Blogging about the History of Colonics with Emma
How has your week been? I have seen some fantastic results in the clinic this week, it has truly been a fabulous week! In this week’s blog I am looking at the history of colonics, obviously with an Emma spin on it…….
Many historians date colon hydrotherapy in its simplest form, the enema back to the Egyptians unsurprisingly as this is where many holistic therapies are thought to originate. Now, how this came about I don’t know…… but thank goodness it did as with most things the Egyptians discovered colon hydrotherapy has lasted well and it’s health and wellbeing benefits (as you know from previous blogs) are well documented. While initially the treatment is thought to have begun using a reed and river water over the centuries this has developed to most therapists using closed water systems, single use equipment and filtered water (thank goodness!).
The Greeks and Romans (wow! If these guys are involved it’s something special, look at Roman Roads – amazing, and the Olympics – a global phenomenon!) contributed to the history of colonics with Hippocrates recording the use of enemas for fever therapy and disorders of the body, while Asclepiades used the enema for intestinal worms and fevers. It is worth mentioning here that although Hippocrates and Asclepiades were fantastic Physicians, colon hydrotherapists are not medical professionals – we are holistic practitioners. Here at The Colon Clinic we are trained to a high standard and are listed on the International Register of Integrative Colon Hydrotherapists and Trainers (RICTAT) of which we are immensely proud.
I’ve digressed! Back to the history……… according to legend (no Emma, there is no legend – there are historical documents as evidence this is true) the first enema equipment were syringes which consisted of bone, reed or metal connected to an animal bladder and was likened to playing the bagpipes in Spain! By the middle of the 18th century the apparatus had already been developed to a clyster syringe and further to a gravity system and a pressure fed type of enema. Sadly during the 19th and 20th centuries the use of enemas dwindled as medical advances were made including laxatives and other drugs which were easier to administer and more commercially available.
Now the next bit blew my mind, you know the guy who invented Cornflakes? Well, the same guy – Dr Kellogg – rejuvenated enemas in 1917, turns out the Cornflake man was a nutritionist and physician! However it was Dr W. Kerr Russell who introduced the term Colonic Irrigation in 1932 due to the evolution of the apparatus used. If you want to see photos of the equipment, they are available online and when you see them you will thank your lucky stars you are considering colon hydrotherapy 90 years down the line!
The rest as they say, is history! This was a very brief run through of how we got to colon hydrotherapy as we know and love it today. I had to remind myself I am blogging not writing a history lesson and keep it short and sweet.
Join me next week for the much anticipated blog “Why don’t we talk about poo?”
Emma, xx