All across America people are waking up to the fact that the number of cases of colon-rectal cancer is growing at an alarming rate. In fact the problem is most acute in United States than anywhere else in the world. The cause for that can be attributed to various factors the chief being the lifestyle and eating habits of the Americans. With a diet that is chiefly based on high processed food the fiber content is almost nil. With no roughage, bowel movements are bound to become irregular.

As the facts and figures are becoming more available and evident to the Americans there is now an increasing tendency among many of them to seek refuge in alternative treatments which promise miraculous cures to all ailments leading from irregular bowel movements and unclean colons. Although conventional medicine also has different kinds of laxatives, but they are hardly used. It is generally only before some medical tests like ultra-sonography or x-ray that the patient is advised to take laxatives so that the examination can be done properly. Sometimes laxatives are also prescribed in case of extreme constipation.

But practitioners of alternative medicine regularly prescribe the intake of such laxatives to cleanse the colon. The laxatives they prescribe include senna, cascara sagrada, aloe, rhubarb, etc. Although some ma actually tell you to take these for two weeks or more, you should never ever continue these laxatives for anytime over seven consecutive days. This is because these laxatives contain substances which have various side effects and if consumed for a significantly long period of time they can severely damage different organs of the body like the liver, kidney or even the colon.

The concept of cleansing the colon has been there for sometime now. In fact if we go back in time, the very first mention of colon cleansing can be traced as far back as the Egyptian civilization. In fact the Egyptians believed that the root of all physical ailments can be traced back to the colon. So, most of the treatment that they practiced was targeted in getting the colon work properly.

These laxatives are quite strong and they spring to action almost as soon as consumed with effects beginning in anything between six to twelve hours after the first dose. So continuing to have them beyond seven days in a row doesn't make much sense. If they are to work, they will in the first seven days.

However, if you don't think you have a severe problem of constipation and you are not going through any serious ailments which the conventional medicine is not being able to take care of, then it is better to stay away from the colon cleansing products and therapies. Just increasing fiber content in your regular diet should work.