and are therapeutically worthless for the
claims which Stanions mentions. Were this the only reason to avoid colonic
irrigation, we might hope that its afficionados would also seek other
effective treatments when they are truly ill. But colonic irrigation also
has been associated with fatal infections of the bowel and peritoneum, and
severe electrolyte disturbances, esp. hypokalemia. The problem of
infection reflects the peculiar sociology of the practice: if irrigation
were performed under sterile conditions, with sterilized implements and
solutions, then the incidence of infection would be expected to be much
lower. But, as we all know, few "holistic" clinical setups provide the
facilities for such sterile techniques (hell, many of them don't even
recognize the germ theory of infectious disease!) Ordinary cleanliness,
which we probably can assume on their part, is NOT sufficient.
Electrolyte disturbances result from the introduction of a hypotonic
solution into the upper colon, an region of extremely high osmotic
permeability. Salts, including such physiologically essential ions
as Na+ and K+, are 'sucked' from the body into the fluid which was
introduced into the colon. These disturbances can become chronic
with repeated irrigations, producing clinically dangerous hyponatremia
and hypokalemia, leading to dizziness, low blood pressure and heart
irregularities.
--
/Steve Dyer
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