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The purpose of a "cleansing" of the colon is, with standard medical practice, in preparation for a colonoscopy and/or surgery of the colon or for removal of impacted fecal matter. *YUM* None of the gastroenterologists or colo-rectal surgeons I know do these for any other reason that I can think of offhand.
Someone asked why clean something that is going to get dirty again. While this is the same argument I present when it comes to making my bed, there is some logic to it when it comes to intestinal health. You cannot sterilize your colon indefinitely.
I seem to recall one of my attendings docs while in training talking about the old, old days when the logic was that since the colon "contains toxins", people were undergoing total colectomies to just remove it altogether.
I fail to see how undergoing a water or coffee enema for "cleansing" accomplishes much more than a placebo effect (aside from some weight loss). Certainly I doubt that the benefits are worth the discomfort. When patients ask me if I've ever had a colonoscopy I give them an fake horrified look and say "hell no, I'd never do that to myself - what, are you crazy?"
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