Helpful or Harmful? Flushing Out the Truth About Colonics

These bacteria help your body absorb nutrients from food and protect against microbes that promote disease. “They can even influence your immune system,” Ni adds.

Emptying the colon with medications prior to a colonoscopy also affects the bacteria in your system, but the benefits of the procedure outweigh the risks.

“It may affect your gut microbiome for at least a period of time, until your gut can reconstitute,” Phan says. “But in this case, it’s necessary. We’re doing it for colon cancer screening.”

What happens during a colonic?

During a colonic session, up to 60 liters (more than 15 gallons) of liquid is infused under pressure through the rectum into the colon and then rinsed out. In addition to water, practitioners may add herbal solutions or even coffee to the mix.

Side effects are usually mild and include abdominal cramping, bloating, diarrhea and nausea, Ni says.

“What’s more concerning is you could end up with severe electrolyte imbalances because there’s no way of regulating what goes into a colonic,” she says. When that happens, levels of minerals like sodium and potassium can become too high or too low, interfering with healthy functioning. You may also experience dehydration.

There are other risks to consider as well. “Because we don’t know what goes into these preparations and whether they’re prepared in a sanitary manner, people can get infections, including transmission of pathogens if the equipment used is not properly cleansed or sterilized in between patients,” Ni says.

People undergoing a colonic can also experience injury from the equipment inserted into the rectum.

“There have been case reports of patients having colon ulceration, even perforations, which are tears in the lining of your colon,” Ni says. “There have also been reports of ischemic colitis, which means there is insufficient blood flow to parts of the colon, causing at least short-term, if not long-term or permanent, damage.”

Colonics may be particularly risky for older adults, who tend to have underlying conditions that put them at a higher risk for complications.

“If elderly patients, for example, already have cardiac or renal disease, they’re not able to deal with these electrolyte disturbances as well,” Ni says. “And because older people are more likely to have severe constipation, they’re much more susceptible to bowel perforation and ischemic colitis.”

How is a colonic different from preparing for a colonoscopy? The prep for a colonoscopy involves taking specific medications to empty the colon so it can be examined by a gastroenterologist.

“We need the colon to be clean [ahead of a colonoscopy],” Phan says. “But these are well-studied preparations that we are asking patients to use, and the risk of dehydration and electrolyte disturbances is very low. The same can’t be said for colonics.”

Improving your gut health

If you have considered colonics to improve your bowel health, there are better ways to do it, doctors say. For starters, says Ni, “we know that Americans don’t take in enough dietary fiber and we don’t take in enough fluids.”

Ni recommends increasing your fiber intake to 28 to 35 grams a day. If you need it, you can use an over-the-counter fiber supplement, such as psyllium. Staying hydrated and getting regular physical activity also helps keep the bowels running smoothly. If you struggle with constipation and these measures don’t do the trick, though, talk to your doctor about medications that can help.

You can also improve your gut health — and overall health — by encouraging the growth of good bacteria in your gastrointestinal tract.

One good way is to eat fermented foods such as yogurt, kefir, kombucha, sauerkraut and kimchi. They contain substances called probiotics that promote a healthy microbiome, Ni says, “and they’re delicious too.”