From the November 1999 Idaho Observer:

Colon Cleansing and Fasting: Two Keys to Maintaining Optimal Health

by Ingri Cassel

We are going to delve into a topic here that most people would rather ignore. However, as we enter the cold and flu season, we must overcome our ignorance and realize that health begins at our mouth and ends our anus. If we become sick it is because we are providing these bugs with the environment they thrive in. If we cannot get well, it is because we have not done the things necessary to alter that environment. Most sickness is born in the bowel. Impacted and sluggish bowels full of partially digested meat and refined carbohydrates are the breeding ground for sickness. Active and clean bowels are the foundations of health and a fully-functioning immune system.

Most of us equate daily bowel movements with a normally functioning colon. In fact, most medical doctors tell their patients that having a bowel movement once a day or once every two or three days is all within the range of normal. Variations in frequency of bowel movements are usually chalked up to biochemical individuality.

The truth is that our bowel movements should be at least as frequent as the number of meals we eat daily. In fact, if your bowel movements are well formed, you have fecal matter filling the entire length of your large intestines. When you eat a meal and your body has finished digesting it, you may have the urge to have a bowel movement. This is necessary so that your large intestines can have enough room to deposit the waste products of your previous meal.

If 80 percent of your diet is composed of raw fruits and vegetables and you also consume plenty of purified water, your bowel movements would not be well-formed and you would stool more frequently. Our digestive tracts were not designed to handle mass consumption of meat, dairy products, refined carbohydrates and cooked food (which destroys the enzymes necessary for optimal digestion of our food).

Personal experience, coupled with the experiences of my friends, students and clients has taught me the importance of colon cleansing. Obviously, regularity is a concern for many Americans -- 40 million Americans take laxatives; 8 million chronically.

Did you know that 90 percent of all disease is caused by alimentary toxemia (toxic build up in the bowels)? People with various forms and degrees of arthritis, cancer, fibroid tumors, lupus, and various auto-immune disorders ALL experience dramatic relief from their condition simply by going on a seven-day colon cleanse which involves a modified fast on supplements and drinks designed to purge the colon of excess fecal matter.

An important principle in natural healing is that anaerobic bacteria (germs and viruses) thrive on toxins and are actually the garbagemen of the body. When one is experiencing a cold or flu, it is best to open up the body's eliminative channels in order to speed up the elimination of toxins. Fevers aid the body in “burning” up and eliminating the toxins more rapidly. A dry fever is the only kind of fever that is dangerous.

We need to drink plenty of water and herb teas as well as take hot sweat baths when we are ill. If dehydration is a concern due to excessive vomiting, take frequent baths (hydration via the skin) and drink only raspberry leaf tea. Never neglect the importance of cleaning out the colon and fasting at the first sign of a sore throat or “catching the bug” going around.

Fasting can be as simple as drinking only water, herb teas and unsweetened juices. The most important thing to remember is what to eat when sick. All protein, carbohydrates or refined sugars must be shunned while the body focuses it's energy on purging itself of accumulated toxins. In general, if you must eat, only consume alkaline-forming foods such as juicy fruits and vegetables. Colds and flues occur when the body is over-acid, a state which also encourages the accumulation of toxic waste products.

You can easily check your pH balance with litmus paper obtained at your nearest drug store. If you are sick, you will find that you are over-acid. Dis-ease loves acid. You need to alkalinze your body to create the environment that repels dis-ease.

True stories

Dis-ease is just that: Our bodies are out of ease and attempting to regain balance. It really is that simple. When we view illness as a teacher and friend, we will never again consider using the toxic weapons of war used by the medical doctors of today (most of which increase acidity). We will also take responsibility for our lifestyle and healthcare choices rather than blaming (and being a victim of) “that bug going around” or the chemtrails, pesticides, and vast array of environmental chemicals that we are exposed to.

My first introduction to the possibility that I might have a constipation problem was when I was four years old. My mother decided to give me an enema on the floor of our bathroom -- definitely the weirdest thing I had ever experienced at the time. When the procedure was done, I proceeded to walk out of the house. As soon as I reached the front porch, I had the over powering urge to stool. I went back in, took care of business and went to go outside. Again, as soon as I reached the front porch, I had this terrific urge to stool. This must have repeated for at least eight trips -- each time I had a significant bowel movement before leaving the bathroom.

Later in my life my mother and I heard the stories of participants in our meetings. They told us about the stuff that came out of their bodies during their seven day colon cleanse and the miraculous benefits they continued to experience afterwards. One man had gradually lost his hair until at 60 he was bald on top. After his bowel cleanse, he had new hair growth in his bald spot that was noted by his barber. All skin conditions such as excema and acne responded well to these seven day cleanses as well as cysts, tumors, cataracts, and arthritis. In fact, every ailment that these people had experienced was either minimized or completely resolved simply by doing one of these cleanses.

Sometimes it takes a few different cleanses to clear up stubborn conditions. I'll never forget what my mom told me when she was going through menopause and completing her third colon cleanse. She didn't have to take any herbs to control her hot flashes! Her body's hormones were functioning fine without any assistance until a few weeks after her cleanse when she pigged out on bread and cheese. That night she experienced her first hot flash in several weeks.

Crayons?

When I lived in Washington state, a friend called me up for advice with her two-and-a-half-year-old daughter who just couldn't seem to shake this cold that had turned into a nasty cough. She had restricted the girl's diet to fresh fruit, juice and water and still the cough persisted. I asked her if she had given the girl an enema. She said “no” and was defensive since the girl was stooling everyday. I explained to her the fact that something poisonous must be stuck in her body or she would have recovered from the cough by now. Before she hung up the phone, she promised to give her an enema. The next day she phoned, thanked me profusely and told me that a bunch of crayons came out from the enema and she was fine after that.

Another friend of mine had phoned me a few years ago in a fearful state. He was a plumber and carpenter by trade and wasn't able to bend his knees to get up and down a ladder or crawl under a house, he was so crippled up with arthritis. His problems were compounded by the fact that he has an eating disorder, using food for emotional comfort and eating much more than his body could tolerate (and too much of the wrong things).

Eliminating toxins

I have made it a rule that I only help those who ask for my help and, although he didn't ask me directly, he was clearly searching for a miracle and was a deeply spiritual and faith-filled man. I put him on a program which included a strict diet, the use of herbs and working up to the discipline he needed to complete the seven day colon cleanse. He immediately began to feel better as his system began to purge the accumulated toxins.

After the colon cleanse, he went back to work doing plumbing and carpentry. He still struggles with reducing his food intake and eating the right kinds of foods. But he knows the value of purging his system of toxins; at least once every year he goes on a seven day colon cleanse. The fright of having his mobility restricted to the point of not being able to work has given him the discipline he needs to maintain a certain level of wellness.