Colonic experience is more than a pain in the butt

Published Jan. 15, 2008 at 5:29 a.m.
Because the writer's job is to write about what he or she knows, it's sometimes necessary in this profession to experience something you probably wouldn't do in your personal life to write an accurate story.
For example, in 1959, John Howard Griffin ingested large doses of an anti-vitiligo drug and spent days under an ultraviolet light to darken his skin tone so he could write the highly acclaimed book "Black Like Me." In late 2007, Current TV journalist Kaj Larsen volunteered to be water-boarded to help viewers understand the controversial torture technique.And today, in order to write this article, I got a colonic.Colonics -- also called colonic hydration and colon hydrotherapy -- are slightly controversial. They are not as controversial as water torture, but generally, health care providers have different opinions on their effectiveness. Most Western doctors do not believe colonics provide healthy benefits, but colonic practitioners say a variety of illnesses stem from an accumulation of fecal matter in the large intestines.Colonics might help with constipation (some from prescription drugs), carbohydrate indigestion, diarrhea, gas, bloating, hemorrhoids, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, diverticulitis, colitis, parasites, skin conditions such as psoriasis, shingles and eczema, inability to lose weight, scar tissue and adhesions from surgery....
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