Everyone poops... Get over it!

We all know better than most people out there that there is a huge taboo around bowel movements, poo and excretion, but did you know that this taboo can be so damaging and detrimental to one’s health?

When someone, and especially men, has a problem with their toilet habits they tend to ignore it to avoid the embarrassment of discussing it. However, this ‘it will sort its self out/ I can’t deal with the embarrassment’ attitude can lead the issues to develop and become much worse.

Lewis Moody, former England rugby captain, discovered the hard way how important it is to discuss bowel issues; they might not look as heroic as a limb broken in the middle of an important game, but are just as, if not more, important. Moody suffers from Ulcerative Colitis, a disease which is a long-term inflammatory disorder that causes ulceration of the rectum and the colon. The symptoms can vary from bloody diarrhoea, abdominal pain, a frequent need to go to the toilet and weight loss. Moody put off going to seek help regarding his symptoms for a good few weeks! He says this was because he could not bare the embarrassment, even though his symptoms were aggressive, especially the teasing he may have received from his team mates.

Had he been more aware of what the symptoms could mean, and if the taboo was a little less intense, he would have sought medical help a lot sooner. He now works with Crohn's and Colitis UK, to increase understanding and awareness of bowel diseases and encourage more people to come out and disclose their daily nightmares, so they can seek help.

As colonic therapists, we are perfectly placed for helping build awareness of such diseases, and encouraging our patients to talk more openly about their issues, and not be embarrassed. Having a Victorian perspective of the bowel will ultimately lead to massive damage.

Moody suggests that the extensive lists of drugs he was on for different injuries and pain relief, may have increased his chances of suffering from Ulcerative Colitis. With this in mind, we must stress to our client that there are severely harming effects of strong drugs on the bowel, and they can make your daily life a struggle.

Stories like Moody’s are rare to come by in the media, as I imagine most athletes would not openly discuss their bodies’ weaknesses. Nevertheless, when these stories do emerge we should make the most of them, sharing them with our fellow colleagues, clients, friends and family, increasing awareness of such issues and how colonics can help.

In fact I think it would be beneficial for increasing business for each colonic therapist to ask professional athletes about the way their gut and bowels have suffered as a result of their sport. Sports personalities always have a super-human air around them as they are immensely talented at using their bodies to do some incredible things. However, they are human, and like everyone else, they suffer from issues that could affect anyone; just like they eat, sleep and poop they can also suffer from illnesses which may be seen as ‘base’ and embarrassing.

The angle we have been focusing on for the last week is providing more value to more people. I feel that this is one path that is unexplored and full of potential.

It really does all come down to poo if you take the taboo away, more people would discover much more about their health, and prevent future disease rather than try and cure them once they have developed.