Garlic is not only a healthy food, but it has beneficial antibacterial, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties that can benefit your colon and entire body.

Diverticulosis, or the presence of small herniations in your intestinal lining, may occur when you exert pressure on your colon while straining to pass hard stools.

A number of parasites can infect the human intestinal tract, the most common of which include tapeworms, hookworms, giardia, roundworms, flukes and trichinella. These parasites cause disorders such as vomiting, diarrhea, intestinal cramping, dizziness, weight loss and dehydration.

Waste buildup in the colon can contribute to toxin buildup and may provoke bouts of constipation or hardened stools. This is why it is important to remove residue particles of old feces and other fecal matter in the colon.

Colon cleansing irrigates your rectum and bowel and removes food and toxins that stick to the walls of your large intestine and cause constipation. Colonics and enemas are methods used to cleanse your colon.

There are a number of factors that can contribute to an impacted colon, including a sluggish colon, insufficient fiber in the diet, lack of water, illness, stress, allergies or just poor dietary habits. It causes bloating, discomfort, headaches and fatigue.

Colonics, or colon hydrotherapy, is the cleaning of the large intestine, or colon, with water. Colonics is often used to treat constipation, flatulence and intestinal disorders, as well as body aches and pains, low energy levels, back pain and liver pain. A study in the October 2008 issue of the "

Colon hydrotherapy, also called colonic irrigation, is an alternative health care practice intended to cleanse toxins and built-up waste from the colon, also known as the bowel and large intestine. The procedure is said to keep the colon functioning more effectively and to promote health in general.

Colon cleansing is the practice of removing waste matter from the colon. According to the Colonic Cleansing Organization, there are two ways to do this. Enemas force fluid into the colon through the anus to flush the waste from the colon.

The amount of weight you lose from colon therapy varies from person to person. It’s at least partly based on the amount of waste found in your intestinal tract. All forms of colon therapy increase the expulsion of stool from your colon, so the pounds lost are mostly the result of bodily waste.

A colon cleanse enema can irrigate the rectum and lower colon, relieve constipation and detoxify the body. According to Nick Foley and Sally James, naturopathic doctors at “Ask a Naturopath,” the water volume from enemas expands the intestines and causes the bowel to release waste.

Colon cleansers are one of the more popular products on the market. Advertisements are full of suggestions about removing toxins from the body with colon cleansers, but according to medical experts, colon cleansers may do more harm than good.