Colon cleansing

From New Scientist:

Colon cleansing can supposedly help you lose weight, eliminate toxins and enhance well-being. But a review of scientific research shows that claims of health benefits from such procedures may be a steaming pile of nonsense.

Ranit Mishori at Georgetown University in Washington DC and colleagues reviewed 20 studies on colon cleansing published in medical literature over the past decade. The reports showed little evidence of benefit but plenty of negative side effects, including vomiting, electrolyte imbalance and kidney failure.

Surprise, surprise, huh? Were people really gullible enough to think otherwise? But this is the part that gets me:

David Greenwald, a gastroenterologist at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City, agrees with the findings. Although colonic cleansing may sound appealing, "there is no scientific evidence that really validates that", he says.

Um,... what? Having someone shove a tube up your butt to give you an enema "may sound appealing"? To whom? Who in the heck would think that sounded appealing?

Sometimes I wonder about my species...