Colon Health: This Is Important

Not many people want to discuss their intestines or digestive matters with others, which is perfectly understandable. Even more so, people don't want to talk about embarrassing issues like diarrhea, bowel movements and constipation. Nevertheless, colon health is an important aspect of regular health care and ignoring such issues doesn't help you, or your body, to stay clean and healthy.

The issue of colon health may be a bit embarrassing to discuss with either family members or your doctor, but knowing what's a healthy colon, and what's not, is as important to daily living as other aspects of health, including diet, exercise and personal hygiene. While most people don't like to think about it, answer this: when was the last time you cleaned out your colon? Most people don't even think about it. The digestive tract does its thing, day in and day out, often without us giving it a second thought. But did you know that bacteria and old feces can build up within your colon over the years, which can lead to fatigue, pain and such issues as constipation and diarrhea? Yes, it happens, and so it's important to get beyond the embarrassment and take as much care with your colon as you do your skin and your teeth and eyes. True, an irritable colon is no fun.

A human colon measures about 5 feet in length and is roughly 2 1/2 inches in diameter. It weighs in at about 2-3 pounds... most of the time. Recent studies have determined that the colon weight of an average American weighs 10-15 pounds! That's not good, and does not bode well for overall health.

To maintain colon health, you must drink water, lots of water! People need to drink at least 64 ounces of water a day, though most only drink between 8 and 32 ounces. Try to avoid white flour, white bread or white anything. Stay away from sugars and especially caffeinated sodas and alcohol, which cause dehydration. People tend to think that anything they drink contributes to their daily intake of water, but this is not true.

Remember also that your colon is a muscle, a very powerful muscle that needs to be exercised. You know the term, "Use it or lose it"? That goes for your colon as well. Exercise promotes good colon health. And most of all, remember your fiber, which can be obtained through fruits, vegetables and fiber supplements.

The elimination of wastes from the human body is a necessary and completely involuntary function, but we can help our colons to work at their highest performance when we watch what we eat, take care to drink plenty of water and practice good health care. The intestine can harbor destructive bacteria for weeks, months and even years, and many cancers and other diseases begin in the colon. A dirty, toxic colon will create a dirty, toxic body, so do your best to keep it clean. Maintain good colon health by, at the very least, drinking plenty of water and eating enough fiber every day to keep those pipes clean.

Colitis Disclaimer About Us Privacy Policy