Health Update: Experts' colonic consternation

Colonic irrigation, said to be favoured by certain members of the royal family, could be dangerous, US renal experts have warned. A colonic enema, in which fluid is passed into the rectum and large intestine, is not only a fashionable health aid - it is also used as preparation for certain kinds of surgery. But according to a report in the Lancet, one 65-year-old patient died after undergoing several colonic enemas before prostate surgery. He suffered brain damage as a result of the rapid fall in blood sodium caused by the absorption of water.