What Are Colonics? Plus, Who Should Get One & Who Should Steer Clear

Colon cleansing may have garnered its fame as the precursor to a medical procedure called a colonoscopy, but it's also gained popularity as a form of alternative medicine intended to help with detoxification. Called a colonic, colonic irrigation, or colon hydrotherapy, the procedure's purported health benefits include weight loss, improved digestion, and a reduction in allergies, headaches, and eczema symptoms.

Let's start with the basics. "Colon" is another name for your large intestine. As part of the digestive system, it's key for the colon to function properly to ensure that you're getting as many nutrients out of your food as possible and so you don't feel any pain throughout the digestive process. Colon hydrotherapy is essentially a procedure that puts water into the colon and, in doing so, flushes out any stool or "toxins" that are in there.

When going in for a colonic irrigation procedure, you can expect to disrobe and don the ever-fashionable hospital gown. You'll lie on a treatment table, and the practitioner will begin the procedure by inserting a tube into your rectum. In many cases, up to 16 gallons of warm water is then flushed into the colon via the tube. Waste products are expelled from the colon through another tube.

Fans of the colonic say that it can resolve a wide array of issues from eczema to allergies to headache pain to an impaired ability to absorb vitamins and other nutrients, but these claims have not been proved by science.

In people who are chronically constipated (like those with constipation-predominant IBS), stool that sits in the intestines for a prolonged period of time can actually cause waste toxins to be reabsorbed into the body. For these people, some doctors, including gut health expert Vincent Pedre, M.D., believe that colonics may be useful as part of an overall detox protocol that involves other lifestyle changes like adopting a low-sugar, gut-friendly diet.

Unfortunately, the list of potential side effects is longer than the list of confirmed benefits when it comes to colonics. It's important to note that the complications listed below are much more likely if you don't do your research and seek out a reputable colon hydrotherapy practitioner.

If you were wondering "what are colonics?" out of pure curiosity, chances are you probably don't need one. While some functional medicine practitioners do swear by the health benefits, many health care providers agree that the risks outweigh the benefits for the average person.

"There isn't a whole lot of evidence to support colonics for people with certain conditions," says Dr. Singh. "Yes, it will help remove waste from the colon, but whether or not the suggested benefits truly exist or are attainable is a matter of debate. Therefore, it is hard to give much comment on how frequently people can or should undergo colonic hydrotherapy. Every time this is performed, there is risk involved, so people should be aware of this." 

In fact, a 2011 study by Georgetown University physician researchers determined that the potential side effects are dangerous enough that colonic cleansing should be avoided entirely unless medically necessary, especially for more susceptible groups like those with heart or kidney disease or compromised immune systems. The way in which colonics stir up toxins can be very harmful to those groups. Additionally, a 2010 article reviewing the claims of colon hydrotherapy from several organizations found them to be misleading and inaccurate.

Even experts who support the use of colonics say you never want to do them so often that you become reliant on the procedure to go to the bathroom (which would be totally counterproductive).