An honest conversation about constipation, colon hydrotherapy, the lymphatic system and the myth of “old food” sitting in your bowel.
Let’s talk about poo.
It may not be the most glamorous subject, but how well you empty your bowel can make an enormous difference to how comfortable you feel in your own body.
Over the years, so many clients have come to Inner Wellbeing feeling bloated, heavy, sluggish or as though they never completely empty. Some are going every day and assume that means everything is working perfectly. But bowel health is not only about how often you go. The consistency of your stool, whether you need to strain and whether you feel fully emptied all matter too.
Constipation can mean hard or difficult-to-pass stools, infrequent bowel movements or a feeling that you have not completely emptied. It can also contribute to bloating, pressure and abdominal discomfort.
Can constipation affect your weight and tummy bulge?
If stool is sitting in the bowel, it has physical weight. Constipation, gas and bloating can also make your abdomen look and feel fuller. When the bowel empties, the number on the scales or the size of your tummy may temporarily change.
But I want to be very clear: this is not the same as losing body fat, and colon hydrotherapy should never be sold as a weight-loss treatment.
For me, the more honest conversation is about comfort. If you have been backed up, finally emptying your bowel may help you feel lighter, less full and more comfortable. It does not “melt fat”, speed up your metabolism or guarantee weight loss.
No, there is not a sausage from ten years ago stuck in your bowel
I have genuinely had people come into the clinic and say, “I stopped eating meat because another colon hydrotherapist told me they saw an old sausage in my bowel from ten years ago.”
I always have a little giggle inside and then explain, kindly, that this is not how digestion works. A practitioner cannot look at waste during a treatment and accurately identify a particular food from years ago.
Food is broken down as it travels through the digestive system. Nutrients are absorbed mainly through the small intestine, while the large bowel absorbs water and helps form and move stool. When bowel transit is slow, stool can remain longer and become harder or more difficult to pass, but it is not an intact meal sitting there for a decade.
I would much rather educate you properly than frighten you with a dramatic story.
What about mucus and “mucoid plaque”?
The bowel naturally produces mucus. This is not automatically a bad thing. Mucus helps protect the intestinal lining and allows stool to move through more easily. However, frequently seeing a lot of mucus is something worth paying attention to.
Sometimes clients tell me they need to wipe repeatedly, notice a slimy feeling after a bowel motion or find that their stool sticks to the toilet bowl and is difficult to clean. Some also experience nasal drip or congestion. In traditional natural-health practice, these patterns may be described as excess mucus or “dampness”. They are not a diagnosis on their own, and persistent visible mucus or a significant change in your stool should always be discussed with your GP.
Food and lifestyle may affect people differently. When I work with a client, I look at the whole picture, including dairy, alcohol, hydration, medication, stress, hormones, movement and individual food tolerance. I do not assume that one food is the cause for everybody.
Mucoid plaque is the term we used during my training and work in health retreats to describe longstanding mucus-like and waste material passed during structured cleansing programs. These programs involved supervised fasting, herbs and regular colon hydrotherapy. It was never about finding an intact sausage or identifying a particular meal from ten years ago. It was about what we observed as accumulated material being released over time.
Modern medicine does not use “mucoid plaque” as a standard diagnosis, so I speak about it as a term from my retreat training and hands-on experience. I worked with clients through these programs and saw what was released. This practical experience has strongly shaped how I educate clients today, while still recognising that persistent bowel symptoms may need medical investigation.
Your colon and lymphatic system both matter, but they are not the same system
The lymphatic system is a network of vessels, nodes and organs that helps return fluid to the bloodstream and supports immune function. Your bowel is part of your digestive system. These systems interact within the body, but it is not accurate to say that ordinary constipation coats the bowel with toxins, blocks the lymphatic system and causes obesity.
What I do see is that many people feel puffy, heavy, uncomfortable and stagnant when they are not moving their body, are not well hydrated and are not emptying their bowel comfortably. That is why I educate my colon hydrotherapy and lymphatic clients about simple habits they can use at home, including hydration, gentle movement, breathing and paying attention to their own bowel pattern.
At Inner Wellbeing, lymphatic sessions use professional-grade Sorisa Medical lymphatic equipment with seven computerised programs that can be carefully tailored to the individual. I also teach clients simple ways to support movement and circulation between appointments. It is never only about lying on a machine. Education is a huge part of what I do.
Why this work is so personal to me.
My interest in bowel health is not just professional. At 20, I had most of my large bowel removed. Bowel function, digestion and learning to understand my own body have been central to my life ever since.
I first discovered the Brunelle Method of colon hydrotherapy as a client at Hippocrates Health Retreat. I later worked there as a colon hydrotherapist, supporting guests through their programs and performing Brunelle Method treatments. The practical education I received from working with real people every day taught me lessons I could never have learnt from a textbook alone.
I also studied the work of natural-health teachers such as Bernard Jensen, whose ideas influenced many traditional bowel-cleansing programs. Some of those historical ideas are still discussed today, but our language and claims must evolve as the evidence evolves. My approach is to combine my lived experience, practical knowledge and 24 years in the industry with honesty about what we can and cannot promise.
What is the Brunelle Method?
The Brunelle Method is a gentle, gravity-fed, closed-system approach to colon hydrotherapy. Small amounts of water are introduced and released repeatedly. The system does not use a high-pressure pump or force water into the bowel. The flow is created by gravity and remains gentle.
During the treatment, I use gentle pulsing designed to work with the bowel’s natural peristaltic movement. Peristalsis is the wave-like muscular action the bowel already uses to move its contents. The aim is to encourage the client’s own bowel to contract, respond and release naturally, rather than relying on force.
The treatment itself is approximately one hour, but I allow up to two hours for a first appointment because I do not believe in rushing people through. We talk about your health history, bowel habits, hydration, digestion and what may be affecting your regularity. I explain what is happening throughout the appointment so you leave understanding more about your own body.
Suitability and health history are discussed before beginning.
Supporting your bowel at home.
There is no single bowel routine that is right for everybody. Fibre is helpful for many people, but suddenly adding large amounts can make symptoms worse for some. Your medical history, medications, hydration, movement, food tolerance and pelvic-floor function can all play a role. I talk you through these areas and help you understand what may be relevant for you. This education is all part of your first two-hour appointment at Inner Wellbeing.
The Inner Wellbeing tea ritual.
I created two Ayurvedic-inspired loose-leaf herbal blends for the clinic as simple, beautiful rituals to sit alongside a well-rounded wellbeing routine.
Clear & Flow is a warming herbal blend I created for people who feel heavy or mucousy and want to support the body’s natural clearing processes. It is a beautiful tea to include when we are focusing on excess mucus and dampness in the body.
Drain & Glow was created to complement your lymphatic routine. It is a lovely daily tea for anyone focusing on lymphatic flow or who tends to feel puffy and fluid-heavy.
A better conversation about bowel health
I do not want anybody to feel ashamed about their bowel. I also do not want you frightened by stories about an old piece of food or told that a practitioner can identify a meal you ate many years ago. Plaque and accumulated waste are different from an intact piece of food sitting in your bowel for years.
What I want is for you to understand your body, recognise when something does not feel right and feel comfortable asking questions.
If you regularly feel backed up, bloated, heavy or as though you are not fully emptying, book an appointment with Majella at Inner Wellbeing. We can begin with an honest conversation about your bowel habits and whether a Brunelle Method colon hydrotherapy appointment may be suitable for you.
Book an appointment with Majella at Inner Wellbeing, Dee Why, through the link in our website, or call 0466 483 966.
This article is general wellbeing information and does not replace individual medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.