We are inundated with information about heart health and how important weight management is to healthy living or even how important it is to be adequately hydrated. But hardly anyone talks about maintaining colon health. Why is colon health so important? Why do so many feel that a periodic intestinal cleanse is necessary? You’ll be intrigued when you discover just how important a healthy colon is.

What Does the Colon Do?

The colon, or the large intestine, is not just a depository for unwanted waste. It is also the place where the body maintains its vital fluid levels and its electrolyte balance. Without this maintenance there could be a number of consequences—some that may include blood pressure health. The colon maintains the body’s potassium and sodium levels, among a number of other functions..

The colon is at the tail end of the digestive system which begins with the mouth. As soon as food is ingested, the digestive process begins when food mixes with saliva. It takes approximately 6 to 8 hours from the time food was ingested to the time that this same food, or what’s left of it known as chyme, reaches the colon. It remains in the colon for approximately 72 hours before it is expelled from the body. Why does food remain in the colon for so long? What happens here takes about 3 days to accomplish?

Why Go for an Intestinal Cleanse?

By the time food reaches the colon, all that can be digested and used by the body for fuel and nutrition has been absorbed. What remains are the indigestible parts like insoluble fiber. The colon is also the place where bacteria love to reside—both good and bad bacteria. The colon contains nearly 60 varieties of microflora which aid digestion and promote the production of vital nutrients. The good bacteria called probiotics begin to feed on insoluble fiber, called prebiotics. Fermentation takes place and in those 3 days the fermentation process:

• Produces nutrients that regenerate the cell lining of the colon.
• Produces nutrients that are transported through the cell lining to the liver and assist the liver in regulating normal cholesterol and glucose levels in the body.
• Helps in the synthesis of folic acid, Vitamin K and some B vitamins.
• Fiber also helps to bind toxins in the digestive system and transport them out of the body, inhibiting them from being absorbed by the body.

Who says the colon is just a garbage dump? A periodic bowel cleanse, therefore, can help maintain the healthy functions of the colon.

Benefits of an Herbal Intestinal Cleanse?

In order to keep the colon functioning well, we should include plenty of fruits and vegetables in our diet along with adequate fiber intake. These foods assist in a natural intestinal cleanse. Taking an herbal colon cleanse can help eliminate accumulated waste, restore the delicate balance of microflora and optimize the digestive system.

Intestinal Cleanse – Helps Proliferate Probiotics
The balance between good bacteria and bad bacteria can be disturbed, especially if we suffer from frequent bouts of constipation. Constipation can breed the growth of pathogenic bacteria which can be harmful to health. Probiotics cannot perform efficiently and maintain their healthy functions if bad bacteria hog up the colon. An intestinal cleanse is therefore necessary to control the proliferation of bad bacteria.
by : kevin agrawal

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by Anita Mckinney