What makes a person want to cleanse their colon in the first place? Some people just feel kind of icky. Usually it begins with feelings of low energy, stomach discomfort or constipation. The most common pain that people experience is a stomach ache that is not coming from their stomach at all. It might sound strange, but many people are simply not aware that the discomfort they feel is not from their stomach but actually emanates from the colon.

So what is causing all that pain?

Fun colon facts: The main function of the colon appears to be extraction of water and toxins from feces. It consists of the ascending colon, transverse colon, the descending colon and the sigmoid colon. The colon from cecum to the mid-transverse colon is also known as the right colon. The remainder is known as the left colon. The entire colon is nearly 25 feet long depending on the size of the person.

If you are looking at your belly, looking down at your feet, your colon begins on your right side at the bottom just above your hip.

This is where your descending colon begins and this is also where your small intestine empties into the large intestines. This is why many people actually think that their belly is hurting when it is actually their colon that is the culprit.

When you feel icky, crampy and lethargic you just feel heavy all over. You do not have any energy but you can not put your finger on the source of your energy drain. You might even feel depressed or sad for no reason. Look at it this way, if you are eating 3 meals a day and you are not going to the bathroom, where does all that stuff sit? It sits in your Colon! Getting constipated does more than make you feel bloated, it means your body is reabsorbing toxins and waste matter that should be going out!

What goes in must come out (at least most of it!)

As humans we eat a lot of food. In fact, much more food than we can glean nutrients from. Whatever nutrients that are absorbed are really minuscule in comparison to the amount of actual food we stick into our mouth. That is why, if you are not taking one bowel movement for each meal your body is not properly processing the food you do eat. The excess, undigested foodstuff should be coming out fairly quickly after you eat. Part of the reason you get toxic build up in your body is because you are not able to eliminate normal toxins fast enough.

Once is not enough, unless you only eat once a day

It is amazing that most people do not even know that they are not eliminating all the waste their digestion produced. A little bit here and a little bit there and after 30- 40 years your system is clogged with hardened waste. Becoming chronically constipated is not necessarily a side effect of aging. Much like the deposits that clog up your water pipes, it happens slowly over time so it is hard to know just how stopped up you are until your belly starts hurting or you become irregular.

A safe, gentle and natural colon cleanse that contains fiber, not stimulants, this is the best solution. Drink lots of water, at least 10 glasses a day, while detoxing and use a product that contains natural fibers like ground flaxseed, psyllium and food grade bentonite clay for extra toxin removal. After cleansing your colon continue with a diet that is heavy on fresh vegetables, fruits and whole grain fibers. A good colon cleanse can be a great seasonal practice that restores your energy, youthful skin and vitality.