The College of Naturopathic Medicine Talks Shit

I haven't written nearly enough complaints about colonic irrigation - a bizarre and unpleasant therapy that is both ineffective and highly dangerous.

(Image credit)

How can I be sure? The UK's leading expert on complementary therapies has written:

"There is no reliable clinical evidence that colonic irrigation does any good at all and some evidence it causes serious harm by, for example, perforating the colon or depleting our body of electrolytes...Colonic irrigation is unpleasant, ineffective and dangerous. In other words, it's a waste of money and a hazard to our health."

A waste of money, eh? You'd never have guessed it from reading the College of Naturopathic Medicine's promotional flyer (available here and here).

"Colon hydrotherapy is the most powerful method available for restoring optimum bowel function... Colon hydrotherapy [has] a huge range of health benefits... including: Restoration of regular bowel movements - Improvements in conditions such as diverticulosis or [sic] irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) - Reduced gas or bloating - Clearer skin - Improved mental clarity - Increased energy - Fewer headaches"

I hope no-one falls for the College's faecal sales pitch. My contacts in the industry tell me there are already more therapists than customers - in fact, the only people making money are the ones selling the poo-extraction machines.

ASA complaint follows!

"I write to complain about a flyer I picked up at the CamExpo exhibition in London on 24th October this year.

The flyer, for the College of Naturopathic Medicine, promotes their courses in colon hydrotherapy.

I suspect that the flyer may be in breach of the British Code of Advertising, Sales Promotion and Direct Marketing (CAP Code). I can provide the original flyer by post, if necessary.

1. "Colon Hydrotherapy" is better known as "Colonic Irrigation".

2. The UK's leading authority on complementary medicine, Professor Edzard Ernst, has recently written about colonic therapies [1]:

"There is no reliable clinical evidence that colonic irrigation does any good at all and some evidence it causes serious harm by, for example, perforating the colon or depleting our body of electrolytes...Colonic irrigation is unpleasant, ineffective and dangerous. In other words, it's a waste of money and a hazard to our health."

3. Therefore, under section 12.1 of the CAP Code, I challenge whether the advertisers can substantiate any of the following claims, and under Section 3.1 I challenge whether they are misleading:

(i) "Many people are becoming toxic throughout their bodies, suffering from unexplained symptoms such as skin complaints and headaches, due to impaired colon function...As a natural medicine practitioner, you and your patients will benefit from adding colon hydrotherapy to your therapeutic armoury."

(ii) "Colon hydrotherapy is the most powerful method available for restoring optimum bowel function..."

(iii) "Colon hydrotherapy...is at the same time gentle and rejuvenating"

(iv) "Colon hydrotherapy" has a "huge range of health benefits" including "Restoration of regular bowel movements", "Improvements in conditions such as diverticulosis or [sic] irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)", "Reduced gas or bloating", "Clearer skin", "Improved mental clarity", "Increased energy", "Fewer headaches"

(v) "Colon hydrotherapy may also be useful in cases of circulatory, immune, inflammatory and weight problems when accompanied by diet and lifestyle changes"

4. I confirm I have no connections with the advertiser. I confirm I am not involved in legal proceedings with the advertiser.

Footnotes:

[1] Simon Singh, Edzard Ernst, "Trick or Treatment? Alternative Medicine on Trial", American edition 2008, p304"