Is Your Colon Happy?
Is your colon happy? t’s disgusting, but sooner or later we all learn about our colon. “If your colon ain’t happy, you ain’t happy.”
See how savvy you are about your colon by taking this “True or False” quiz.
- The appendix has no known function.
- One of the jobs of the colon is to reabsorb water.
- Creatures live inside the colon.
- The health of the colon does not affect health in other parts of the body.
- All laxatives work the same.
- The colon is called the “second brain.”
- You shouldn’t have to use a fan or deodorant in the bathroom.
Answers
1. False. The appendix lubricates the fecal matter before it travels vertically to the transverse colon.
2. True. That’s why drinking plenty of water is important. Dry colon equals dry stools. (Ouch!)
3. True. Some of the microbials in your colon are beneficial, others are harmful. Your diet determines how many of each exist.
4. False. An unhealthy colon breeds ill health. Headaches, depression, allergies — these are just some of the symptoms of a struggling colon that are rarely attributed to the colon.
5. False. Chemical laxatives change how the colon functions and are often addictive. Herbal laxatives enhance the function of the colon and are not addictive.
6. True. In fact, more neurological messages are sent from the colon to the brain than from the brain to the colon. Why do you think you get a “gut feeling?”
7. True. It’s hard to believe, I know. Food doesn’t stink when it goes in, why should it stink when it comes out? The answer is that the food waste stayed in your body for too long and started to rot. If your food moves through your body like it should, breakfast would be out by lunch and lunch would be out by dinner. If the waste from a meal doesn’t get out for a day or two (or ten) and is heated to 98 degrees, you can imagine why it smells so bad.
Many diseases start in the colon. If yours is healthy, you have less to worry about. Your colon needs help to be healthy. If you don’t know how to help it, now is the time to find out.