Does a colonoscopy accurately reflect the health of your colon? To find the answer, let's begin by taking a look at how the colon works.

The body is always in survival mode; it does not know health or sickness. Because the body will not commit suicide, it adjusts to what we put in it. For instance, if we ingest a poison, the body will adjust because it recognizes the substance as toxic. In an effort to get rid of the poison as fast as it can, the body will either throw it up or expel it through violent diarrhea. A similar thing happens when viruses and bacteria are ingested. In the process of getting rid of the virus or toxin, the body will produce mucus to use as a tool to help expel this unwanted invader. That is why when we "catch a cold," the body will produce a lot of mucus. We may have a lot of coughing, spitting and blowing of the nose -- and what comes out? Mucus! Where did it come from? Naturally, from the body's own defense system. The mucus was produced for one reason: to assist in evacuation of poisons.

Now let's look at how the body helps to eliminate undigested food as well as poisons that may be found in our food. The body continually produces a mucus lining to assist in the removal of fecal material as well as toxins. If you have ever been to a colon therapist, you probably saw a lot of this mucus expelled. Similarly, people who use a lot of bowel softeners (such as Metamucil) may witness a lot of mucus being expelled during a cleansing program.

Why do we so often hear that the body needs to have a lot of fiber? Most every doctor will tell you that you need fiber. Why? Firstly, fiber helps with peristaltic action. It also acts like a brush to help remove mucus from the intestinal walls, which helps in the evacuation of unused foodstuffs. Remember that this mucus lining is something the body creates naturally to help with elimination. Therefore, if we do not have enough fiber in our diet to scratch all of this lining off, there will be a slow but certain build-up of mucus.

So, what is really going on when one has a colonoscopy and the report finds all is normal? You may even see the nice pink, healthy looking bowel wall in the video? First of all, prior to the test, you are given a harsh laxative to clear out all new fecal material. This promotes a generous amount of mucus production so that when the scope is inserted, the picture is of a nice pink mucous lining, just freshly made to assist in evacuation of the harsh laxative. What the test shows is the condition of the mucus lining of the bowel -- not the health of the bowel itself.

Day after day, week after week, month after month and year after year, if the bowel is not eliminating properly, there will be a build-up of fecal matter that will line the bowel walls, somewhat like stacking sheets of saran wrap one on top of the other. In his book Iridology: The Science and Practice in the Healing Arts, Dr. Bernard Jenson states that when John Wayne died of bowel cancer, his lower bowel weighed over 40 pounds. The normal healthy lower bowel weighs only 5 pounds! And yet what did the video show? Nice, healthy, pink mucus lining freshly made to help with the natural evacuation of waste material. The build up is behind the new pink mucous. This build-up is what constitutes the extra weight of the bowel. Can you imagine that the extra bulk in the bowel could be the reason we have some extended looking stomachs?

The solution to this problem is not to use a Band-Aid approach, but to make sure we have adequate fiber in our diet. We must consistently cleanse the bowel and, indeed, all other tissue as well. We are constantly exposed to and accumulating toxins every day. This drastically weakens the body. Just as we eat, drink and breathe every day of our lives, so do we need to cleanse every day. We take a shower every day to clean the outside of our bodies. Doesn't it make sense to clean the inside too?

As an Iridologist, I study the iris of the eye, which reveals the tissue condition of the organs of the body. When we see a darkened bowel area, German scientists and doctors alike agree that it is an indication of unhealthy tissue caused by a build-up of old fecal material. We find proof of this both through cleansing programs and autopsies. This is the reason that Iridologists focus on cleansing the body. If one does not remove the old, there is no room for the new. In other words, the body cannot build healthy new tissue unless the old toxic settlements are eliminated -- wherever they accumulate in the body.

We could ingest all the vitamins and minerals in Anchorage, but only so many will fit in a body that is half filled with toxins. And so it is: we are what we eat, from our heads to our feet. Actually, we are what we can assimilate. And a body half-filled with toxins cannot assimilate or function properly. The point is to keep the body clean, inside as well as outside, so what we put in can be assimilated and utilized for the health and happiness that we all so richly deserve.

Amie Mosely offers Cleansing Programs and Iridology Analysis in the Anchorage area. Mention this article for a 10% discount on analysis. Amie can be reached at 561-3469 or e-mail eyes@gci.net