Sara Canney

Colonic irrigation — also called colonic hydrotherapy or a colon cleanse — introduces warm, filtered water into the large bowel through a small disposable tube, softening and flushing out its contents. The treatment runs thirty to forty minutes inside an hour-long appointment, with the water flowing in and out gradually rather than all at once, and a therapist present throughout to control temperature and pressure and to massage the abdomen. The water is generally kept warm, with temperature and pressure controlled case by case. Alternating between warmer and cooler water is a treatment technique in its own right — it stimulates peristalsis, the muscular wave that moves everything through the bowel — and it is a clinical decision rather than part of every session.

Colon cleanse, colon hydrotherapy, colon irrigation, colon wash-out and colonic irrigation are all names for the same water-based session — nothing about it changes with the name. The one thing worth separating is that 'colon cleanse' is also used for powders, teas, capsules and ten-day kits taken at home. Those work by moving the bowel with laxative ingredients and are a different thing entirely. A colonic at Brunswick Health uses warm filtered water and nothing else: nothing to swallow, no preparation kit, and nothing to buy afterwards.

It empties the large bowel more completely and more gently than a laxative, which most people experience as relief from bloating, heaviness and sluggishness. That is what the procedure does and what people book it for. It is a comfort and wellbeing treatment rather than a medical one — it does not detoxify the blood, treat disease, or replace medical investigation of a bowel problem. If you have symptoms that need diagnosing, tell us. Digestive complaints are everyday naturopathic work and the naturopaths here can arrange the pathology to look into them properly; if specialist care is the next step, we'll provide a detailed letter outlining our findings and recommendations, including the specialist we believe is best suited to your needs, helping ensure a smooth transition to the next stage of your care.

In a closed system a qualified therapist is with you for the whole session, and waste passes through sealed tubing directly into the sewer — so there is no odour, no mess and nothing to manage yourself. In an open system you are left alone to self-administer. Brunswick Health uses a closed system: the therapist adjusts water temperature and pressure as they go, performs abdominal massage, and can stop or change anything at any point.

It should not. Most people describe the sensation as fullness that comes and goes in waves, similar to the feeling before a bowel movement, sometimes with brief cramping as water moves through. The therapist adjusts pressure and temperature continuously, and the session can be paused or stopped whenever you ask. Tell your therapist if anything is uncomfortable — that is what they are there for.

Most healthy adults, and there is a short list of things worth raising first. Tell the front desk before booking if any of these apply to you. We screen for all of them, and will refer you rather than book you in where a colonic is not the right step:

• Pregnancy
• Recent bowel, abdominal or rectal surgery
• Active inflammatory bowel disease, including Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, during a flare
• Diverticulitis during an active episode
• Severe haemorrhoids, anal fissures or rectal bleeding
• Bowel cancer, or any undiagnosed change in bowel habit
• Chemotherapy — during active treatment, and afterwards until your oncologist confirms you are clear to go ahead
• Severe uncontrolled high blood pressure, heart failure or kidney disease
• Recent heart attack or stroke

If you are not sure, call and ask — it is a short conversation, and the front desk has it every day.