 |
|
|
Vol. 6 No. 6
November, 2002
Meridian
Institute News RESEARCHING THE
SPIRIT-MIND-BODY CONNECTION Colonic
Irrigation Project Update
We have been making great progress with the Colonic
Irrigation Project (See the July 2002 issue of this newsletter for
background).
A colonic irrigation is a
gentle infusion of warm, filtered water into the rectum to cleanse the large
bowel and promote peristaltic action. Although the procedure has ample
historical documentation and is advocated by many alternative medicine
practitioners, there is little direct data on the safety and efficacy on this
therapy.
To begin the process of
addressing this deficiency in documentation, the first phase of our colonic
irrigation project is a preliminary study intended to develop psychometric
instruments that measure experiences of people getting a colonic irrigation at
the A.R.E. Health Services Department. The first phase has also generated
some important preliminary data on the experience itself.
During the past six months
over 100 people have participated in the study. The results have been
very encouraging, as described below. The majority of participants feel that
the colonic irrigation was a very positive experience.
Two questionnaires were used, one filled out by
participants immediately after the colonic irrigation, and one filled out and
returned a week later. The response rate for the one-week follow-up was about
50%, which is excellent for a mail-in form.
The reports immediately
following the colonic irrigation have been overwhelmingly positive on items
like “relaxation,” and “general well-being.” They have also indicated a low
incidence of side-effects such as cramping.
The one-week follow-up
results are also very positive. The graph (see above) shows the positive
(improved) and negative (got worse) outcomes reported. This includes any change
(e.g., even slight changes).
Most of the participants
reported improvements in sleep, clarity of thought, energy level, and general
well-being; only a few reported feeling slightly worse. Most of the people
reported no change or not applicable for the other items.
Of those reporting, for some
items like indigestion most people reported improvement, whereas for other
items like intestinal gas, some people had more and some had less. For most of
these items, the intensity of the change was small. In addition, there were
occasionally comments, like that of one woman who reported greater anxiety, but
said it was probably due to going back to work after a vacation in Virginia
Beach.
Based on the encouraging
results of the first phase of the project, we will now proceed to the second
stage by refining our questionnaires and procedures. For example, several
participants noted that the original questionnaire was somewhat ambiguous
regarding items like “abdominal pressure,” which might go up during the
colonic, and then release. In response to this feedback the questionnaire has
been modified for future data collection to be more sensitive to the timing of
experiences both during and immediately after the colonic irrigation.
We wish to acknowledge and
thank the staff of the A.R.E. Health Services Department who have been terrific
in the recruitment of participants and collection of data.
|
|
|
|
|
|
