Expert: Claes-Gustaf Nordquist, M.D. - 3/7/2007

Question
What are the benefits, if any, of colonic detoxification products?

Are there any specific herbs, etc. that have been proven to effective in cleansing the colon?

You responded: "too many vitamins may not be good." Well which of the four that I mentioned that I am taking should be  continued or eliminated?

Is there such a thing as a colonic "car wash", you know soap and water and scrub the thing down?

Sorry, just very frustrated.
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The text above is a follow-up to ...

-----Question-----
My doctor has scheduled me for a colonoscopy next month, April, 2007. I am 54 years old. I had a sigmoidoscopy performed in 2004 (two small polyps were removed, negative biopsy)and 2005 (a small polyp found, not removed, negative biopsy) I consistently test postive when given fecal occult blood tests. I am well-educated, well-read, I have found studies in NEJ of M, AMA and BJM that suggest correlation between time spent in performing the colonoscopy procedure and the number of polyps found. I currently take selenium, folic acid, Vitamin E and calcium to possibly reduce the growth of new polyps. I try to eliminate all nitrites, nitrates, etc. from my diet. My brother, during his recent colonoscopy also had numerous small polyps, all benign, removed. My father died of leukemia at 55. My mother died of cardiovascular disease at 74.

What else  can I do to rememdy my situation?
What other kinds of things should I be talking to my primary care physician about? What questions should I be asking the gastrointestinal surgeon pre and post op?

Thank you

-----Answer-----
Actually there is not much more - if ANYTHING - you can do! Too much vitamins are not good for you either! Some vitamins are actually toxic in too high doses. The only thing you can do is to undergo these colonoscopies regularly so that everything is kept under observation.  Your condition is probably genetically based. Nothing we can change. Good luck!


Answer
Fiber rich food products are believed to decrease the risks of colon cancer. However they will not change your basic colon condition so these regular check ups must continue.  I know of no clinical studies showing any benefit of any such detoxifying agent with regards to your condition. Nor do I know of any clinical study showing any benefit for your condition by taking those vitamins etc. that you currently are using. On the other hand if taken in moderate dosage they probably will not do any harm and may be of general benefit for you. Selenium for example in high dosage is definitely toxic. But as long as you keep to recommended dosage you should be safe. There is no "car wash" procedure with any proven clinical value for this. The enema etc. taken before a colonoscopy is done only in order to get a better view. If done regularly, say once a year, these colonoscopies should be able to keep you safe - from colon cancer - as much as is humanely possible to do.
There are also no herbs of any proven benefit for this.