From the April 2002 Idaho Observer:

Your Colon and Digestive System:

The Cornerstone of Sound Health

By Ingri Cassel

If more people understood the importance of keeping their digestive tract in good working order, we would experience a healthier and more compassionate society. That may seem like a fairly bold statement but I have witnessed and experienced life transformations from simply committing to an annual colon cleansing regimen each spring. In fact, my husband has nicknamed me the “queen of bowel cleansing” since I never neglect to mention a colon cleanse to anyone who comes to me for health advice. In the November 1999 Idaho Observer, I shared many stories of friends and family who have experienced first hand the benefits of colon cleansing. Rather than repeat that article, I have decided to share some excerpts from Dr. Richard Schultze's excellent March 2002 Get Well! Newsletter: Your Colon¾Knowing What Goes on in the Last Five Feet Can Save Your Life!

According to Dr. Shultz, colon cancer kills more men and women in America than breast or prostate cancer and four times more people than AIDS.

It is estimated that in 2002, over 130,000 new cases of colon-rectal cancer will be diagnosed and this form of cancer will be the cause of death for 60,000 Americans.

Current medical statistics reveal that every American will develop some type of colon disease, tumor, polyp or cancer in their lifetime.

The Merck Manual, the standard text for the diagnosis and treatment of disease, tells us that colon degeneration is on the rise. In fact, the incidence of diverticulosis has increased dramatically over the last 50 years.

According to this manual, in 1950 only 10 percent of adults over 45 had this disease; in 1987, over 45 percent of adults over 45 were afflicted. In the latest Merck Manual it states that the incidence increases rapidly over age 40 and that every person is expected to have diverticulosis if they live long enough.

Into the bowels

Dr. John R. Christopher stated that over 90 percent of our ailments can be traced to an accumulation of toxins in the colon. Dr. Shultze had a hard time believing some of Dr. Christopher's stories of people having a bowel movement only once a month until he started his own clinic in Hollywood, California. He then had the experience of meeting patients who claimed to have a bowel movement only every other month. He thought that was the record breaker until he received a letter from a woman who thanked him profusely for his Intestinal Formula #1. This woman claimed to have a bowel movement twice a year!

So what is a normal bowel movement and how frequently should we be “pooping?” If we were eating a more natural diet consisting of plenty of raw foods and drinking large amounts of water and hydrating liquids, we would be evacuating the same as the number of meals eaten daily. In other words, having a bowel movement two to three times a day is optimum. Any less than this is a sign of constipation.

Dr. Shultze recounts in his superb newsletter numerous stories of patients who want one of his miraculous herbal formulas to clear up their health problems. He patiently listens to their complaints and immediately puts them on a bowel cleanse. Many of them are initially irate, not realizing that their health problems will disappear in the process of bowel cleansing.

I, too, have had similar experiences with friends and acquaintances so I can totally relate. I have seen too many people recover from migraines, back problems, crippling arthritis and even cancer by simply going on a bowel cleanse first and then continuing with a healthful, vegetarian diet.

One such story from Dr. Schultze's newsletter is classic:

“I had a lady come to see me; she had been out of work, literally flat on her back in pain for 2 #189; years. She had pain in the lumbar vertebrae, sacrum and sciatic nerve, EVERY DAY, ALL DAY. No work, not even housework, not even going shopping for a few groceries. She had many visits to her chiropractor along with Hatha Yoga, which are two of the best therapies for any spinal problems, but she got little results. The osteopath's orthopedic treatments didn't help either and she was at her wits end. She even told me she was contemplating killing herself.

“Guess what? She was constipated! I put her on the bowel-cleansing program and in less than a week all of her pain was gone, and never returned. She was shocked, in disbelief, and she was really, really mad at all the doctors for overlooking something so simple; constipation. Her blocked, engorged, swollen colon was pressing on all the nerves in her lower back.”

The Reason Over 90 percent of ALL Disease (or MORE) Can Be Traced to the Colon

Even if you think that your particular health problem is unrelated to how well your bowel functions, you may be wrong. The reason for this is the fact that a swollen, irritated, constipated colon puts pressure on and infects everything around it. Quoting from Shultze's newsletter:

“...the entire colon is so big that it is connected to, touches, sits next to or is in the vicinity of every major organ in the human body except the brain. It also touches most of your major blood vessels and nerves. Constipation causes the colon to literally swell, expand and even herniate.

Remember that all the major medical books told us that all of us store too much fecal matter and have this happening inside of us. So when an area of the colon gets constipated and swells, it compresses and crushes the organ next to it. This could be the lungs, the heart, the liver and gallbladder, the pancreas, the kidneys and adrenals, the uterus, the prostate -- again, almost every major organ in the body.

This is why a constipated and swollen colon can cause an almost endless amount of seemingly unrelated diseases and problems...The point is there is NO EXTRA SPACE in your body. If your bowel swells due to constipation and bowel pockets, another organ gets pinched, if not crushed.

...What's the bottom line? A sluggish, constipated, swollen bowel, retaining pounds of old fecal matter can either compress a nearby area causing disease or emit infection and toxins which can affect and infect any area of the body.”

Dr. Schultze has witnessed hundreds of patients with chronic back pain, sciatica, leg pain and even migraines all recover after a good bowel cleansing program. This is because the nerves from the spine run right next to the bowel before they go down the legs.

In his newsletter, Dr. Shultze reprints testimonial letters that he has received from all over the country. One of these letters, printed at the end of this article, really speaks to many of our readers.

It is such a typical story. People wait until the alternative is clearly worse than the cure before they decide to go on a bowel cleansing program. We suggest instead that you use this spring to start on your annual bowel cleansing basic maintenance program. We just finished our annual “spring cleaning” and are experiencing all the side benefits. The most important benefits are a healthy body, a recharged immune system, more mental and spiritual clarity, and boundless energy.

We encourage you to call Dr. Schultze at 1-800-Herb-Doc (437-2362) and order several copies of his March 2002 Get Well! newsletter to share with every hypochondriac you know. It is the BEST summation I have ever read on the importance of bowel cleansing and he always manages to put out the most entertaining, humor-filled health newsletter in the world. A taste of his humor and delightful sarcasm follows:

“Occasionally, a patient would say to me, 'I can't drink this black drink [his Intestinal Formula #2]' or 'Isn't this program a bit radical?' GIVE ME A BREAK, WHAT TOTAL WIMPS! This drink might be black in color but it doesn't taste black, in fact what little taste it does have is pleasant, especially if you are using diluted juice. And as far as radical, at what point did we start believing the lying medical doctors and start thinking that taking God's and Nature's healing gifts are radical? I'll tell you radical. Radical is when you develop colon disease and the doctors shove a colonscope THREE FEET up your ass and then starts burning and cutting off tumors on the inside of your bowel.., then you'll wish you had taken this formula. So don't you dare give me any damn radical crap and drink your drink, and SMILE!”

Dear Dr. Shultze:

Recently on a routine physical exam, the doctors noticed that my PSA (prostate specific antigen) was very high. My doctor then performed a very uncomfortable prostate exam and discovered that my prostate was very enlarged and appeared to have a tumor.

He suggested an eight-needle biopsy into my prostate but the thought of needles being stuck into the space between my testicles and anus, well, I didn't want to do it. He also said that I should schedule a prostatectomy.

This sounded even worse, putting a surgical device into my urethra and up in my penis to carve away my prostate. I was scared to death!

I already had your video tapes and like many people I suppose, I watched them, agreed with you, but did nothing.

After this horrifying discovery at my doctor's office I decided is was my time to get healthy. I have been constipated most of my life, not as bad as some of your patients but I went only once, maybe twice a week. After watching your video tapes again, I decided that I should do some SuperFood, your Bowel Detoxification Program and also your Prostate Tonic.

I did your Bowel Detoxifiaction Program twice, over a two-month period, took your SuperFood everyday and also your Prostate Tonic everyday.

I want to thank you for changing my life. I lost 22 pounds and feel better than I have in years. My bowel now works everyday and I have so much energy, more than any other 69 year old man I know. Also my PSA count went down to normal and the size of my prostate also returned to normal. The doctors decided not to do the biopsy and said I don't need to have the prostate surgery which I am very grateful for. Thank you.

F.I. in Barstow, Calif.