Have you ever wondered what your holistic therapist gets up to on a day off? It’s not all Americanos in Italian bistros you know! This month, I thought I would treat you to a day in the life of me, Helen – A.K.A The Colonics Queen and on this day I certainly got to the guts of the matter!
I have just one word for my day today – AWESOME!
It all started when I got up at the unearthly hour of 5am to get the train to Kings College London where I was booked to do a dissection of the digestive tract with The Association of Colonic Hydrotherapists. Fabarooney!
It’s a double bubble for me as I love my fellow bottom colleagues and to be doing things with digestion systems – well let’s just say it was as if Christmas really had come early! *If you know me at all, you will know that my passion for digestion/gut/bottoms is very enthusiastic!!*
I had no idea what to expect but just to be at the medical centre of excellence was exciting.
The day started with the amazing and very knowledgeable Caroline Barrow who runs the College of Body Science. She gave us a really good recap of the theory of the digestive system. We were sat in the lecture theatre of the Gordon Museum and were very privileged to see diseased body parts from 100’s of years ago right up to the present day.
But let’s get to the best bit – the blood, guts and gore! We were led into the dissecting suite. They gave us a gown, gloves were put on and masks placed on our faces and finally it was my chance to literally get stuck in!
The smell of the formaldehyde was over-powering, although after a while I did get used to it. My nose went red because I was attempting to breathe so that I didn’t take the fumes in! Still it’s almost Christmas, so what the hell if my nose looked like Rudolf!
All around us were stainless steel coffins and when they were opened up, there were bodies that had been donated for medical research and preserved. They were mature bodies with their faces covered & codes to identify them. It was so dignified (although at one point I did feel a little like I was in a crime thriller mortuary), that I’m now tempted to donate my body when I’m gone!
What surprised me was the enormity of the small intestine and the colon. It’s so different to the diagrams, books and models. There are layers upon layers of muscle, fibres, fat (yes lots of that), skin and organs. It all sits behind these things. To top it all off, we were allowed to get these body parts out and feel them. To literally feel what I deal with every day, whether I’m administering colonics or massage was mindblowing.
I actually thought that you could lift the intestines out (both small and large like a load of sausages). But you can’t as it’s attached to the greater omentum, which basically looks like an old fashioned apron and stores fat. I have got to say that as a visual learner feeling a liver, gallbladder, colon, small intestine, spleen and lifting a body was one of the best learning experiences I have had so far! Bring on the next one!
I am so lucky that the job that I do (or my vocation, as I like to think) allows me to be incredibly passionate about helping clients with their health issues. That’s the most important thing to me. This was an excellent opportunity to broaden my experience and knowledge.
With time I want to be able to pass this new knowledge on to my clients. I am sure you are going to hear about it all with my new found enthusiasm for guts!
So after that gruesomely, gutsy GREAT day, I’m now sitting waiting to get the train home and all I’m thinking is – what can I do next?! More adventures in the world of guts, bottoms and digestive systems no doubt…watch this space!
