The bottom line
Another treatment that may carry a high risk is colonic irrigation, usually part of a detox regime. Saffron, a 31-year-old picture researcher, had to perform her own colonic clean-outs when she visited the Thai island of Ko Phangan. ‘I decided to go for three-and-a-half day mini-fast and enema,’ she says, ‘as I’d been sick while travelling - the usual travelers’ tummy stuff. I was told do my enema myself, using a large bucket of water, a thin hosepipe and a bulldog clip to regulate the water flow. It was uncomfortable the first time, but it became easier and it was fascinating seeing everything that you eat pass.’
But such an invasive treatment may do more harm than good, especially on top of an existing stomach problem, says Jane Scrivner, owner of the British School Of Complementary Therapy and author of Water Detox. And, as the large intestine is the main site of your body’s good and bad bacteria, infections are easily transmitted via unsterilized colonic-irrigation equipment.
At one clinic in Colorado, US, 36 cases of amoebiasis occurred among people who’d had colonic irrigation. Even simple enemas can be dangerous – an Israeli hospital review has shown that in chronically constipated patients, cleansing enemas performed even by professionals can perforate the colon. It’s more than likely your treatment will be perfectly safe, but a diseased colon is not a holiday souvenir you’d like to bring home.
The bottom line is holistic holidays and spas are only as good as the people who are teaching you or treating you. This is key whether you’re having intensive tuition in a body-bending discipline such as yoga or an invasive therapy such as acupuncture.
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