Aging is something to be celebrated: each day we have is a gift–and it’s best spent with those we love.
While aging is beautiful, the side-effects of it aren’t always so adored. In particular, one of those we may dislike is the effect it has on our colon.
How your colon works.
Simply, whatever we feed our body gets processed, and as we age, it becomes significantly more difficult to feed our bodies the right stuff, every time.
Thankfully, our digestive system is like an oiled machine, and always follows through on processing what we eat.
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However, there’s one thing we have to remember: Our body changes as we age.
While those beautiful crow’s feet are there to stay, your bowel issues don’t have to.
Here are 5 ways your colon is affected as you age.
1. Our digestive system slows down.
Ira Hanan, MD, associate professor of medicine at the University of Chicago Medical Center, says that people in their 60-70s see a rise in constipation due to bowel changes.
This makes sense. Just as our muscles tend to weaken as we age, so do the muscles in our body that perform the contractions–the very ones that help us move processed food to the colon.
The real contraction our colon loves is called peristalsis, a wave-like movement that helps move food contents. (Thankfully, some herbal cleanse formulas help your peristaltic actions.)
2. Our medications may interfere.
Sometimes, we need medications; even if they’re not severe, they help our bodies function better as if we are not aging.
Ellen Stein, MD, an assistant professor of medicine at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, MD, notes that older adults take a lot of medications, and some of those medications’ symptoms affect the digestive system.
Have you ever listened to a prescription advertisement at night? The side effects are longer than a grocery list, and they always include constipation on them.
If you can avoid medication, you’re one of the lucky ones.
3. We get less exercise.
Whether it’s a casual walk in around the neighborhood or the arduous errands we run, our exercise tends to wane.
But maybe even a brisk walk isn’t enough! According to the Canadian Society of Intestinal Research, adults over 50 are expected to keep their physical exercise on par with about everyone else.
A person who is older than 50 should take part in at least two and a half hours of moderate to vigorous intensity aerobic activity each week.
But don’t worry: you can still alleviate your bowels without running a marathon a week.
4. We may have developed an age-related disease.
In an elderly individual, “disease” is unfortunately a familiar term.
It’s not uncommon to hear about the development of Diverticulosis, a disease that occurs in the large intestine (colon) in upwards of 50% of people over the age of 60.
Don’t sweat too much: if you have a handle on your diet, minor diseases like these are preventable.
For more information, here’s a video about Diverticulosis by the GI Society.
5. Our colon relies on other parts of our bodies.
As we age, we realize how one little health hiccup can affect our entire body. This is no different than with our digestive system.
In fact, our gut is so vital for our health that scientists have called this the brain-gut axis.
As Dr. Sanil Rege says,
Within the gut, there are approximately 1014 microorganisms, which is around 10 fold more cells than there are cells in the human body.
In other words: your gut plays a huge role in your overall health.
Looking for natural, gentle bowel relief? Click here to save 30% on our 2-in-1 colon cleanse combo.
Your skin is probably the first thing people see when they look at you. Yeah, they see your eyes, your smile, your clothes–and then they talk to you and hear your voice and perceive your “person.”
But if you have poor skin health, your confidence will be shot. And everyone knows confidence is sexy.
Before we dive in, please know this: there are multiple factors for healthy skin.
Whatever situation you’re in–whether your skin shines like the sun or the murky water in a gutter, you can have healthy-looking and healthy-feeling skin.
Some of the factors of healthy skin are…
Having ridiculous genetics.
Eating healthily like an Olympic athlete.
Drinking water–and lots of it.
Abstaining from simple carbohydrates (sugar).
Being physically active.
Avoiding excessive alcohol
Living a stress-free life (ha!)
But beside these factors, there are few things you should know about your skin.
1. Your skin is resilient
Your skin is an airtight, flexible, and waterproof barricade between the world and your internal organs. In fact, the skin is the largest organ on the body.
It has three primary functions: protection, regulation, and sensation.
Protection: Prevent your vital organs from being assaulted by the elements.
Sensation: Allow your neurons to communicate with the world through the five senses.
Regulation: Moderate body temperature; store fat, water, and metabolic products; produce hormones.
2. Your skin regulates your health
By producing sweat through your sebaceous glands and controlling evaporation, your skin controls your body’s temperature.
But because it produces sweat, it can clog your facial pours and result in swelling, redness, and blemishes.
When the sweat evaporates from your body, it leaves an oily residue on your skin that, if ignored and left latent, will manifest as blemishes.
Remember how a gym locker room smelled? Your skin did that.
3. Your skin is flexible
I’m not talking about stretchy guy Mister Fantastic from the Fantastic Four: I’m talking about your skin being ductile–able to withstand the stretching over the years and still retain its structure.
You can pinch your cheeks and they’ll return unpinched (I’m referring to the cheeks on the face).
Your skin’s elasticity is its stretchiness and its ability to flex. This is mainly your epidermis, or top-level skin layer. Over time, your epidermis’ elasticity wanes, which is why–if you laugh enough–you’ll have crows feet under your eyes.
(Please keep those: they’re beautiful.)
4. Your skin needs care
Did you know that if mothers/parents neglect physical touch to their babies, the babies can actually die?
Now, your skin won’t suddenly die because you aren’t adhering to every healthy skin factor above.
But it won’t glow as much as it could if you neglect it.
And whether that neglect manifests itself as acne, pale color tones, or sagging, you can nurture your skin by cleansing it from the inside out.
5. Your skin benefits from your body
Well, it’s part of the skin, so…
But people often read over this truth and pay thousands of dollars on topical ointments, creams, and prescriptions.
Your skin is not just a sheet over your organs, but is a grid-like network of living cells that speak back and forth to the other living cells in your body.
When you cleanse your body, your skin gets cleansed too.
What’s a Colon Cleanse?
Short version: A colon cleanse is the process of cleansing your colon either via herbs, hydrotherapy, colonoscopy, or other methods.
Long version: A colon cleanse is the process of internally cleansing your intestines (bowels) by alleviating bowel discomfort, aiding the peristaltic functions, softening stool, and overall assisting in more frequent and comfortable bowel movements. Cleansing methods range from natural herbal formulas and careful, restrictive dieting, to enemas, hydrotherapy, colonoscopy, or other methods.
Some people cleanse to “help out” their bowels from consuming junk food.
Others, as you might, do it to figure out how to achieve healthier skin.
What about toxins?
Did you notice in that definition above I didn’t use the word “toxins”?
The truth is: the science between colon cleanses removing toxins isn’t all there.
That doesn’t mean that colon cleanses can’t purge some nasty stuff in your body–but it means that’s not the sole aim.
But colon cleanses can do a great deal for your skin and your body, I’ve chosen not to use the word toxins.
But it seems people still cavil and web-whine about colon cleanses. Why?
Well, they’re talking about the wrong type of colon cleanse.
For example, Mayo Clinic bashesspecifically hydrotherapy cleanses. Those are colon cleanses that tell you to shove some liquid (water, coffee) or artifice up your behind.
Those can be harmful and deleterious to your organs, and we advise against them.
The benefits of a colon cleanse for your skin are sundry. From the way your skin looks to the way your skin feels, a colon cleanse can tackle almost every facet of healthy skin.
Remember: the skin is just the tip of the benefits iceberg of colon cleanses.
As you read the list below, ask yourself: “Which one do I want the most for my skin?“
For a general list of colon cleansing benefits, click here.
1. Colon cleanses can help reduce acne and blemishes.
As we said in the “Your skin needs care” section, neglecting your skin health can produce some pretty (or, not so pretty) ugly effects.
While many people assume eating “junk food”–like fast-food burgers, french fries, and chips–contributes to acne, that’s not entirely true.
What is harmful, though, is getting grease on your face, drinking excessive diary products (milk, yoghurt), or consuming too much sugar.
When your body consumes sugar, it can spike your body’s blood sugar. According to Valori Treloar, MD, a dermatologist in Newton, Mass., your body will respond by releasing extra insulin; and in turn, cause acne break-outs.
When you cleanse your colon by consuming herbal ingredients like Dandelion Root, Fennel Seed, Aloe Vera, and more, your body responds affirmatively to them. Your body craves natural ingredients; and when your digestive system is not performing as optimally as it can, a colon cleanse can help your bowels do their best work.
Bottom line: A natural colon cleanse can help combat acne on your skin by helping your intestines more efficiently remove unhealthy or malicious substances for your body that you consume.
2. Colon cleanses can help relieve inflammation.
When your intestinal functions are not playing at their A game, your body can shoot back with vengeance at your skin, and cause unsightly inflammation.
For example, some people unfortunately suffer from Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). Because of an imbalance in their digestive track, they can experience a host of skin ailments, such as “metastatic lesions, reactive processes to the intestinal inflammation,” and other side effects.
(If you have IBS, please consult your physician before considering doing a natural colon cleanse.)
When your intestinal contractions, the ones that maneuver your stool to the colon, are too weak and leave build-up in your intestines, this can trigger intestinal inflammation.
Bottom line: A natural colon cleanse (provided you don’t have clinical IBS) can help your intestines remove build-up and prevent possible skin reactions to internal imbalances.
3. Colon cleanses can help heal your skin.
Have you heard of “gut flora”? If you haven’t, I’m surprised. It’s been a hot topic since people have been hopping on the trend of probiotics.
Your gut is a microcosm of bacteria responsible for maintaining a healthy pH balance in your digestive tract.
And if the gut is the microcosm, your whole body is the macrocosm, and your skin is the telescope to see its beauty.
In your gut there is a litany of small peptide proteins called cytokines. Their role is to facilitate communication between cells, and also mediate the “local and systemic inflammation” of the intestines (yes, your body has also has healthy, controlled states of inflammation).
Because the bacteria in your gut flora are so vital to the health of your intestines (and therefore manifested by the health of your skin), it’s important to preserve the good bacteria in your gut instead of flushing them out with a type of water-based or forceful colonic.
When you supplement your intestines’ natural bacterial environment with natural ingredients (instead of purging it of its native bacteria), you can help your gut function the way it’s made to function: without your intrusion.
Bottom line: A natural colon cleanse (e.g. not hydrotherapy or colonic) can help maintain the homeostasis in your gut by keeping good bacteria in it. Your skin, when connected to a healthy gut flora, can speed up its reparative processes.
4. Colon cleanses can help overall physical health.
Your physical health is something to be enshrined. You don’t want to be sluggish, debilitated, or unable to do anything as you age.
By helping your intestines more efficiently eliminate the waste that gets built-up in your bowels, you’re doing your entire body a favor.
And it’s not just your skin or your colon that benefits from a colon cleanse: it’s your entire body.
For example, when people eat too much sugar and acquire Diabetes Type II, they suddenly have a higher chance of colon cancer.
While natural colon cleanses neither prevent nor treat colon cancer, it does demonstrate that your body needs all of your organs to function as best as they can; and when you allow your colon to be built up with junk, you risk your entire body’s health.
Bottom line: Doing a natural colon cleanse can not only be beneficial for your skin: it can also contribute to the health of your entire body.
Remember when the FDA didn’t care what companies put in pills… but then they started to care a whole lot, and every malicious company was either shut down or sued?
And this is why we have trust issues.
Are colon cleanse pills safe to take? Absolutely, as long as you trust the company selling them you to.
In this post you are going to learn…
What colon cleanse pills do
Why they are safe to take
Why toxins have nothing to do with colon cleansing
Capiche? Sweet. But before we begin…
What do colon cleanse pills do?
Here it’s important to understand the main types of colon cleansing. For brevity’s sake, I will summarize them into 3 categories:
Water-based, which use water to flush out your colon.
Diet-based, by eating types of foods (I’m including juicing).
Ingredient-based (capsules packed with natural ingredients).
Colon cleanse pills fall into the 3rd category, ingredient-based, because that’s the only time you’ll be taking a pill.
Generally, the ingredients within a colon cleanse pill are all-natural ingredients; while that’s true for our colon cleanse, it’s certainly not for all of them.
When judging the safety of a colon cleanse pill, you always need to dive deeply into the ingredients in each capsule, hoping that the company selling them is transparent about their ingredients.
When you ingest a capsule–usually a gelatin or vegetarian capsule–it gets broken down upon digestion, and the ingredients within the capsule are released and absorbed by your body.
Example of gelatin capsule.
Gelatin capsules, for example, dissolve within minutes upon entering the body, and are 100% safe to consume. Some capsules also feature secondary ingredients like Magnesium Stearate: all this does is help keep the ingredients from sticking to each other, and is also 100% safe to digest.
As long as the colon cleanse pills are safe to use, you will be safe to consume them. Just follow the directions on the label to ensure you are following the daily recommended dosage (usually one per day).
But here’s the catch…
For some absurd reason, every time someone asks the internet about the safety of colon cleansing pills, an infamous word is brought up…
Toxins. Oh, can’t this trend just die already?
Back in ancient history, the Egyptians believed in a theory of “auto-intoxication“: the belief that the colon’s contents would, while decompose, intoxicate the body. This, we know now, is a farce.
(Read more about the history of colon cleansing in our colon cleanse guide.)
If our body poisoned itself every time we ate (or had to go poop), we’d all be dead yesterday.
What’s more poisoning is the equating of colon cleansing and “toxin purging.”
If you, for example, browse the reviews for our colon cleanse products, none of them mention toxins.
I think it’s because they weren’t cleansing for that reason in the first place.
The verdict: natural pills are safe.
All that we ask is that you do your research. Don’t do something or add something to your body before seriously considering how safe it is for you.
You have one body, so treat it like it’s a temple.
Nobody on this earth, in all sincerity, wants to do an enema. I repeat: nobody wants a shove water up his/her you-know-what.
If you’re looking for a colon cleanse, I’ll bet on the house you fit in with this category.
Luckily, colon cleanses come in all shapes a sizes, but most of them aren’t gentle. They’re usually pretty rough on your body.
Product mentioned in this post:
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My Gentle Cleanse: Bowel relief with a gentle touch.
If you’re new to colon cleansing, WELCOME!
You may need to catch up, so here are plenty of useful sources for colon cleansing:
How Your Colon WorksThe Best Colon Cleansing MethodsHow Colon Cleansing Helps the Skin
Great. You’re still here, so I assume you’re an expert at colon cleansing :).
My Gentle Cleanse, the product in the image below, is the product I’m going to be talking about.
In fact, it’s probably the most gentle cleanse available, and it’s 100% natural.
Normally, colon cleanses work by inducing your body to release its contents–to “flush” your colon out in hyperspeed, kind of like when you eat Indian food and you know you can’t handle the spice.
But My Gentle Cleanse works a bit differently: it works alongside your body to help it function better. Technically, it helps your body’s peristaltic actions perform more smoothly by feeding your body helpful, natural herbs.
(If you need a reminder, peristalsis is the wave-like movements your bowels perform to push items toward the colon–kind of like doing the worm.)
The Ingredients in the Cleanse
These herbs I’m talking about are, of course, 100% natural. They wouldn’t be called herbs otherwise!
Cascara Sagrada, a powerful herb that targets the peristaltic action of the colon.
Senna Leaf, a leaf that helps in the gentle alleviation of occasional constipation.
Fennel Seed, a seed with antioxidant capacities, which can help reduce bloating and flatulence.
Dandelion, a widespread plant that helps contribute to digestive health.
Aloe Vera, a famous [and miraculous] plant that helps as a soothing aid in occasional constipation.
Because–as I’m sure you know by now–that your body craves natural ingredients.
What happens when you feed it meat, potatoes, and Twinkies non-stop? Diarrhea, loss of energy, fatigue, poor skin, etc.
We, you and I, know damn well that to treat our colon gently, we also need to drink plenty of water.
Doing a colon cleanse without enough water is like descending a waterslide without water: it will be a raw ass-burn.
You know how to treat your body gently:
Eat fruits and vegetables.
Drink plenty of water.
Exercise moderately.
But for a true colon cleanse, sometimes you need some extra help. Why not treat yourself to a gentle colon cleanse?
Treat that body.
Whatever situation you’re in–whether your skin shines like the sun or the murky water in a gutter, you can have healthy-looking and healthy-feeling skin.
But because it produces sweat, it can clog your facial pours and result in swelling, redness, and blemishes.
You can pinch your cheeks and they’ll return unpinched (I’m referring to the cheeks on the face).
That doesn’t mean that colon cleanses can’t purge some nasty stuff in your body–but it means that’s not the sole aim.
While many people assume eating “junk food”–like fast-food burgers, french fries, and chips–contributes to acne, that’s not entirely true.
By helping your intestines more efficiently eliminate the waste that gets built-up in your bowels, you’re doing your entire body a favor.
