It might behoove you to know more.

Pam Hill, owner of P.J's Angelic Resources on 310th St. in Federal Way, knows all about colons and how they affect your health.

Pam had a bout with cancer twenty-two years ago and chose not to use chemotherapy or radiation, opting instead for colonic hydrotherapy.

"I was 85 pounds and taxi cab yellow and the doctors told me I had seven months to a year to live. Colon hydrotherapy was the first option offered to me...it played a big role in my own healing."

Pam learned the therapy in Florida and became certified by the Internal Association of Colon Hydrotherapists (I-ACT) and then spent two years helping people in the Portland, Oregon area.

"It changed my way of thinking. Our birthright is not to come here and die of a terrible disease," she said. "Colon therapy is a gift of life, I decided I wanted to share that with others."

The colon is the part of the large intestine that extends from the cecum, or beginning of the large intestine to the rectum, but includes the ascending, transverse, descending and sigmoid as concurrent parts.

Its function is thought to be in extracting water from feces, and colonic hydrotherapists believe that years of pollution and toxins in our food and water accumulating on the walls of the colon causes a number of health problems and inhibits the detoxification of waste materials from the blood, immune system and liver.

According to a brochure that Pam gave me, colon hydrotherapy works to detoxify, soothe and tone the muscle and promotes healthy peristalsis (the rhythmic contraction of smooth muscles as they propel contents through the digestive tract) so the colon can function more efficiently.

Pam is an effusive and instantly likeable person. She bounces and gesticulates when she talks and there is no question that she is full of positive energy.

On my way in to interview Pam, I passed a young lady who was just leaving. Inside, I asked if the girl was a client.

"Oh, Connie, yes!...I'll call her and ask her to come back!"

When Connie returned, she was almost as buoyant as Pam.

"I've had ten treatments so far and it really does work!" she exclaimed.

Connie explained that she had been very sick for the past two years.

"I was bloated up like a balloon...over 185 pounds. I noticed improvements after the second treatment." Connie qualified that statement by saying, "but it's not a quick fix to get skinny."

Pam interjected, "It's a lifestyle change."

Along with hydrotherapy sessions, Pam gives her clients nutritional advice.

"You can come in and empty it out, but you don't want to put more junk back in...you need good, clean, wholesome foods."

Connie agreed, repeating, "It really does work, but you have to listen (to Pam's counseling)." After her treaments, she feels so clean that she giggles, " I don't want to eat anymore!

Pam explained that colonic cleansing has been practiced since ancient times.

"It brings life to the body...when the surfaces (of the colon) are clean, the body can function."

Pam says that she assists people with counseling and the therapies, and that while she is not a doctor or pharmacist, "I have a good rapport with Naturopathic doctors."

I called a local Naturopath to learn more. Dr. Jennifer McCollum ND told me, "It's good for people to clean out toxic, sluggish bowels." and then suggested moderation, " but too many could be irritating."

What is a typical hydrotherapy session like? First, Pam asks that you do not eat before your appointment, then, once you arrive, she asks you if there are any pre-existing medical conditions she should be aware of like diverticulitis, recent colon surgery or polyps which could preclude a treatment.

With an all clear, you change into a gown and lie face up on a treatment table. A single-use, disposable speculum is introduced with filtered, temperature-regulated water that flows into the colon.

Peristalsis "pushes" feces out through the hose to be disposed in a closed waste system.Pam may place some warm stones on your stomach and/or do a gentle massage of your abdomen. Any debris from the colon is contained in the closed system and goes out through waste tubes. An initial, first session lasts 90 minutes and costs about $100, with follow-up treatments being 45 minutes and $85.

Because Colon Hydrotherapy is a re-emerging therapy, and because I have not had a session myself, I cannot say what the results of a treatment might be, but for anyone who might wish to know more, Pam is happy to answer any questions and you can certainly ask your physician for his or her opinion as well.

You may reach Pam at P.J's Angelic Resources at 253-941-5200.