What's in YOUR wallet...er...colon?

[CaveDave]

I've heard for years from sCAMers, people involved with same, and health suppliment merchants, statements that as a person ages, the colon becomes coated (like a scaled-up pipe) with fecal matter that putrifies and poisons the body. One tale claims a 40 year-old corn flake was found in someone's gut. A recent infomercial claimed that that the average person has as much as 22 pounds (10 kilograms) of stagnent feces in their gut at any given time. They also claimed that actor John Wayne, at autopsy, had 44 pounds (20 kilograms) in his large intestine, according to the pathologist (sounds unethical to reveal, but that's another question). The implication is that it never clears out, but forms a static coating. These statistics are always associated with a sales pitch for expensive "cleansing" kits, usually touted as "natural" and "herbal" that they say you need to use on a regular basis.

My boss's wife is a pathologist, and she says normally there is much less found. Also, it seems to me that when someone goes in for colonoscopy, the purging procedure they must prep with would have startling results for everyone who used it (as in exceptional volume evacuated). Also, if there were large amounts left behind, the colonoscopist would squawk.

So, my question is, is there really a coating/stagnation/putrifying/toxic accumulation in the colon, or does fecal matter reside for a limited time on a more or less first-in, first-out basis.

I think it's a woo money scheme (the kits I've heard of are quite pricey), but then I'm not a doctor.

I don't even play one on TV.:D

Dave

[MRC_Hans]

That is, of course, 99% nonsense (I would have said crap, but that would have been too low, even for me).

Some colon content can get fairly old. Apart from what is in your appendix (if you have one), most people of advanced age have some diverticles (I'm not sure this is the correct term in English), small baggy appendages to the colon, created by pressure. The content in those can get rather old, too, but we are talking weeks, not years. Thus, as some people who suffers seriously from diverticles can have dozens of them, I suppose that the residue left there might go into pounds in extreme cases, but otherwise .... :nope:

Hans

[clarsct]

Sounds a whole lot like the "toxins" flushed by coffee enemas and the like. Isn't there an electrolyte balance that can be shifted with bad results from trying such things?

[richardm]

Originally posted by CaveDave
One tale claims a 40 year-old corn flake was found in someone's gut.

How did they know it was 40 years old? Did it have a cereal number on it? :D

[davidhorman]

One tale claims a 40 year-old corn flake was found in someone's gut.

How do you date a cornflake?

David

[MRC_Hans]

Originally posted by davidhorman
How do you date a cornflake?

David Somewhat like with dendrochronology, only they count the crop-circles :roll:.

Hans

[Zep]

Originally posted by CaveDave
One tale claims a 40 year-old ... flake was found in someone's gut. John Edward??

[MRC_Hans]

And, let's not go into how one identifies an old corn flake in the colon of somebody :eek:.

Or how something as destructible made it there through the digestive tract in the first place. ..... Unless it was inserted from the other end, which would explain why the holder would not admit it was a recent addition :roll:.

"A corn-flake?? That must have been from when I wuz a kid."

Kinda seriously, sometimes a single item of a text shows just how little credibility the entie piece can hold. I think this is such a case.

Hans

[Sarah-I]

Hans,

In English they are referred to as Diverticular pockets or pouches. Infection produces Diverticulitis. I agreee that matter can become trapped in here.

As for the rest, I think it is rubbish too.

[brodski]

Originally posted by davidhorman
How do you date a cornflake?

David

flowers? Wine? Chocolates? or just dinner and movie.

But you wont get anywhere untill you ask her

;)






I appolgise for the poor quality of this post, any resemblence to humour is entirly coincidental)

[MRC_Hans]

Sounds OK, but who is really desparate enough to wanna date a 40 year old cornflake?

Hans

[Deetee]

Sarah, while you're here and your migraine's better, do you think you could now address the questions for you on CST?

The normally functioning human bowel does not leave behind any stagnant material or toxic accumulations.

As Hans says, sometimes faeces can become stuck in the pouches (diverticulum, plural diverticula) of the large bowel for a while. If it is stuck for too long, the pouch becomes inflammed and the person becomes ill with an attack of diverticulitis.

Very occasionally, usually in the elderly whose bowel peristalsis (the rhythmic smooth muscle contractions that help regulate flow along the bowel) can become a bit dodgy, there may be an accumulation in the rectum or sigmoid colon of very hard, constipated (impacted) faeces. This is not wot the woos try to sell colonic irrigation therapy for however - they maintain that there can be a build up of years and years of toxic waste- this is complete BS.

[brodski]

Originally posted by MRC_Hans
Sounds OK, but who is really desparate enough to wanna date a 40 year old cornflake?

Hans

there is someone for everyone out there ;)

and I'm not prepared to listen to any more of your ageist anti-cornflake bigotry! :D

[EdipisReks]

what's in MY wallet? ears. strangely, it's the same thing that's in my colon.

[Psi Baba]

I've heard those "impacted fecal matter" commercials on the radio for several years now and they really irritate me. Recently, a local radio station had this Dr. Ted quack http://www.healthmasters.com on the air and, judging by his voice, I'm pretty sure he's the impacted fecal matter guy, only now he's pushing everything under the sun. His site has more items for sale than your average Wal-mart. Literally hundreds of books, tapes, and herbal remedies (including--yes, intestinal cleaner).

[Rolfe]

Originally posted by Deetee
The normally functioning human bowel does not leave behind any stagnant material or toxic accumulations.

As Hans says, sometimes faeces can become stuck in the pouches (diverticulum, plural diverticula) of the large bowel for a while. If it is stuck for too long, the pouch becomes inflammed and the person becomes ill with an attack of diverticulitis.

Very occasionally, usually in the elderly whose bowel peristalsis (the rhythmic smooth muscle contractions that help regulate flow along the bowel) can become a bit dodgy, there may be an accumulation in the rectum or sigmoid colon of very hard, constipated (impacted) faeces. This is not wot the woos try to sell colonic irrigation therapy for however - they maintain that there can be a build up of years and years of toxic waste- this is complete BS. I guess DeeTee said it all. How come we don't hear from surgeons or pathologists who see this layer of waste? (Apart from the John Wayne story, which I simply don't believe.) 'Cos it isn't there.

I have to admit to never having seen inside a human bowel. However, I've seen inside innumerable domestic animal bowels, both dead and alive, their owners in all states of health from terminally ill to perfectly healthy (until they met with the fatal accident that caused me to get to see inside....) None of them has shown anything at all resembling this description. In animals eating normally you see the usual bowel contents. In animals which haven't been eating, the bowel is (as you'd expect) empty.

And if there's some weird peculiarity of the human intestine that makes it do anything different, then nobody told me about it. And DeeTee isn't lying, I'm sure. :D

So, who might be lying, do we think?

Rolfe.

[Bronze Dog]

Originally posted by Rolfe
(Apart from the John Wayne story, which I simply don't believe.)
And for good reason... (http://www.snopes.com/toxins/fecal.htm)

[aggle-rithm]

Originally posted by BronzeDog
And for good reason... (http://www.snopes.com/toxins/fecal.htm)

If they really want to scare people, why don't they talk about the crap that builds up on the inside of your ARTERIES?

Oh, right... because they don't have a simple, woo-woo Tidy-Bowl solution to that problem.

[aggle-rithm]

Originally posted by MRC_Hans
.....small baggy appendages to the colon.... The content in those can get rather old, too....dozens of them....residue left there might go into pounds....
Hans

Well, so much for lunch. :(

[Lisa Simpson]

My youngest son did a report for school on John Wayne and came across that rumor. We found the snopes article, but other kids in his class who also did their reports on John Wayne, did not.

My former Pilates instructor was big on colon-cleansing. Actually, the colon was one of her favorite topics of discussion. She once told me that vitamins are so tightly compressed that they pass through the digestive system undisolved!

[Ririon]

Originally posted by aggle-rithm
If they really want to scare people, why don't they talk about the crap that builds up on the inside of your ARTERIES?

Oh, right... because they don't have a simple, woo-woo Tidy-Bowl solution to that problem.

Now, THAT statement makes me skeptical... :)

A direct parallel would be lethal to the patient (bloodletting/intravenous drain cleaner) but I'm sure there are more than enough "natural" ways to heal heart disease. The market is just to big for there not to be.

Ririon

[brodski]

Originally posted by aggle-rithm
If they really want to scare people, why don't they talk about the crap that builds up on the inside of your ARTERIES?

Oh, right... because they don't have a simple, woo-woo Tidy-Bowl solution to that problem.

I thought that was what "cupping" is used for by fools and thedecived these days, despite the praticse originating before blood circulation theory was accepted ;)

There is a simple and easy woo fix for every medical complaint,
if only some of them actually worked :p

(editied for some of the more obvious spelling mistakes)

[Jas]

One very woo raw-foodist I used to know was convinced that this was true. I tried to argue with him, but to no avail. I asked for sources, and he said he saw it in "an autopsy book". Whatever.

I essentially told him that if he felt the need to irrigate his colon (aside from the fact that you're talking about poo, that sounds dirty), fine, but don't tell me the details.

BTW, aren't there some very real medical risks involved in the procedure? I seem to recall there being cases of perforated colons and such.

**edited to correct typos

[jmercer]

Having had a colonoscopy and having seen the inside of my colon - and the prep for the procedure - I can unequivacally say the following items regarding MY colon:

1) The prep didn't dislodge 10 lbs of material - not at all.

2) During the procedure, the intestine (a healthy one, at least) is pink, smooth and slightly shiny.

No "strange coatings". :)

There is a small risk of perforation, but that's usually associated with polyps being removed from the wall of an intestine at an unfortunately weak point. I had several polyps removed safely. :)

[CaveDave]

Originally posted by richardm
How did they know it was 40 years old? Did it have a cereal number on it? :D
:dl: Good one!
I'm only guessing, but maybe the person knew no corn flakes passed his lips in 40 years?

Dave

[CaveDave]

Originally posted by Deetee


The normally functioning human bowel does not leave behind any stagnant material or toxic accumulations.
I didn't think so, but when it's repeated everywhere one goes, one starts to doubt one's beliefs.

Originally posted by Deetee
As Hans says, sometimes faeces can become stuck in the pouches (diverticulum, plural diverticula) of the large bowel for a while. If it is stuck for too long, the pouch becomes inflammed and the person becomes ill with an attack of diverticulitis.
Yeah, years ago I worked for a radiologist, and he told me about those.

Originally posted by Deetee
Very occasionally, usually in the elderly whose bowel peristalsis (the rhythmic smooth muscle contractions that help regulate flow along the bowel) can become a bit dodgy, there may be an accumulation in the rectum or sigmoid colon of very hard, constipated (impacted) faeces. This is not wot the woos try to sell colonic irrigation therapy for however - they maintain that there can be a build up of years and years of toxic waste- this is complete BS.
They also sell kits of things you ingest to "cleanse" from the top down (as opposed to vice-versa):D

Thanks (to all) for the support of my views of reality.

Dave

[aggle-rithm]

Originally posted by Ririon
Now, THAT statement makes me skeptical... :)

A direct parallel would be lethal to the patient (bloodletting/intravenous drain cleaner) but I'm sure there are more than enough "natural" ways to heal heart disease. The market is just to big for there not to be.

Ririon

When my wife had to have her gall bladder removed a couple of years ago, her aunt told her to drink a large quantity of olive oil and lemon juice and it would clean the gallstones out.

The aunt says it worked for her...she did this and then did a (WARNING: DO NOT READ THE FOLLOWING SENTENCE FRAGMENT) fecal inventory over the next few days, which netted a few small stones. Classic post hoc, propter hoc thinking.

Seemed a little dicey to me... unless the olive oil could somehow back up into the bile duct from the small intestine, the only way this concoction could get into the gall bladder is to get digested, enter the bloodstream, get processed by the liver, and excreted as bile. We went with the surgery, instead.

[CaveDave]

Originally posted by BronzeDog
And for good reason... (http://www.snopes.com/toxins/fecal.htm)
From BD's citation:[Collected on the Internet, 1999]
By the way when they did an autopsy on John Wayne (Mr. Macho himself) 40 pounds of impacted fecal matter was removed from his death inducing cancerous colon. That's because Humans are not evolved for Animal eating. Animal fats lodge in the folds and pockets of our intestines. Carnivores have smooth intestinal linings and do not have these problems.

So, THAT ( militant vegies) may be part of the motivation for the lies!

From BD's citation:
[USA Today, 1999]
It's said that, according to the autopsy, John Wayne had 40 pounds of impacted fecal matter in his body at death. Elvis reportedly had 60 pounds.

I hadn't heard that one yet.

From BD's citation:
Origins: Â_ Here we have another classic case of scary-sounding misinformation being propagated because it suits the agenda of various groups. Advocates of colonic irrigation use this scarelore to indict the American "goo and glue" diet and validate their claim that the practice is a safe and effective means of curing a variety of ailments by purging the body of all sorts of sludge and toxins. Vegetarian groups employ this horror story to demonstrate that a meat-based diet is both unnatural and unhealthy for human beings. Hence stories circulate about alleged post-mortem discoveries that celebrities (such as John Wayne and Elvis Presley) who epitomized the "meat and potatoes" diet, gluttony, or other negative eating habits had some tremendous amount (40, 60, or even 80 pounds) of "impacted fecal matter" or "impacted feces" lodged in their intestines.

Anecdotes such as these are, in a word, crap.
Hans:
Looks like someone else said it for you. :D :D

From BD's citation:
It is possible for fecal matter to become impacted and lodge in the digestive system. In most cases, the colon tissues eventually stretch so that stool can push its way around the impacted matter and be evacuated. If this condition continues too long, however, the colon can stretch to the point that its nerves are no longer capable of receiving signals effectively, and the afflicted person loses voluntary control over the contraction of his bowel muscles and becomes incontinent.

Now, think about how long a person would have to suffer with a serious and painful affliction such as this one to accumulate 80 pounds (or 60 pounds or 40 pounds) of "impacted fecal matter." In 1994, an Israeli man sought medical attention because he was suffering from severe constipation two days after having eaten a large quantity of pomegranates. He refused to allow doctors to adminster an enema, fled the hospital, and returned a week later in severe pain and bleeding from his rectum. This time the doctors operated to remove the impacted feces. How much fecal matter did they remove? Half a kilogram, or a little over a pound. Just one pound of impacted feces was causing extreme pain and rectal bleeding in this patient, but we're to believe that people can accumulate up to 80 pounds of the stuff without being aware of it? :D

Thanks for that citation, BronzeDog!

Dave

[Bronze Dog]

Originally posted by CaveDave
Thanks for that citation, BronzeDog!

Dave
I do what I can. :) It's one of my regularly visited sites. Still not sure if I've seen it all.

Thought I've entertained: Sending out an anti-urban legend chain email.

[Rolfe]

Originally posted by CaveDave
So, THAT ( militant vegies) may be part of the motivation for the lies!Looks as if we're back in the Studies showing humans are omnivores (http://forums.randi.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=59407) thread.

Oh, it's all so clear to me now! I was describing domestic animal intestines, and reporting the utter lack of anything resembling these descriptions in there. But how could I have been so blind? These animals are natural carnivores (or herbivores) eating the diet that is natural to them. (Just don't factor in that most of these animals would have been eating commercial pet food and cross-reference this with the "raw meaty bones" web sites....) So of course I saw nothing. While all the time, in man, eating this unnatural mess of animal fats, our intestines are in such a mess! Now why didn't I realise that earlier?

Not.

Hey, maybe there's a money-making scam here! Put it about that commercial pet foods cause all these pounds of crud to coat the intestines of dogs and cats, and start promoting colon cleansing for animals! At a really hefty fee, of course!

This would almost certainly be classed as an act of veterinary surgery, so no common or garden woo could muscle in on my patch, and if the RCVS tolerates vets peddling homoeopathy and acupuncture and so on, then why would they bother with me?

On second thoughts, EWWWW!!!

Rolfe.

[MRC_Hans]

Originally posted by Rolfe
*snip*
Hey, maybe there's a money-making scam here! Put it about that commercial pet foods cause all these pounds of crud to coat the intestines of dogs and cats, and start promoting colon cleansing for animals! At a really hefty fee, of course!
*snip*
Rolfe. Colon cleansing a live cat :eek:? I sure would need a hefty fee for that :(.

Either that or a full metal suit.

Hans

[Rolfe]

Originally posted by MRC_Hans
Colon cleansing a live cat :eek:? I sure would need a hefty fee for that :(.

Either that or a full metal suit.There are several highly effective short-acting anaesthetics that would make the job very easy indeed. For those licensed to use them. Told you I'd not have any amateur woos muscling in on this one!

Of course, admitting that the anaesthetic death rate in dogs is about 1 in 1500 and for cats about 1 in 700 (for elective procedures) is something I'd probably not want to mention....

Rolfe.

[Perpetual Notion]

When I was in graduate school, I sat next to someone who had been sucked into selling Herbalife. At the time, they were promoting their stuff as colon cleansing. I don't know if they still do. There was no convincing her that stuff doesn't stick to the lining of your colon. I was tempted to bring in some chitlins from the butcher shop just to make a point.

My aerobics instructor was also into the Herbalife colon cleanse thing and cleansed herself right into the emergency room because of dehydration.

We have people on my unit from time to time who are there because of impaction and the reason they're impacted is because they're over 80 years old, not because they're carnivores. They get a few enemas and go home the next day. None of them has had 40 lbs of fecal matter in them - trust me, I'd have heard about it - for years. Oh, the intake interviews I've conducted while the patient was sitting on the bedside commode (that's toilet for my UK friends). Ah, what a glamorous life I lead. Maybe I'll sell Herbalife instead.

[B.S]

I have had the colonoscope procedure performed three times, at five year intervals. I have seen none of this ancient matter, and I consume lots of animals. I have also remained awake for the procedures and seen nothing but clear, intestinal walls during the show. All older ( 9 of them ) members of my family go through this also, and none have reported anything to support this crazy notion.

[CaveDave]

Thanks to all of you for the usefull replies.:)

Dave

[CaveDave]

In another thread, Fowlsound posted this link dealing with quack/sCAM claims about vitamins and suppliments. (This is #18 in a list of 25.)

the link is: http://www.quackwatch.org/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/spotquack.html


18. They Use Disclaimers Couched in Pseudomedical Jargon.

Instead of promising to cure your disease, some quacks will promise to "detoxify," "purify," or "revitalize" your body; "balance" its chemistry or "electromagnetic energy"; bring it in harmony with nature; "stimulate" or "strengthen" your immune system; "support" or "rejuvenate" various organs in your body; or stimulate your body's power to heal itself. Of course, they never identify or make valid before-and-after measurements of any of these processes. These disclaimers serve two purposes. First, since it is impossible to measure the processes quacks allege, it may be difficult to prove them wrong. Moreover, if a quack is not a physician, the use of nonmedical terminology may help to avoid prosecution for practicing medicine without a license -- although it shouldn't.

Some approaches to "detoxification" are based on notions that, as a result of intestinal stasis, intestinal contents putrefy, and toxins are formed and absorbed, which causes chronic poisoning of the body. This "autointoxication" theory was popular around the turn of the century but was abandoned by the scientific community during the 1930s. No such "toxins" have ever been found, and careful observations have shown that individuals in good health can vary greatly in bowel habits. Quacks may also suggest that fecal material collects on the lining of the intestine and causes trouble unless removed by laxatives, colonic irrigation, special diets, and/or various herbs or food supplements that "cleanse" the body. The falsity of this notion is obvious to doctors who perform intestinal surgery or peer within the large intestine with a diagnostic instrument. Fecal material does not adhere to the intestinal lining. Colonic irrigation is done by inserting a tube into the rectum and pumping up to 20 gallons of water in and out. This type of enema is not only therapeutically worthless but can cause fatal electrolyte imbalance. Cases of death due to intestinal perforation and infection (from contaminated equipment) have also been reported.

Quite apropos. Thanks, Fowlsound.

Dave

Edited to correct spelling of member's name.
ETA quote delimiters.

[ClintonHammond]

So I'll refresh this instead of starting a new thread, cause I'm curious...

If So-called "Cleansing Diets" aren't clearing out old fecal matter and what-have-you, what is all the gunk that people CLAIM to be passing???

What ARE these 'diets' doing to a persons body??

[Jaggy Bunnet]

Of course, admitting that the anaesthetic death rate in dogs is about 1 in 1500 and for cats about 1 in 700 (for elective procedures) is something I'd probably not want to mention....

Rolfe.

And just how high do you think the POST anaesthetic death rate would be for all involved once the cat came round and found out what you had been up to?

699 in 700 sounds about right to me, leaving the 1 whose cat died on the table (unless the other cats find their address...)

[Lisa Simpson]

So I'll refresh this instead of starting a new thread, cause I'm curious...

If So-called "Cleansing Diets" aren't clearing out old fecal matter and what-have-you, what is all the gunk that people CLAIM to be passing???

What ARE these 'diets' doing to a persons body??

The cleansing diets are high in (insoluble) fiber, so they are merely passing the fibrous material they just ate, along with anything else they ate.

[ClintonHammond]

Got a source for that? (Not that I don't trust you, but I don't trust anything...)

,-)

What about the claims of near instant weight loss?

[Lisa Simpson]

The danger of these practices depends upon how much they are used and whether they are substituted for necessary medical care. Whereas a 1-day fast is likely to be harmless (though useless), prolonged fasting can be fatal. "Cleansing" with products composed of herbs and dietary fiber is unlikely to be physically harmful, but the products involved can be expensive. Some people have reported expelling large amounts of what they claim to be feces that have accumulated on he intestinal wall. However, experts believe these are simply "casts" formed by the fiber contained in the "cleansing" products.

http://www.quackwatch.org/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/gastro.html

ETA: Any time you poop, you lose weight. Whenever you add or subtract something from your body, you gain or lose weight. If you eat an apple, you will instantly "gain" the weight of the apple (at least until it is digested and converted to energy). If you pee an ounce of urine, you will lose an ounce of body weight.

[ClintonHammond]

Thanks fer the URL LS!!

[SteveGrenard]

John Wayne died from lung cancer. It is reasonable to assume he was on fairly heavy doses of opiates; opiates are highly constipating. I cannot
comment on the truth of whether the reports of 40 or whatever pounds of fecal material were present at post-mortem ......but given the pain of his condition and the use of opiates for same, it is very likely and not at all unusual.

[ClintonHammond]

"40 or whatever pounds of fecal material were present at post-mortem"
If you can trust Snopes, there was never any such postmortem done on John Wayne... So the claim that ANYTHING was found in his colon at autopsy is BS....

[ChristineR]

Snopes on the colon:

http://www.snopes.com/horrors/gruesome/fecalcolon.asp

The story has been attached to several celebrities, not unlike the one about the gerbil....:shocked:

[casebro]

Re: the Olive oil and Lemon Juice thing,

When mixed together in your stomache, they basically form a soap/wax substance. It tends to coagulate on it's way down the pike, and will come out as 'toxin balls'. So a feces inventory will show "By gosh, I've really detoxified myself this time!" You sure have, detoxified your self of the 'toxins' you just put in.

Was this on a thread here last year? Or where did I come by it?

[jon]

btw, there's already colon cleansing products for pets (http://www.hsu.com/parasite_cleansing.htm) on the market. I couldn't find anyone doing colonic irrigation, though - so Rolfe could still open a whole new market here :D

[robinson]

A good colonic irrigation can allow you to shed 20 to 40 pounds in an hour, depending on how full of crap you are. A bout of diarrhea will do the same thing, but it takes longer, and isn't any fun at all.

[Psiload]

A good colonic irrigation can allow you to shed 20 to 40 pounds in an hour, depending on how full of crap you are. A bout of diarrhea will do the same thing, but it takes longer, and isn't any fun at all.

I'm curious. Did you even read through this thread before you posted these claims?

[robinson]

I didn't read much. Just thought the thread title was funny. I was speaking from experience. Your mileage may vary.

But I didn't make that clear, I see now. It was a long time ago, when I was sick and fat. Now there is only about 10 pounds. Mostly water and bacteria. Except after thanksgiving dinner.

You also have to be constipated to have that much weight in there. Chronic constipation would be the reason for that much weight to be a constant.

I've heard for years from sCAMers, people involved with same, and health suppliment merchants, statements that as a person ages, the colon becomes coated (like a scaled-up pipe) with fecal matter that putrifies and poisons the body. One tale claims a 40 year-old corn flake was found in someone's gut. A recent infomercial claimed that that the average person has as much as 22 pounds (10 kilograms) of stagnent feces in their gut at any given time.

Well, they might think so, but it really is just a constant flow of new crap. If the surface is coated, you can't absorb water or nutrients, big problems. I'm sure it was pointed out, diverticulitis can indeed trap old particles, but undigested stuff is usually seeds or other hard to process items. The statistics of "the average person has as much as 22 pounds" is probably misleading. Some people have way more crap in them, bringing the average up.

Some overweight people might have 50 or more pounds of crap in them, at any time. Its mostly water and bacteria, but still, there are some people walking around, always full of crap. They bring the average up. It isn't fair at all.

If you ever have to get a colon scan, the stuff they give you to drink, will allow you to know how much crap you have in you. Because all of it is going to come out. Weighing it might be a problem, so just weigh yourself, before and after.

[anonimouse]

Robinson,

I really want to know what kind of drugs you're on.

50 pounds of feces? You're shi--er, nevermind.

[SteveGrenard]

Robinson,

I really want to know what kind of drugs you're on.



It's not laxatives that's for sure.

[casebro]

Acording to my own "Corn Test", in which I pay attention to how long it takes corn on the cob to make the journey, I have one day's worth of chime in me. Even as big as I am, I don't think I eat 10 pounds of food in a day. One pound is an awful lot for one meal for most people. So I have my doubts about being able to flush out 20 to 40 pounds out of anybody, no matter how strong the laxitive.

Of course, yesterday morning it FELT like a 10 pounder... but if it was about a kilbasa, about one pound, plus the butcher's thumb on the scale.

[robinson]

I stand, or perhaps sit, corrected. I was obviously talking out of my ass. Talkin sheet. I was full of it, mayhaps being a colonblo (http://www.colonblo.com)hard, having never actually weighed any of the subject in question. Now, after performing experiments, it seems yes indeed, while it may feel like a ten pounder, the scale tells another story.

Combined with the objectionable occasional flatus, the unscientific mind assumes that because the belt can be tightened a couple of notches, and one feels light and free, it must be a considerable weight lifted from the mortal vessel, when in fact, it is nothing more than a Kilo at most.

All that being said, a bout of the foul bowel, or Montazumas revenge, as the wit might say, (oh Campylobacter jejuni, how I hate thee), does result in a large quantity of fluid being ejected, an unusual situation, (water that should have been absorbed and recycled by the humble kidney being passed into the equation), resulting in a skewed result, poundage wise, which will result in a remarkable amount of weight loss, in record time.

As noted above, this equation can be balanced by an intake of fluid.

While it may seem like a lot of sheet, in fact it is mostly water and bacteria, the body being able to provide its own high colonic without any cost, other than the screaming and the running, just another high point in the human condition.

[Beady]

So, my question is, is there really a coating/stagnation/putrifying/toxic accumulation in the colon, or does fecal matter reside for a limited time on a more or less first-in, first-out basis.
Tell you what; here's a 57-year-old colon. Form your own opinion:

http://forums.randi.org/imagehosting/189445c1fc4a2002d.jpg