It is difficult to put a finger on the exact time in history, but many historians have traced the history of colonics back to the Ancient Egyptians. History of origination points to either Egypt or Greece.
The rationale for colonic irrigation was originally based on the concept of “auto-intoxication.” Auto-intoxication is an ancient theory based on the belief that toxins originating in the intestine can enter the circulation and poison the body.
The colonic machine
The “modern” colonic machine was developed more than 100 years ago to replace invasive treatments like surgery, and oral purgatives. Enemas and colonics were seen as viable substitutes for laxative pills.
References
Studies and other notable discussions surrounding the efficacy of Colonics
“Colonic Irrigations: A Review of the Historical Controversy and the Potential for Adverse Effects.” (Richards, Douglas Ph.D., McMillin, David, M.A., Mei, Eric, M.D., Nelson, Carl, D.C.)
“It is a significant fact that – in practically all of the cases considered in this article – nervous manifestations have cleared up or been markedly improved by treatments directed toward intestinal toxemia.”
Nervous manifestations included mental sluggishness, memory problems, phobias, depression and hallucinations. (Alvarez (1919) and Donaldson (1922).
There is extensive modern literature linking arthritis to digestive system disorders, particularly inflammatory disorders (Palm et al., 2001; Lindsley and Schaller, 1974; Holden et al., 2003; Rees et al., 2004). The modern explanation involves immune system dysfunction, rather than autointoxication. Bowel dysfunction is also found in fibromyalgia syndrome, which has much in common with the “toxic” manifestations treated by colonics in the 1920s and 1930s (Barton et al., 1999; Triadafilopoulos et al., 1991; Veale et al., 1991).