Edgar Cayce's Guide to Colon Care. Sandra Duggan
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One of Edgar Cayce’s greatest contributions to health education is his teaching that basic health begins with colon health, and that a poorly functioning colon can cause disease.
As I worked with the colon, I came to realize that our society has a serious lack of colon health. More Americans today are hospitalized with problems and diseases of the intestinal tract than any other area of the body. Most of these problems were unheard of 100 years ago, for in earlier times, people’s diets consisted of stoneground whole grains and high-fiber foods. Around 1880, however, the amount of fiber, bran and wheat germ used in flour production decreased because of “improved” milling methods. Today, we are left with a flour product that contributes very little to nutritional needs.
At the same time that flour was being processed more, people left the farms and moved to the cities where food now had to be shipped in. There was a new demand to preserve food for longer periods. Over the years, various technologies—from canning, freezing, and dehydration to today’s methods of refrigeration and irradiation—were developed to prevent food spoilage and increase shelf life. These methods of processing food reduce enzymes, vitamins, and the life force of food. Although food keeps longer this way, it cannot support optimal life. All of this contributes further to the decline in colon health. The tragedy is that most colon disease can be prevented with a diet of whole grains, fruits and vegetables, and non-processed foods.
Lung and colon cancer are two of the most common forms of cancer in this country. This pairing is not surprising to the oriental mind, for it is well known in their culture that the lung and large intestine meridian are very closely connected. One of my clients, when in his early thirties, found this to be especially relevant. He had been experiencing pressure in his chest accompanied by shortness of breath. Since nothing could be found medically to cause his symptoms, he decided to try an alternative holistic approach. Dietary changes (omitting caffeine sodas, fried food, and white flour products) and an exercise program of working out with weights to expand his lung capacity all helped. But when he discovered colonics, and settled into a program of colon cleansing twice a year, there were no further problems.
Taboo Subject
Many people are not inclined to discuss the subject of eliminations. We are often taught that bowel movements are dirty and, as a result, we learn to ignore or reject the whole process. Many who really need help with colon problems are often the most reluctant to seek it. Perhaps they were forced to have enemas as a child to relieve constipation or help ward off a cold, for there was a time when enemas were routinely given at the first sign of illness. Before antibiotics, for example, when a patient was admitted to the hospital, the first thing a doctor ordered was a high enema. Often, this was sufficient to reduce toxicity, bring down a fever, and completely change the course of an illness. I have also come to learn that cleansing the colon helps to heal negative feelings and old emotional traumas, for water is SPIRIT and brings LIGHT into the soul, as well as into the dark areas of the colon.
Normal Stool
Fecal matter, or stool, is composed of about 75% water; the rest is solid, indigestible material. A normal stool is soft, firm, breaks up easily, is light or medium brown, and floats on the water. If it sinks, it is loaded with mucus, and is thought to be a constipated stool even if there is a daily elimination. Since mucus is sticky and slimy, it packs the stool more tightly and lengthens the time it takes to pass through the colon. Consequently, more pushing and straining may be necessary to have an elimination. A healthy stool is quickly eliminated and fully formed. It should not be hard and round, or thin, like a pencil.
The color of the stool, which is produced by bile pigments in the liver, is often affected by the food that is eaten or some medicines, such as Pepto-Bismol. Beets, for example, have been the culprit behind many a panic-stricken phone call to me, proclaiming, “I passed some blood in my stool!” Beets have a way of turning the urine pink for a day or two, as well.
Normal Eliminations
There is a great deal of confusion and disagreement when it comes to defining a normal elimination. Some colon books say that there should be an elimination through the alimentary canal three times a day. This may happen if someone is on a raw food diet, but such is generally not the case. On the other hand, many doctors feel that a person’s bowel pattern is normal even if eliminations occur only three or four times a month. Edgar Cayce saw things differently. He said that there should be at least one good, thorough elimination each day. As one gets older and has less physical activity, it becomes even more important to have a full, daily elimination. He did not explain what “thorough” or “full” meant, but it is generally understood that the sigmoid and descending colon, that together are about 1½ to 2 feet long and 2 to 2½ inches in diameter, should empty with each bowel movement.
There is also a great deal of confusion and misunderstanding about the location and shape of the stomach, small intestine, and colon. For example, people often rub their abdomen below the navel, and mistakenly complain that they have a stomachache, when what they really mean is that they have gas pains in their intestines or colon, or are feeling constipated. The stomach itself is on the left side of the body underneath the lower ribcage. Some people have some very odd notions about the shape of these organs, as well. An elderly man initially asked why I was massaging the right side of his “stomach” during his colonic. When I explained that I was massaging his colon, which is shaped like an upside down “U,” he related that he had always thought it was shaped like a balloon.
Intestinal Bacteria
The colon contains 400-500 varieties of bacteria, fungi, yeast, and viruses. The normal balance should be about 80-85% “friendly” lactobacteria (L. acidophilus, L. bifidus, bulgaris, brevis, and saliveria) and 15-20% putrefactive bacteria (E. coli, B. welchii, and B. putreficus, for example), which emit toxins and gas. The friendly bacteria produce vitamins and digestive enzymes that help control the E. coli and keep it in balance. With the typical American diet and use of antibiotics—which kill the intestinal bacteria as well as the infection—the balance can be reversed to as much as 85% E. coli and only 15% lactobacteria!
Friendly bacteria thrive in such fermented foods as apple cider vinegar, miso (soybean paste), sour pickles, sauerkraut, kefir, sourdough products, and healthstore yogurt. (The yogurt available in health food stores is generally of a higher quality than that found in local grocery stores, and does not contain sugar.) If there is a problem with systemic yeast or Candida, care should be taken to avoid these foods until there is no longer an overgrowth of yeast. (See Chapter 12 for more information.)
Although acidophilus comes in a liquid or capsule form, the cheapest and most vital source is Rejuvelac. This fermented, whole grain product can be made at home using the freshest supply of whole wheat berries or millet. The wheat berries will last ten days, but the millet must be discarded and replaced every four days. The liquid Rejuvelac tastes sweet, like whey, and should not be used if it smells or tastes bad.
HOW TO MAKE REJUVELAC
Thoroughly scrub a measuring cup with hot, soapy water and rinse thoroughly just before using.
Add 2½ cups purified or distilled water to 1 cup whole wheat berries or millet. Cover and leave at room temperature for 1½ days.
Strain off the liquid (this is the Rejuvelac) and refrigerate. Drink ½ cup with meals and discard any extra liquid.
Immediately add 1½ cups more water to the grain, cover, and leave at room temperature for 24 hours.
Each day for 10 days, pour off the liquid, refrigerate, and add another 1½ cups water to the grain.
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