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Flushing Away the Rumors: Sharing About Colon Hydrotherapy

I’ll go on record as always being ready and willing to talk all things gut and gas and bloat and bowel movement. 

I’d love to pretend that I don’t poop or fart or smell ever, but given that I’ve battled gut issues for most of my life, I don’t have that luxury.

I’ve become quite comfortable describing the regularity, consistency and color of my bowel movements to countless medical professionals.

Enter colon hydrotherapy to bring it all to the next level.  

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Colon hydrotherapy is incredibly controversial. Those who support it do so steadfastly, swearing that it cures most ailments and that it is the key to vitality. 

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Those who oppose colon hydrotherapy believe that it is not only unsupported by research, but that it is harmful and addictive. 

I can’t say that it is a miracle cure; I can’t say that it is without risks; and I can’t say it is for everyone. I can speak from experience and say that it was the first thing that offered some relief and offered me results in my quest to heal my gut, clear my skin and expand my limited diet.

I hope that this article removes some of the fear and taboo associated with colon hydrotherapy and addressing gut issues. I hope we can normalize caring for our guts, being aware of our bowel movements and going to a professional when necessary. 

Trending Northwest recommends talking to your doctor before beginning any new treatments.

As always, I’ve got you, fam

I have done the research, gotten up close and personal with colon hydrotherapists in the area and found three experts I am proud to recommend. I’ve listed them alphabetically, and I interviewed them to give you the basics on colon hydrotherapy.

2BWell Colonics

Photo provided by Jeanne Tribbett

Jeanne Tribbett, 2BWell Colonics

Located inside Moran Prairie Dentistry

2718 E 57th Ave, Ste 101, Spokane, WA

(509) 553-9333

For all of my Spokane friends, Jeanne at 2BWell Colonics is your girl! She is located on the South Hill and treats all of her clients like her own children. 

Jeanne is uniquely energetic and passionate and makes a potentially uncomfortable experience feel almost spa-like.

She might have been a motivational speaker in a past life, so you get a two-for-one when you schedule a colon hydrotherapy session with her!

Optimal Living Institute

Photo provided by Kala Betschart

Kala Betschart, Optimal Living Institute

2775 N. Howard Street, Suite B, Coeur d’ Alene, ID

(208) 930-4177

When Kala Betschart welcomes you to Optimal Living Institute, you will be immediately struck by her quiet confidence and clear compassion. Learning her story, it all makes sense. 

Betschart explained to me that her health inexplicably took a turn for the worst back in 2015. She found herself visiting the urgent care or the emergency room weekly, and despite test after test, she was left with more questions than answers, and understandably lost faith in western medicine.

Betschart took her health into her own hands and found alternative medicine and colon hydrotherapy. 

“I started to learn about how we should be treating our bodies and how the body was designed to heal itself,” Betschart stated. “I changed my diet and started using natural herbs to help support my liver. 

“I have to say that colon hydrotherapy was the most important tool that I used in order to restore my good health. After just one session, I felt 50% better! Within six months, my health was better than I could ever imagine.” 

Betschart’s knowledge and compassion are unparalleled and put me at ease despite the awkward nature of colon hydrotherapy. 

Wellness Center of Coeur d’Alene

Photo taken by Bailey Bowerman

Llolyn Pobran, Wellness Center of Coeur d’Alene

3895 N Schreiber Way #600, Coeur d’Alene, ID 

(208) 818-3033

Llolyn is MY GIRL. She has been a vital part of my health journey for a year and has gone above and beyond to help fight the severe gut dysbiosis I had when I first showed up in her office. 

She is a retired chiropractor, a second-generation colon hydrotherapist and represented Standard Process and MediHerb in Northern Idaho and Eastern Washington. 

She now uses her eclectic skill set and experience to heal clients’ guts via colon hydrotherapy, nutritional guidance and supplementation. 

She firmly believes in the power of colon hydrotherapy, because it worked for her! 

She explained to me that “I had always felt slightly depressed with a lack of energy. After a series of colonics, I began to experience a new level of vitality and energy that I had never felt before.” 

If you meet Pobran, you’ll quickly notice that the 75-year-old has more energy, vitality and personality than most teenagers. That alone spoke to the efficacy of colon hydrotherapy, and of her advice when I first met her. 

What is Colon Hydrotherapy?

Let’s dive into what colon hydrotherapy is and how it works. Also known as a colonic or colonic irrigation, colon hydrotherapy has been practiced for thousands of years and uses warm, filtered water to flush out the colon. 

Kala Betschart, with Optimal Living Institute, gave me a little history lesson, and I was fascinated to learn from her that, “the idea of cleansing out your colon has been around since the ancient Egyptians.”

“In fact,” Betschart said, “the machine that I use in my office used to be in hospitals all around the U.S. up until the 1970s. They did away with them because it became easier to prescribe medications instead of actually cleansing and allowing the body to heal.”

Betschart continued by saying, “I truly believe that if everyone would regularly cleanse out their colon, we wouldn’t have half of the health problems that we do today in America.”

This procedure differs from an enema, which can be performed at home and relies on a single infusion. Think of a colonic as an enema on steroids. 

Pobran, from the Wellness Center of Coeur d’Alene, taught me early on that an enema reaches only the first 6-8 inches of the colon, but colonics are able to reach the full 3-5 feet of the colon. 

A colonic is performed by a licensed professional using a machine that pumps up to 65 gallons of water throughout the entire colon to remove toxic waste and gas. 

I once heard it described as an “internal bath,” and I love that. 

There are two styles of colon hydrotherapy: the open system and the closed system.

The open system is self-administered in a professional facility. It relies on gravity rather than water pressure, and the contents of the colon are flushed without entering a waste tube. 

The closed system is administered by a professional, the water is pressurized and the contents of the colon are expelled through a tube to the sewage pipes. 

I have only experienced the closed system, and all the practitioners I recommend above use the closed system. Based on my research, I highly recommend this style, because it shields you from the smell and allows for more reach. 

Your colon hydrotherapist will gently insert a speculum into the rectum. This is the most uncomfortable part of the process, but it’s over quickly.

Pobran explains that the rest of the process is painless, restful and informative: “You are on your back in a comfortable position for the next 40 minutes. We discuss what we see coming out of your body, and you are highly educated about what needs to be done to restore your health back to balance again.” 

As the warm, filtered water enters the colon, you will experience fullness and mild cramping before releasing water and toxins. Your colon hydrotherapist will massage your abdomen to encourage full release. The procedure generally takes about 45 minutes.

The Benefits

The Greek physician Hippocrates said, “All disease begins in the gut.” 

Betschart echoed him when she succinctly stated, “If your gut is not healthy, then you are not healthy.”

Jeanne Tribbett of 2BWell Colonics, put her own spin on Hippocrates’ statement, saying “Your colon is the CEO of your body. If your gut does not feel good, then you don’t feel good.”

According to Pobran, “The ultimate purpose of cleansing the colon is to remove the rotting material.” 

She further explained that “our bodies are 98.6 [degrees], and that causes the contents in the colon to literally begin to rot, producing gasses.”  

A secondary benefit, Pobran said, is that a clean colon allows “for the circulation that draws water and minerals out of the colon to be cleaner as it redistributes water to the rest of the body for its needs. The result is a clean body free of toxins.” 

The removal of toxins from the body generally improves chronic fatigue, depression, bad breath, hemorrhoids, abdominal gas, food cravings, allergies, headaches, irritability, asthma, prostate trouble, menstrual problems and the symptoms associated with Irritable Bowel Syndrome. 

Further, because the skin is the largest organ of the body, it greatly benefits from the removal of toxins by colon hydrotherapy. A detoxified colon allows the skin to heal itself from eczema, psoriasis, acne and dullness.

The Science of it All 

Pobran taught me that the body’s pH and central nervous system are improved by colon hydrotherapy, causing incredible results. She explained that the colon must maintain an acidic pH to destroy parasites and keep bad bacteria at bay, but “once the pH of the gut changes to alkalinity because of the person’s diet and consumption of too many carbohydrates, there is a breakdown called dysbiosis of the microbiome.” 

She continued: “Breeding of these parasites begins to grow. In the beginning of treatment, we see a lot of fungi and Candida being removed from the colon. As the person continues under treatment, and harmony of the microbiome is restored, there is a diminished amount that we see being removed. This also correlates with the person finding new energy and vitality in their daily lives.”

Further, the blood from your colon is recirculated throughout the body.

Pobran stated that “When the blood from your colon is toxic … the toxicity is registered by the higher centers in the body and they are irritated. People have trouble sleeping and their emotions are overruled by these toxicities. 

“The gas emitting from the colon rises and crosses the blood-brain barrier, affecting the brain. That is called brain fog. Getting the gasses out of your body contributes to the body’s homeostasis (harmony).”

Personal Results

I personally noticed almost immediate benefits after undergoing regular colonics. My severe gut dysbiosis caused pain, bloating and a mystery facial skin issue that resembled eczema, psoriasis and acne, but responded to none of the typical treatments for those issues.

When I started colonics, my gut pain decreased and my skin improved almost immediately.

Along with doing the mental/emotional/spiritual work, supporting my liver, gallbladder and pancreas via diet and supplementation, and undergoing regular colonics for the past year, I have noticed huge improvements in my digestion, my energy and my body’s ability to absorb nutrients. 

Who is Colon Hydrotherapy For?

According to Betschart, “If you are living and breathing and have a colon, then you should be doing colon hydrotherapy.” 

She clarified that most assume it is necessary only if you have severe digestive issues, and “That is simply not true. We live in such a toxic world today, and the fact is that MOST people have between 5-20 pounds of toxic waste in their colon, whether they suffer from constipation or not!” 

“We are talking about massive toxic overload in the colon and when that waste isn’t being expelled from the body, it ends up being reabsorbed. You can only imagine what kind of health issues can come from that.” 

Misconceptions

Colon Hydrotherapy will wash away good bacteria and flora

This is not the case. In fact, good bacteria live on the colon wall, and according to Betschart: “When the wall is covered in old waste and fungi, there is nowhere for the good bacteria to inhabit and reproduce. 

“When you use water to cleanse the wall, it then exposes all of this clean space for the good bacteria to attach to. This happens as soon as you eat your next meal or take a probiotic.”  

Pobran stated that: “Once we start cleaning out the toxic material, your friendly flora can start to flourish on its own. The same for minerals. You do not lose your minerals during a colonic session. In fact, once the toxic material is removed, then the minerals can be taken by the circulation and then redistributed.” 

I will become dependent on Colon Hydrotherapy

When I consulted Betschart about this one, she answered unequivocally: “The answer is absolutely not. The goal of colon hydrotherapy is to enhance the muscles of the colon so that you can have better bowel movements on your own. 

“When you fill up the colon with water, the muscles are forced to contract to get the water and waste out. It’s almost like a workout for your colon. My clients report that they are having more regular and consistent bowel movements after receiving colon hydrotherapy.”

Colon Hydrotherapy is addicting

Pobran tackled this one, stating that it is absolutely not addicting, as “we are only putting water into your colon. But feeling good and having a clean body is addicting.”

Colon Hydrotherapy is painful

Pobran states with full transparency: “I am the first to say that I don’t like having a speculum in me during the colonic, but I love the results. If you can just grit your teeth for the moment that the speculum is inserted, it does not hurt, but … it is uncomfortable. 

“Then you are on your back in a comfortable position for the next 40 minutes.”

Betschart echoed this, explaining that “it is not a painful experience in any way. The only thing that the client will feel is a slight cramping in the abdominal area as the muscles of the colon contract to expel the waste. However, by the end of the session, most people report feeling lighter, less bloated and having a clear mind.”

Preparation

Pobran gives simple instructions for preparing for a colonic:

“Preparing for a colonic is easy. The day of your first colonic, we ask that a person not overload their digestive system and eat lightly.” 

I personally have found the best results when I am able to schedule my colonics early in the morning before my first meal. 

After the Deed

What should you expect after a colonic? 

In my experience, it really depends on what stage of healing you are in. 

Pobran told me: “There is definitely a spectrum of results after the colonic. Some of my patients have mentioned that ‘it is like having the best bowel movement ever.’ 

“Others, like myself with my first colonic, did not feel any different until I had had a few colonics. In fact, I did not feel any difference until I had my 10th colonic, and then my world changed for the better.”

When I was battling severe gut dysbiosis, the colonics provided relief from gut pain, but sometimes left me feeling tired. Now, I feel energized and very thirsty after each session. I recommend making time to hydrate and fuel yourself right away after each session. 

While all three of the professionals I consulted recommend regular colonics to attain and maintain gut health, this procedure cannot solve gut issues alone. 

Tribbett gave her three top tips for gut and overall health:

HYDRATE – 75 percent of the body is water. You must hydrate every day or you can’t move [waste]! Always drink at least 64 ounces of water.

MANAGE STRESS – I think that about 60 percent of our issues come from stress! 

EXERCISE – Move the body/mind/soul and stimulate the colon. Fresh air clears the mind, so get out in it!

Conclusion

I hope that this information has been helpful to you and we’re all a little more comfortable addressing gut issues. 

I hope that I’ve removed some of the fear and taboo associated with colon hydrotherapy and addressing gut issues. 

I hope we are closer to normalizing caring for our guts, being aware of our bowel movements and going to a professional when necessary. 

Let’s all avoid talking sh*t, except for talking about colon hydrotherapy and gut health!

xoxo Your Favorite Late Bloomer

Bailey Bowerman

Bailey is a self-proclaimed recovering attorney and late bloomer. She loves words, rest, and hyping entrepreneurs and creatives. She lives in Idaho with her husband and is decidedly and unapologetically NOT outdoorsy.

READ ALL OF Bailey’s ARTICLES HERE.

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