HISTORY OF COLONIC HYDROTHERAPY

The treatment of the colon (large intestine), with water has been practised for many hundreds of years.

 
Dating back to ancient times, enemas were recorded as early as 1500 B.C., in an Egyptian medical document called the "Eber Papyrus". These enemas were described as the gentle infusion of aqueous substances into the large intestine through the anus.

Hippocrates (5th century B.C.), used enemas for fever therapy. Galen (2nd Century A.D.), also advanced the use of enemas. Pare in 1600 A.D. established the difference between colonic irrigation and enemas.

In earlier times, people implemented enema treatments in a river by using a hollow reed to induce water to flow into the rectum.

John H. Kellogg, M.D., in the early 1900's in Michigan extensively used colon therapy on forty thousand of his patients. In 1917 he reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association "that in all but 20 cases... he used no surgery for the treatment of gastrointestinal disease in his patients".

“In times past, knowledge of the bowel was more widespread and people were taught how to care for the bowel. Somehow, bowel wisdom got lost and it became something that no one wanted to talk about anymore.” Bernard Jensen, D.C.

Colon therapy reached its apex in the 1920's, 30's and 40's. At that time, colonic irrigation machines were commonly seen, and regularly used as a standard practice, in hospitals and Doctor's offices. But in the ensuing 50 to 60 years the public's use of, and access to, this valuable health treatment greatly decreased. The present day laxatives were invented at this time, which were seen as more cost effective in treating certain bowel diseases than utilising colon therapy.

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