Not at all, however light meals and plenty of water before and after are recommended.

No mess, no fuss, no odour – the colonic process is, in fact, a very relaxing experience. After you gently insert the pencil-thin tube one-and-a-half inches into your bottom – you do this yourself – you are completely covered for the rest of the procedure.

Rarely. Sometimes the muscles of the colon contract suddenly, expelling considerable liquid and waste into the rectum. The contraction and resulting pressure may feel like cramping or gas. Overall, though, the process is mild and gentle, leaving you with a wonderfully light and empty feeling.

Unlikely. Many of us may have up to five kilos – sometimes more – of impacted, hardened faeces in our colon. Substantial work must be done to remove it. One cleansing removes some; the second more. Your personal objectives will determine how many colonic sessions are right for you.

If your bowel is toxic you have little or no good intestinal flora to begin with.

As with gardening, if you don’t prepare and fertilise the soil, plants will not live. The helpful bacteria can only live in an acidic environment; the harmful ones thrive in an alkaline environment.

Most people, due to years of improper eating, lack of exercise and poor elimination, have an alkaline colon. The great benefit of the cleansing program is changing the environment from alkaline to acid.

If we make conditions favourable in the colon for bifidophilus and acidophilus cultures – the good bacteria – they will populate. Removing toxic material and gases is the first step; replenishing good bacteria can then be accomplished using oral supplementation.

Using an enema misses most of the colon. During a colonic, the water washes all the way through the colon or bowel to the ileocecal valve (where the small and large intestines meet).

Laxatives are an irritant, causing the body to produce a thin, watery substance that goes through the colon and leaves behind impacted toxins and waste on the walls of the colon, at the same time depleting the colon of good bacteria. Laxatives can also become very habit forming.

The development of high-tech, disposable apparatus means that new equipment is used every session. There is total hygienic safety, superior even to sterilisation.

Colonic hydrotherapy is not a cure, but a valuable procedure used to assist the body in coping with a wide variety of colon-related conditions. By toning the bowel wall and improving colon function, the entire body is able to function more efficiently.

Common effects are sinus drainage, a loosening of mucous in the lungs, an improved range of motion, skin tightening, feeling younger, clearing of acne and skin conditions, improved posture, abdomen softening and shrinking, relief from headaches, less fatigue, body weight correction, relief from bloating and improved bowel function.

Colonic hydrotherapy works to soothe and tone the colon, helping it to eliminate more efficiently. The function as a whole reduces the burden on other organs and the lymphatic system.

The main benefit received from releasing the old toxic waste is that we remove the number one source of disease in the body. The bowel then works more efficiently in eliminating the waste, and nutrient absorption is improved.

The colonic hydrotherapy trains the muscles of the bowel, giving them strength. The bowel muscles are forced to work against the water, providing resistance much like a barbell provides resistance against a muscle during exercise. After the bowel has regained its strength, it works better on its own. Colonics are like colon aerobics.