The History of Colonic Irrigation Therapy
Many people are surprised to find out that colonic irrigation (sometimes known as colonic hydrotherapy) is not some new-fangled practice. It has, in fact, been practiced for hundreds – even thousands – of years, used by a wide variety of cultures and civilizations.
Perhaps the earliest example of a documented history goes back to North Africa in the time of the Egyptians, circa 1500 B.C. This was recorded in what would today be considered a medial document, the “Eber Payprus” (papyrus was a reed which was used to make something very similar to our modern paper, so it really means the “Eber Paper”).
Greek philosophers and scholars, such as Hippocrates (considered one of the earliest practioners of “modern medicine” – hence the Hippocratic oath), Pare and Galen all esposed the virtues of colonic therapy.
During America’s early history, enemas were a common practice. Then in the early 1900s, John H. Kellog began to extensively use colon therapy. Unlike other practitioners, he was careful to document and maintain a history of his procedures. He reported in his report to the Journal of the American Medical Association, that out of some forty thousand patients he practiced colonic irrigation on, he only resorted to conduction surgery on some 20, for the treatment of gastrointestinal disease.
.Bernard Jensen: “In times past, knowledge of the bowel was more widespread and people were taught how to care for the bowel. Somehow, bowel wisdom got lost and it became something that no one wanted to talk about anymore.”
Indeed while colon therapy was a widespread practice during the 1930s and 1940s, the practice soon fell out of favour. It is only lately, during the last 20 years, that there has been a rekindling of interest in the practice of colonic irrigation. It’s taken some time, but many people now recognize the positive benefits of colonic hydrotherapy.