Episode 337: Colon Hydrotherapy - Why Aren't More People Talking About This?
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Struggling with constipation, looking to detox, or improve your mental clarity? Colon hydrotherapy might be a really helpful tool for you. Joanna Stanescu joins Erin on today’s episode to discuss all things colon hydrotherapy - common misconceptions, benefits, contraindications, and what to expect if you’ve never received one before.
Joanna Stanescu is a Board Certified Traditional Naturopath and Colon Hydrotherapist. She owns The Root Chakra inside South Bay Holistic Spa located in South San Jose, CA.
In this episode:
What is colon hydrotherapy? [3:52]
Common myths and misconceptions [8:10]
Benefits of colon hydrotherapy [18:09]
Contraindications for colon hydrotherapy [29:35]
How often should you go for a session? [32:14]
Why you should look at your poop daily [33:36]
Resources mentioned:
Qualia Life (Get up to 50% off and an extra 15% off your first purchase with link + code FUNKS)
Organifi supplement powder (save 20% on your order with code FUNK)
LMNT Electrolyte Replenishing powder (Use code FUNK get a free sample pack with any purchase!)
Learn more about Gut Health
Related episodes:
333: Functional Stool Testing: What It Is & How to Know If You Need It
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Erin Holt [00:00:02]:
I'm Erin Holt and this is the Funk'tional Nutrition Podcast where we lean into intuitive functional medicine. We look at how diet, our environment, our emotions and our beliefs all affect our physical health. This podcast is your full bodied, well rounded resource. I've got over a decade of clinical experience and because of that, I've got a major bone to pick with diet culture and the conventional healthcare model. They're both failing so many of us. But functional medicine isn't the panacea that it's made out to be either. We've got some work to do, and that's why creating a new model is my life's work. I believe in the ripple effect, so I founded the Funk'tional Nutrition Academy, a school and mentorship for practitioners who want to do the same.
Erin Holt [00:00:45]:
This show is for you if you're looking for new ways of thinking about your health and you're ready to be an active participant in your own healing. Please keep in mind this podcast is created for educational purposes only and should never be used as a replacement for medical diagnosis or treatment. I would love for you to follow the show, rate, review and share because you never know whose life you might change and of course, keep coming back for more. Hey, friends. This is an episode that many of you have asked for and one that I've been eager to record. It's all about colon hydrotherapy. And today we have Joanna Stanescu on the show.
Erin Holt [00:01:23]:
She's a board certified natural, excuse me, traditional naturopath, and a colon hydrotherapist. She owns the Root Chakra inside South Bay Holistic Spa located in South San Jose, California. And she's going to talk to us all about colon hydrotherapy. A few weeks ago I did a episode on coffee enemas. So this is kind of similar concept, different way to get there. And we'll talk about the difference between colon hydrotherapy and colonics and enemas and who might consider this, what the benefits are, and just pretty much all about colon hydrotherapy. So thank you so much for being on the show, Joanna.
Joanna Stanescu [00:02:05]:
Thank you for having me, Erin.
Erin Holt [00:02:07]:
So you are a traditional naturopath and you are also a colon hydrotherapist. And I think that a lot of us get into natural or alternative health due to our own experiences. That seems to be pretty consistently true. I'm curious, what led you to colon hydrotherapy? How did you come to specialize in this?
Joanna Stanescu [00:02:26]:
Yeah, it. It was completely by accident. I was a high school student looking for work, walking inside of random medical offices, and one of the offices was a colon hydrotherapy clinic. I didn't know what it was at the time. I had just learned about the squatty potty and I had some competition. She decided to hire me. At the time, I was overweight. I had acne, psoriasis, chronic fatigue, and my mood was all over the place.
Joanna Stanescu [00:02:52]:
I just thought it was normal teenage stuff. I was 15 years old when I started working there. And as I started working there, I got introduced to eating healthier, holistic health, detoxing, cleansing, and I started implementing everything that I was learning. Pretty quickly I started seeing a lot of changes. My weight started to drop, my skin started to clear, I started getting my energy back and I thought, holy moly, I'm really onto something here. This is life changing, truly. I went on to study public health, went into corporate health care. No matter what I was doing, I was still the weird person in the break room talking about poop.
Joanna Stanescu [00:03:29]:
So I decided that I had to get back into it. And I've been a colon hydrotherapist for 17 years now, more than half my life. And I've been a traditional naturopath for over six years.
Erin Holt [00:03:42]:
So let's just start from the top in case somebody's not familiar with this. What is colon hydrotherapy? What's going on? What's happening in the body? Just take it, take it from the very top.
Joanna Stanescu [00:03:52]:
Yeah. Colon hydrotherapy is a professional enema. And enema is the irrigation of the large intestine, the colon. When you're putting water into your colon, up your anus, it stimulates peristalsis. That's the natural contraction of the colon throughout the day. So it's going to make it contract more quickly. It's going to give you that urgency feeling like you need to go to the bathroom. The water is also soaking and loosening stool up, and you're basically just going to the bathroom for 45 minutes.
Joanna Stanescu [00:04:20]:
But the water is doing the work for you, continuously filling and releasing. I tell people, if you love to poop, you're going to love this. It's an incredible experience. And as opposed to an enema at home where you're getting a little bottle or a bag, in a colon hydrotherapy session, you're getting about 15 to 20 gallons of water in a session. So you can imagine it's a much deeper cleanse than you would be able to do at home.
Erin Holt [00:04:44]:
Yeah, I mean, even with an at home enema kit, the most you'd really be doing, I wouldn't even say a gallon, like a quart maybe. I don't, you know, the metric system, it's hard for me. Yeah, it's not a lot, but it's not, it's like maybe like three or four cups of liquid versus gallons. So it's, I would imagine it's going further up the large intestine as well, correct?
Joanna Stanescu [00:05:08]:
Yeah, it's working its way up to the other end of the large intestine.
Erin Holt [00:05:15]:
And how far back can we trace this? Does this have a long history of use?
Joanna Stanescu [00:05:20]:
Yeah, it's dated as far back as the ancient Egyptians. We see this in all traditional forms of holistic medicine, Traditional Chinese, Ayurveda. Everybody uses colon cleansing enemas, whatever you want to call it. And now it's becoming more popular. We have more advanced systems to provide colon hydrotherapy and do more in depth cleanses.
Erin Holt [00:05:42]:
And I just want to highlight that because there is a real fear of the unknown sometimes, particularly if you are trained as a, like a conventional healthcare person. And I say this because I was totally flabbergasted by the response to me posting about coffee enemas. I just didn't anticipate. I'm like, I didn't even think I was do. I have no problem doing things that are inflammatory or controversial, But I didn't even know that talking about coffee enemas was going to piss people off. I lost 1,000 followers on Instagram. It's like, oh, people really are big mad about this. And we had some people in the comments, but also in the DMs talking about how they were really upset about this.
Erin Holt [00:06:29]:
And I'm certainly not telling everybody that they have to do this, but I do think we should present it as an option for people. And I'm just going to start off by giving a little bit of a story. And some podcast listeners might know this, but a few years ago I got so backed up. I was on vacation with my family and I was really stressed out and I didn't go to the bathroom the entire vacation. But even when I came home, I could not move my bowels. Like it was going on 10 to 11 days where I did not pass any stool. And so I went to a walk in clinic. I ended up in the ER.
Erin Holt [00:07:05]:
I had to have stool digitally extracted from my anus. Do you want to know the most humbling experience of somebody's life? It might actually be that. It might actually be that. But I'm telling the story because there's so much shame around this kind of stuff. So, I mean, I'm happy to use myself as an example. I ended up going to a gastroenterologist. And they wanted to do a colonoscopy on me, but they couldn't do a colonoscopy on me because I couldn't move my bowels.
Erin Holt [00:07:31]:
And I was doing everything conventional, natural, everything. The only thing that helped me was colon hydrotherapy. That was the only way I could move my bowels. And so I just get frustrated at the, almost like militant. We cannot believe that we cannot look outside the traditional medical model because we are doing people a huge and massive disservice if we're not able to talk about alternative therapies, Particularly when these alternative therapies have a long standing history of use. Okay, I'm going to get off my soapbox now and let you take, take it over. But I just. It pisses me off.
Joanna Stanescu [00:08:10]:
Yeah, me too. I'm surprised that it. There's so many myths and misconceptions around it and a lot of fear. The two most common things that I hear is that it wipes out all of your intestinal flora, destroys your microbiome, which simply isn't true. Removing the bad bacteria allows the good to repopulate even better. Sure, it's not selective. You're going to remove some of that good bacteria along with the bad, but removing the bad allows the good to repopulate better. Anytime that you eat, you're producing more bacteria.
Joanna Stanescu [00:08:43]:
You could be in here every day for a week. As long as you're still eating, you're still producing bacteria. I'm never concerned about people destroying their microbiome with this. Another fear that I hear is dependency that I'm not going to be able to go to the bathroom normally afterwards. Which again, simply isn't true. The opposite is actually true. Colon hydrotherapy. Stimulating that peristalsis action is like a workout for the colon.
Joanna Stanescu [00:09:08]:
So if you've forgotten that action, if you have a lazy, sluggish colon, you just don't get the urge like you need to go to the bathroom anymore. This is going to train it so that your body remembers that and so you can be more regular. I've been doing this for 17 years. I've done more sessions than anybody that I know. When I don't do sessions, I go to the bathroom just fine. I've never felt like I've created any type of a dependency. I've never felt like my microbiome has been disrupted by it. And again, 17 years of experience, I've never had any clients complain about about things like that either.
Joanna Stanescu [00:09:46]:
And like a couple of side Stories. So I had an 8 year old boy who had a blockage the size of a softball. His medical doctor wanted to shove a tube down his throat, through his stomach, through his intestines, to blow air, to push the stool out. You can imagine for an eight year old boy, that or for anybody, that would be a very traumatizing experience. The mother asked about colon hydrotherapy. The doctor said, absolutely not, don't even think about it. She went against medical advice, brought him in, did one session. Within that first session, he moved that blockage, that stool, that's it came out whole, a hard ball, went back to the doctor, did an X ray.
Joanna Stanescu [00:10:31]:
Blockage was gone, but it couldn't have been the colon hydrotherapy. There's no way. He didn't believe that it had anything to do with it. Even though we physically saw the blockage come out. I had another client who had gone through three failed colonoscopies, drinking the drink, doing the standard protocol. She was so backed up that she came to me to try to get her cleared out for a colonoscopy. This was at the beginning of my career and I would just ask my clients if they were normal, if they were going to the bathroom regularly. And everybody would say yes.
Joanna Stanescu [00:11:06]:
And this client said, yeah, I'm regular. I go every month with my period. So this woman went once a month to the bathroom. She had one bowel a month with her period and she thought that was normal. And you know, there just isn't enough conversation around poop. Poop is taboo. I'm not surprised that you lost a thousand followers. People are embarrassed, they don't want to talk about it.
Joanna Stanescu [00:11:31]:
And you know, with all these fears and misconceptions and myths going that are out about this, I can see why people would be hesitant or be upset if you're advocating something like this. But the majority of my clients have a very comfortable experience. Some people cramp up. It, you know, it's not painful. And they leave here feeling so much lighter and saying that they did not know what empty felt like until they did something like this. And I have clients who go to the bathroom regularly. They have three, four bowel movements a day, perfectly formed. They don't have issues, but they still feel a great benefit from doing a colon hydrotherapy session.
Erin Holt [00:12:14]:
What do you think? And I can attest to that. The first time I ever did this, I was like, oh my gosh, my stomach, like, weird. Like I've never felt so light before.
Erin Holt [00:14:37]:
Talking about a blockage, what do you think causes that? The first two places my mind goes would be dehydration and then that lack of peristalsis movement. Are there other reasons? I'm just trying to anticipate questions that people would have when they're listening to us talk. Are there other things that you've seen cause those blockages?
Joanna Stanescu [00:14:54]:
Yeah, absolutely. Food is going to be a big one. So obviously all of your processed food but food that gets sticky. So anytime that you're doing a high animal protein diet, you're going to have a sludgier bile which is going to make the stool very sticky as if you're eating a lot of sugar. And so I have a lot of athletes and bodybuilders, especially around competition time, they're really increasing their protein and they're getting so constipated because of it. And another big one that I see is pharmaceuticals. If you're on an opioid, anything that is affecting the nerves, there's nothing that a stool softener or a laxative can do for you there. As long as you're on those pharmaceutical drugs, you're going to be constipated.
Joanna Stanescu [00:15:37]:
Lately I've been seeing a lot of clients coming in because they're taking Ozempic and that's affecting their digestive tract. And then the biggest one, I have clients who do everything right. They're drinking plenty of water, they're moving their body, they're eating the right foods and they're still getting backed up. So what gives? That's going to be an emotional response. And I call those stress balls and constipation. And I'm sure you know it with irritable bowel syndrome, ibs, which isn't a diagnosis, obviously you're just describing a symptom. But with diarrhea and constipation, over 90% of IBS is rooted in emotion. And when I see constipation, to me that says that you're having a hard time letting go of things, you're holding onto things that no longer serve you.
Joanna Stanescu [00:16:25]:
And when you're working on that emotional route, you will actually see a really big improvement in your bowel movements. And then on the other side of IBS where it's diarrhea, it's more of an anxious response or a stress response. And if you start paying attention to your emotions and when these flare ups or triggers happen, then you'll, you'll be able to connect and see why that is happening.
Erin Holt [00:16:52]:
Yeah. And I mean after working with people for 15 years, I can absolutely attest to that and even throw my own self into the ring there with. I am somebody who holds onto things for way too long. So that constipation picture is real. And now I know that because at this point in my life, it's not, it's not food, it is not hydration, it's not movement like those, those things are on lock. It is always an emotional component for me, when I get constipated, it's always an emotional component. Also, I want to circle back to what you said about wiping out the microbiome, because that is a common misconception, that if you do any type of colon irrigation, whether it's enemas, colon hydrotherapy, that it's just going to obliterate your microbiome. And I just.
Erin Holt [00:17:38]:
I have not personally seen any validity of that. And we do look at microbiome tests. And so I just. I have no. There's no evidence to support that claim. I'm saying that a colon hydrotherapist is saying that. I think that if, let's say, you are doing a coffee enema every single day for weeks or months on end, I do think that could probably disrupt some of the balance because you're putting something acidic in your colon. But I just, I do not think that that is a concern with colon hydrotherapy.
Erin Holt [00:18:09]:
So I'm glad that you brought that up. Okay, so let's talk about some benefits. Like, why would somebody do this? Obviously, if you're constipated, if there's issues with peristalsis, which is just the movement of the smooth muscle that is your digestive tract, to, like, move things from your mouth to your butt, what other benefits would we see? We know that there's a liver component, so can you talk to me about that?
Joanna Stanescu [00:18:34]:
Yeah, absolutely. So besides the obvious digestive benefits, the liver and the colon are connected through the hepatic pathway. So the liver is going to dump everything that it's filtered out into the colon, and then everything that's in the colon is going to be sent back up to the liver to be filtered again. So it creates this vicious loop. And cleaning out the colon and making sure that you're pooping regularly is going to ensure that the liver is able to properly eliminate, and you're just overall reducing that toxic burden on the body. That's where the concept of coffee enemas comes from, where it's creating that glutathione exchange with the liver through that hepatic pathway. The liver metabolizes hormones. So if you're having any hormonal issues, it's going to indirectly help with that because you're going to be able to metabolize your hormones more easily.
Joanna Stanescu [00:19:27]:
You know, we call the liver the body's filter. I don't know how accurate of a description that is necessarily, but anytime that we see anything on the skin, acne, rosacea, psoriasis, eczema, there is a strong liver component to it. And if you clear out the liver, you will notice that your skin clears up as well. If you're thinking of doing any type of a cleanse or detox, don't even think about it if you're not pooping regularly, and by regular, I mean first thing in the morning and about 20, 30 minutes after every large meal. So if you're having three meals a day, and if you're only pooping once a day, if that you're definitely constipated. You should only be pooping once a day for having one meal a day.
Joanna Stanescu [00:20:05]:
I would say that's normal. But most people are lucky if they're getting one poop a day.
Erin Holt [00:20:10]:
Wait, let me just add to that too, because I think this is super relevant to a lot of our listeners. When you said, don't even attempt a detox or a cleanse if you're not pooping regularly. I'll add on to that. Do not attempt a gut protocol if you're not pooping regularly. So what I mean by gut protocol is if there's an, if there's an overgrowth of pathogens or opportunists like a Candida, H. Pylori, whatever might be going on, let's say you find it on a stool test, you're working with a practitioner, it is mission critical that if you are constipated, we get your bowels moving first. Because what's going to happen is we're going to go in with these antimicrobials, kill things off, and the things you're killing off have nowhere to go. So it's going to make you feel a lot worse.
Erin Holt [00:20:51]:
And so I just want to piggyback on Joanna's sentiment there.
Joanna Stanescu [00:20:57]:
Yeah. And this is why it's so important to work one on one with someone who knows what they're doing. You know, you can go to any grocery store and pick up a yeast fungal detox or a parasite detox, and you're going to end up in a lot of trouble if, you know, if you're not in the right state to start there. And then some other benefits. So the kidney and the liver are also connected. The kidney and the adrenals are interconnected as well. Helping the kidneys is going to help the adrenals, adrenals, adrenaline, energy. So you're going to notice a bigger improvement in your energy.
Joanna Stanescu [00:21:31]:
All that stagnant waste, again, is bogging you down. Removing that, you'll notice more energy. So a lot of skin benefits, a lot of energy related benefits. And again, reducing that overall toxic load is going to trickle out into all of your other organ systems and overall well being.
Erin Holt [00:21:52]:
Yeah. And then so you had noticed, or excuse me, you had mentioned other things people might experience when they, they are doing colon hydrotherapy. And feeling lighter is the biggest one. What about brain fog? Is that something that you, you see?
Joanna Stanescu [00:22:07]:
Absolutely. People do notice that they can think more clearly. And again, brain fog is usually related to heavy metals, toxins, mostly heavy metals in my opinion. Anytime that we're looking at something brain related. Yeah, definitely.
Erin Holt [00:22:28]:
Now there's different types of systems that are used for colon hydrotherapy. Can you tell us the difference between the two and do you have a strong preference for one or the other?
Joanna Stanescu [00:22:39]:
Yep. So there's two different types of systems for colon hydrotherapy. There's what's called an open system and a closed system. And if you're considering colon hydrotherapy, this is the first thing that I would, would tell you to look into and just decide which one you think is best for you. I use an open system. This is my preferred system. I obviously have a biased opinion. It's a much less invasive system.
Joanna Stanescu [00:23:02]:
The nozzle is about the size of a pencil. I have one here on camera. It only goes in a couple of inches and the bowels are going to go around the nozzle. It's not being forced through. The nozzle stays inside the entire time. As the water is flowing in, it's gravity fed. It's a very gentle pressure. You'll feel the urge like you need to go.
Joanna Stanescu [00:23:23]:
You hold on to the water for as long as you can. Eventually you won't be able to hold on to it any longer. And then you relax and release and let go. Or you can even push and bear down with the open system. It's a very natural feeling. You'll feel like you need to go and you can go. Then the waste expels around the nozzle. You're sitting on your back on a board with a giant bathtub underneath.
Joanna Stanescu [00:23:42]:
It's a giant toilet where you're laying down and everything gets dumped below into the bathtub underneath you. And then once you're done pushing or letting go, you automatically start to fill back up again. Again. You try to hold on for as long as you can. You relax and you release and let go. So you're continuously filling and releasing for about 45 minutes. But the water is doing the work for you. For most people it's a very comfortable experience.
Joanna Stanescu [00:24:03]:
You'll feel like large hard balls are coming out. Sometimes you'll feel like little bits and pieces. Sometimes it feels kind of diarrhea, like it's very watery. What I really like about the open system is that you don't have to wait for the bowels to break down to come out. So like that 8 year old boy that I gave you an example of, the stool came out whole, that softball sized bowel came out whole. You didn't have to wait for it to break down to fit through a hole or two. So there's no way that boy would have been able to pass that stool with a closed system. So it's definitely my preferred system.
Joanna Stanescu [00:24:38]:
For people who are constipated and just overall in general.
Joanna Stanescu [00:25:52]:
The closed system, which is what most people will find when they're googling colonics or colon hydrotherapy. And for some reason it is a more popular system. It's about as wide as the bottom of the cup here, so it's a little bit wider than the quarter goes in significantly further. And then the bowels go through the hole, through the tube. The therapist is in the room with you the whole time. They're in control of the water. You'll still feel that pressure, that urgency feeling, but you're not allowed to push. So you can imagine that's kind of an uncomfortable feeling.
Joanna Stanescu [00:26:20]:
With the closed system you're just relaxing and letting go. But the stool is again has to fit through that hole or tube. So if you're constipated, if you have larger, harder bowels, it's going to get clogged. And it can take a longer time for things to move. In my opinion, it's more invasive. You can cramp up more because things kind of get stuck coming out. The therapist sometimes has to remove that nozzle so that you can run to the bathroom and expel and reinsert the speculum.
Joanna Stanescu [00:26:54]:
There's no clogging possible with the open system, you have the option of privacy, which I really like. I don't have to be in the room with you. I feel like this allows you to fully relax and release a lot more comfortably. Um, so those are. Those are the differences, the open and the closed system.
Erin Holt [00:27:12]:
Oh, I. So I've only ever done a closed system hearing you talk about this. And the. Does the open system get messy?
Joanna Stanescu [00:27:20]:
It doesn't. So you're at a little bit of a very slight incline, so the water is falling down below you. It's not going or traveling up your back. And your bottom is forming a full seal with this half dome toilet that you're sitting on. So you're literally sitting on a toilet, but you're laying on your back as if you're in bed, but the toilet, the actual toilet bowl is down below you.
Erin Holt [00:27:45]:
Okay, all right. That makes sense. And so that's pretty clear. But you say that the closed systems are more common.
Joanna Stanescu [00:27:52]:
For some reason they seem to be more common. It's much harder to find an open system therapist. I'm not sure why they are. Again, as a therapist, I think it's a much more lucrative system. I can see more clients at the same time because I don't have to be in the room with them, and they can have privacy. But also, I feel for the client themselves, I think it's a better experience. It's much less invasive.
Joanna Stanescu [00:28:20]:
It's much more comfortable. They're in control of the water. They can turn off the water, take a break anytime that they want to. With the closed system, the therapist is more in control. And the very few clients that have mentioned they preferred the closed system. That is usually the reason why they say they prefer the closed system is that they liked having the therapist in the room. They liked that it was almost a more guided session. As opposed to being on your own.
Joanna Stanescu [00:28:48]:
I like being on my own. A lot of my clients like that they are able to have privacy and I'm not in the room with them as they're pooping and farting. And for a lot of people, it can be a little bit of an embarrassing experience. And you can imagine if you're embarrassed, you're not going to be able to let go as easily.
Erin Holt [00:29:04]:
The closed system, there's a lot of cramping with that, at least in my experience. And I mean I've probably at this point done it like 15 times. And it's like always, it's, it's pretty uncomfortable. I mean you feel better afterward, but it's not a very enjoyable experience when you're going through it. In my experience, I'm like, oh, this is so relaxing. I'm like, I'm like cold sweating, you know, like panicking and the person is in there with you, which is like I don't like. I think I would prefer to be by myself in that situation. So that, that makes a lot of sense.
Erin Holt [00:29:35]:
Is there any contraindications for this, people that should not do it?
Joanna Stanescu [00:29:41]:
Yep. So if you're missing an ileocecal valve, which I've only come across this once in the last almost two decades of my career, I didn't even know that was a thing. But the ileocecal valve is a one way valve from the small intestine to the large intestine. So that is what is preventing the from backing up into the small intestine and your stomach and up and out your mouth. So if you're missing that valve, obviously do not do colon hydrotherapy. Some other contraindications are going to be any recent surgeries in the intestines, anything pelvic floor related in that area. If you're cleared to exercise, you're cleared to do colon hydrotherapy. With active flare ups, some people will have Crohn's or diverticulitis, like an active flare up of it.
Joanna Stanescu [00:30:33]:
That could go either way and I take it on a case by case basis. Same thing with hemorrhoids. Right. The reason why that it's flaring up is because you're constipated and so getting that impacted stool out is going to alleviate that inflammation and actually allow the colon to heal. But sometimes when we're in a hyperinflamed state, even introducing something as gentle as water can be irritating. So just a case by case basis is what I go by for that. Active bleeding, hemorrhoids again, same thing. After active bleeding, usually it's better to wait.
Joanna Stanescu [00:31:13]:
But if you're not pooping and that's the reason why those hemorrhoids are bleeding, then doing colon hydrotherapy or an enema might really be beneficial and allow some of that pressure to release. First and third trimester of a pregnancy are going to be considered the riskier trimesters. The second trimester is the most stable one. I've had clients do colon hydrotherapy throughout their entire pregnancy. Those were clients that were doing colon hydrotherapy for years before they were pregnant. And again, generally, if you do something before you get pregnant, for the most part, you can still do it once you are pregnant. If you've never done colon hydrotherapy before, you're now pregnant, I would probably avoid that first and third trimester, get a clearance from your OBGYN. And the reason for that is you're inducing that peristalsis action.
Joanna Stanescu [00:32:07]:
You're inducing cramps, so you don't want to create a miscarriage or an early, early pregnancy.
Erin Holt [00:32:14]:
How often? For the average person, I'm sure it depends case by case on what's going on, but how often would you recommend somebody do this?
Joanna Stanescu [00:32:22]:
It depends on your body, your goals, your challenges. But the closer you keep sessions together, the better it is. In one session, you're going to move a lot. You're going to absorb a lot of water. You'll notice over the next few days, your bowels are fuller, more hydrated, it's easier to go to the bathroom. I like doing two or three sessions within the same week, regardless, because you're just going to move more. A lot of clients, when I first say that to them, they're a little hesitant. They think I'm trying to sell them a package or something.
Joanna Stanescu [00:32:48]:
And then they come back, they do two, three sessions within the same week, and they're like, oh, my gosh, I moved more than last session. I moved more than last session. I'm like, yeah, I told you I wasn't lying. Because you're getting in deeper, you're soaking more, you're loosening more things up. If you're dealing with chronic constipation, I. I would recommend two or three sessions within the same week for two or three weeks with some dietary changes until we can notice that things are more regular. I have clients with great digestion, regular bowels, who still love to come in on a weekly basis because they love how they feel coming in at that frequency, and when they don't, they notice it. So it's really up to you.
Joanna Stanescu [00:33:26]:
And I would say do one session, see how you feel, and if you feel like you would benefit from more, go for more.
Erin Holt [00:33:36]:
All right, so to close out, I know that you love telling people to look at your poop. Make it a daily practice to actually look at your poop and see if it's normal. See what's going on. So tell us what is normal? What should we be looking for if we're looking at our poop?
Joanna Stanescu [00:33:51]:
Yep. So normal is going to be first thing in the morning and about 20, 30 minutes after each large meal. So if you're having three large meals a day, ideally you should be going to the bathroom four times a day. The bowels should be easy to pass, well formed and some shade of brown, possibly maybe green or red if you had some chlorophyll or beets or something like that. Should not be black, should not be white, should not be bloody. Those are things that you should consult with a healthcare practitioner about. And, you know, a lot of people will refer to Bristol's stool chart to see if they're constipated or have diarrhea. And I hate that chart because usually if you're constipated, you already know that you are.
Joanna Stanescu [00:34:33]:
And if you've got diarrhea, you usually already know that you do. And this Bristol stool chart doesn't tell you what caused the constipation or the diarrhea or how to fix it. So I recreated Bristol stool chart and I titled it the Poop Doctor's Perfect Poop Chart. And in this chart you will see the different types of constipation, what could be causing it and how to fix it. And same with loose stool as well.
Erin Holt [00:34:57]:
Where can people find that chart?
Joanna Stanescu [00:34:59]:
Yep. So you can find me on Instagram @therealpoopdoctor. Or at sbhspa, as in South Bay Holistic SPH Spa. You'll find poop chart.
Erin Holt [00:35:09]:
We will of course link all of this up in the show notes. Thank you so much, Joanna. Hopefully we didn't upset anybody by talking too much about poop, but I really wanted people to know about this as a resource because it's been something that's been helpful for me and I know a lot of others and I appreciate you sharing your wisdom with us.
Joanna Stanescu [00:35:27]:
You're very welcome. Some conversations are shitty to have, but we have to have them. Well, thanks for having me, Erin.
Erin Holt [00:35:41]:
Thanks for joining me for this episode of the Funk'tional Nutrition Podcast. If you got something from today's show, don't forget to subscribe, leave a review, share with a friend and keep coming back for more. Take care of you.