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Ask the Pharmacist |
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| Q) I’ve been thinking of having a colon cleanse. What do you think? A) The process of cleansing or detoxifying various organs, most commonly the liver, colon and kidney, is generating a ton of interest and has turned into a relatively profitable business. The concept is very appealing and makes sense to some degree. Many of us eat and drink various substances that we realize are not always healthy for us and some of us hope that by going through one of these programs we can attain such goals as helping with weight-loss, manage a chronic disease we have been diagnosed with, or help prevent a future disease such as cancer. The unfortunate reality is there is no real proof that any of these work and there is some potential that they could be harmful. The liver-cleansing products tend to contain the herb milk thistle and other anti-oxidants such as Vitamin C, beta carotene, etc. Other common ingredients include SAMe, alpha- lipoic acid and sea buckthorn. It’s hoped that by providing an adequate supply of anti-oxidants, these products can prevent or reverse liver damage. While there is evidence that milk thistle itself can be beneficial in liver disease, there is no evidence that the addition of all the other ingredients is beneficial and given the recent sketchy history of anti-oxidants (particularly Vitamin E and beta carotene) may cause harm in certain patients. The colon cleansers are usually a mixture of herbs and laxatives often combined with probiotics in order to restore our normal stomach and intestinal flora. While drawbacks to this are limited, other than a good dose of gas and diarrhea, there is potential with overuse to cause electrolyte imbalances in our body possibly leading to organ problems.
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Rectal irrigation should be avoided as the drawbacks include such
serious health concerns as bowel perforation, fluid overload and
infection. The long and short of this is, before you put your body
through one of these programs, know what the risks are (if any) and ask
for real evidence supporting the program's effectiveness to justify the
costs. For more information about this or other health-related questions, contact the pharmacists at Gordon Pharmasave, Your Health and Wellness Destination. |
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