We all brush our teeth, don't we? May be we gargle with brine to soothe our throats too. But how many of us bother to keep our colons clean? How many even know what the colon is, what it does and why it's important for the upkeep of body hygiene. Let's find out ...

We don't know much about the colon because it's a silent organ that's completely out of sight. The body has four parts that help eliminate toxins and waste: the skin (by evaporation of sweat), the lungs (by exhalation), the kidneys (by urinary discharge) and the colon (by solid waste discharge via bowel movement). The colon's a muscle wrapped around the last five feet -- yes, five feet! - of the large intestine that constricts regularly to help solid waste move along the last intestinal portion for its ultimate discharge.

As you can well imagine, the sheer importance of the colon makes its regular cleansing important for ensuring good health. A malfunctioning colon can lead to serious ailments: colitis, ileitis or diverticulitis or even, in extreme cases,colon-rectal cancer. If you don't want any of these to happen to you, you'd do well to cleanse your colon regularly.

Well, how do you do so? Luckily it isn't too hard a task. It's the awareness about it that matters.

Basically there are three ways by which colon cleansing can be performed. We'll describe these options below; you take your pick. The first and easiest option is to rely on naturopathy. In other words, use natural products only, no medication. Pure drinking water is an excellent colon cleansing material. Remember, water is one thing whose excess intake does you good, not harm! Along with water, ensure a regular intake of vegetables, fruits and herbs. These give your tummy what's known as 'roughage' - it keeps the colon happy by ensuring easy bowel movement.

Your second option is to go in for a cotton cleanse product available over the counter with your favorite chemist. These cleansers are medically approved and normally cause your bodily system no harm. However these cleansers contain chemicals that could possibly be unkind for your constitution. If you don't want to take chances, keep to naturopathy.

If you're in a real hurry to get your colon cleaned up, you can use the quickest method, namely, intervention by a trained and qualified paramedic who will manually clean the colon with use a colonic, though you should be aware this method is also quite harsh. It involves manual the use of water and flush away any of the debris that may be stuck in the colon. Not a terribly endearing prospect, what, endearing though it might be? Besides, there are two risks here. You have to be sure that the person administering the colonic is thoroughly competent for the task and, secondly, that he's using clean water. The plus side is that it's a sure quick cleanse neither needing the patience of naturopathy nor risking possible chemical infiltration by medical cleansers.