Colon hydrotherapy is an interesting treatment. It attracts, in equal measure, those seeking health and those seeking beauty. This, of course, presents a challenge of sorts to a colon hydrotherapist. How do you answer questions like: "How much weight will I lose" without launching into the full-blown health consultation?
I was thinking about this again the other day, while reading a BBC feature entitled: "Fat but Fit is a Big Fat Myth"
It goes like this: if you are fat, and you think nothing is wrong with you, think again. You will develop a degenerative condition later in life: " People who were obese but "metabolically healthy" were at higher risk of developing heart disease, strokes and heart failure than people of normal weight." The counter-argument , also expressed in the article, is that whatever weight you are, you need to eat healthily and exercise to mitigate the consequences of being overweight. Of course!
This brought back in memory my days of active colon hydrotherapy practice, when I was treating some 20-25 people over an average week. People come in all ages, colours, shapes and sizes, and, looking back, I can say, hand on heart, that those people who were moderately overweight were not the group that worried me most. They were, as a rule, quite aware of the need to eat healthily and to have an active lifestyle. Their treatments were usually satisfying: good rehydratrion, good release, good rapport.
The clients or patients who concerned me most were those who were clearly underweight. I was always amazed at how much "material" the treatment would release out of their eliminative system (where do they keep it?). I also heard from many of them that they often found it difficult to stay hydrated. Despite drinking a lot of water, they would usually be thirsty and go pee a lot. Which is, as we know, an imbalance.
Looking into their case histories, I saw many commonalities. Young, ambitious, controlled, exercise junkies, often in a profession where appearances matter (acting, presenting, fashion), mostly female. Mostly suffering from a mild form of adrenal fatigue, without realising it. Mostly dealing with the underlying physiological and emotional stress resulting from daily demands of their professional and personal lives, mostly not sleeping enough or deeply enough, not down-timing, not taking any steps back to look at the big picture of their lives.
Were they fit? Probably, if you use the general yardstick: they had a healthy BMI and a great lung capacity. But if you asked them whether they considered themselves healthy, they would often hesitate to give you a straight answer.
I remember a very beautiful PhD student, who was also a runner and a strict vegetarian. Her digestion was slow. She was constantly tired and unable to focus. He answer to the tiredness was more green vegetables and more running. Strangely enough, this only made her condition worse. Over a course of a few treatments, I convinced her to try some yoga and add animal proteins to her diet. After she reduced the running and added fish and eggs to her daily meals, most of her digestive problems went away, energy levels and concentration improved.
So, a BMI under 25 is not always the answer. As therapists, we look deeper. We find the cause of the imbalance and work with the cause. For those who are open to learning, colon hydrotherapy is a great teacher.