There are three main ways that you can cleanse your colon:

1. Healthy, fiber-rich diet

2. Laxatives

3. Colonic hydrotherapy or colon water therapy

The third method, colonic hydrotherapy is the purely mechanical method of cleansing the colon.

Colonic hydrotherapy has been used in three distinct civilizations during ancient times:

- Egypt (during the time of the pharaohs)

- Greek (during the rise of democratic city-states)

- Indian (during the development of trade and the sciences)

The fact that it has remained as a dominant practice speaks volumes of how people view the practice.

While some remain squeamish regarding the use of water to cleanse the bowel, colonic clinics are appearing in the United States and the United Kingdom to cater to a growing circle of regular patrons.

A hundred years ago, a Nobel laureate spoke distinctly about the role of the colon. The Russian bacteriologist Ilya Mechnikov stated “Death begins in the colon.”

Around 90% of all visits to doctors and hospitals are relative to the digestive tract. Human illnesses can often be traced also to an originating organ: the human colon.

Colon cleansing therefore becomes a distinct activity because it addresses the need to detoxify one of the most important organs in the body.

According to Jo Vega, a 13-year practitioner of colonic hydrotherapy in the United Kingdom and a registered member of the Association and Register of Colonic Hydrotherapists, colon cleansing is vital to good health: "I believe it can be a beneficial treatment for everyone. The colon is a major elimination organ and stress, diet and modern living can all take their toll on how it works. Cleansing of the colon can help enable all systems of the body to function better."

Why do we need colon cleansing? Niamh Fitzgerald, another colonic hydrotherapist from the United Kingdom (in Dublin), notes the “backlog” and build-up of waste in the human colon:

"We are supposed to go to the bathroom about 30 minutes after we eat so you can imagine the backlog that builds up. This backlog is home to unfriendly yeast and pathogenic bacteria.”

At present, so-called probiotic supplements such as psyllium husk are being advertised to cleanse the colon. However, colonic hydrotherapists like Fitzgerald argue that such supplements would be useless if the colon is hostile at present.

It seems that acidity and toxin content are also crucial elements to chemical means of cleansing the colon. Care must be taken to condition the colon for less invasive colon cleansing methods.

Colonic hydrotherapy is being touted as a quick means to detoxify. Fitzgerald further argues that the use of water to expel waste through the rear area benefits the kidneys and the skin.

Specialized machines are now being used in colonic clinics to help facilitate colonic hydrotherapy sessions. Temperature levels are regulated, and water and waste removal are also machine-regulated.

The reason why traditional methods have been abandoned is to make this particular method more pleasant to patrons.