Colon Function and Shape

A healthy normally functioning digestive and elimination system means the cecum is located in the lower right abdomen.  From there the bowel rises up into the ascending colon until it reaches the first turn toward the left.  This turning point is called the hepatic flexure because it’s close to the liver.

From there the bowel travels across the abdomen beneath the stomach until it reaches the second turn called the splenic flexure.  This section of the bowel, transverse colon, is the only organ within the body that makes a transit from right to left.

In a normal bowel the transverse colon makes a slightly upward turn to the splenic flexure.  From the splenic flexure, the bowel moves down as the descending colon until it reaches the sigmoid colon just above the rectum.  Here in the sigmoid is the holding place for feces waiting to be eliminated.  The rectum continues from the sigmoid and makes an “S”-like bend into the anus where the anal sphincter (one way valve) is located.

Well, that’s a brief synopsis of a healthy colon.  However, there are many obstacles we must be aware of that interfere with this ideal.  When the body poisons itself because elimination is not healthy, it’s called autointoxication.  Autointoxication is the result of faulty bowel functioning which produces undesirable consequences in the body and is the root cause of many of today’s diseases.

Unfortunately modern civilization with all its perks, has the greatest bowel disturbances.  We find that native peoples living close to the land and nature do not experience such diseases as diverticulitis, colitis, Crohn’s and the like.

So what makes these bowel disorders in our culture?  It’s hard to pinpoint because circumstances vary.  Individuals suffer from one aspect more intensely than another due to environmental factors and personal living habits.