Colonix...ever tried it?

Has anyone ever done this.  I am stongly thinking about it, but want to see what some people think first.

What are you hoping to achieve?

I have the problem of not going regularly, and therefore I feel really full and heavy down there almost all the time.  Lately I have been even feeling this pressure into my back and bottem all the time, but when I try to go, nothing.  I am sure since I don't go often I have lot's of stuff in there that needs to go, so I was looking into products that could help me in this endeavor.  Your thoughts?

Hi-I did try that one a couple of years ago.  It was good for the problem you are talking about.  Suddenly I was regular.  It didn't do all the other things that all the reports boasted about, like losing weight or anything amazing.  But being regular was nice.    Those side effects ended when I ended the product.  They say you can keep taking the fiber.

It is a bit expensive for just getting regular, however.

Now 2 years later I recently cut my sugar intake by quite a lot.  Not out completely...but way less.  Funny, that has also made me regular.  And it costs WAY less.

Hope you find what you are looking for! 

Before you consider a cleanse or colonix look at your fibre intake. The RDA for women is a minimum of 25g a day. You need to make sure you're getting enough soluble and insoluble fibre - Insoluble (the fibre that forms bulk and regulates acidity and PH in the gut) and soluble (the fibre that helps regulate blood sugar and cholesterol).

Insoluble fibre examples:
 -- Whole-wheat pastas, breads, etc
 -- Quinoa
 -- Brown rice
 -- Bran products
 -- Fruit and vegetable skins, such as potato skins, tomato skins, plum/prune skins, apple skins, pear skins
 -- Nuts and seeds, particularly flax, almonds, brazil nuts and walnuts

Soluble fibre examples:
 -- Oats
 -- Rye
 -- Barley
 -- Potatoes of all varieties
 -- Psyillium husks
 -- Legumes and pulses, especially lentils, garbanzo beans (chickpeas), kidney beans, pinto beans and soybeans

And pretty much all fruits and vegetables. Particularly raspberries, plums, bananas, sweetcorn, prunes, apples, pears, blackberries, broccoli, cauliflower, brussels, asparagus, artichokes and dried fruit. Again, never introduce lots more fibre without drinking enough water to compensate. There is a more detailed list of fibre sources here for future reference.

Before you go for the cleanse, PLEASE consider sorting your fibre out first!

Dangers of Colon Cleansing

I'd echo the above advice.  Increase the amount of bulky fibrous foods you consume and also make sure you're getting enough oils and fats in your diet.   Things to avoid would be highly processed foods that have no fibre, for example white bread or white pasta..... these turn into a kind of starchy glue in the gut.  Also, reduce the amount of meat and dairy products you eat

Drink plenty of fluids (2 litres a day) and choose warm or hot drinks over cold ones as this warms and massages the bowel.  Peppermint tea is a good digestive but good old coffee and tea also helps.  Take some light exercise after meals e.g. a short walk, as the motion of walking also massages the bowel.

There are some foods that have very specific laxative qualities.  2 kiwifruit a day will help, for example, as will having a serving of prunes for breakfast.  You could also try almonds, dried apricots, dandelion leaves, avocados, chicory, figs, dates, pineapple, watercress.... 

And make sure you're eating enough foods in total.  Nothing going in means nothing comes out!  If you're trying to lose weight at the moment, switch to a maintenance amount of calories until your digestion is back to normal

A mild over-the-counter laxative such as syrup of figs or other preparation that you take in the evening can help short-term.  But if it continues, see your doctor.

Thanks Everyone, your advice has been valuable to me.  I could always use my old stand-by too, Menards.  Whenever I go into that store, my bowels MOVE!  love that store.  hahaha