More than a century ago, John Harvey Kellogg, a physician who was superintendent of the then-popular Battle Creek Sanatorium, advocated hydrotherapy to eliminate toxins in the colon as a treatment for obesity and other illnesses.

Kellogg, of course, is best known these days for his original formulation of corn flakes breakfast cereal and for founding what is now the Kellogg Company.

Hydrotherapy encompasses a range of treatments, all involving water, used to prevent disease and promote healing. It may include baths, mud baths, steam baths, showers, hot or cold packs, douches, or colonic irrigation — this last, which is sometimes known as a "high colonic" or "colon cleansing," can be thought of as a kind of "super enema."

Whereas a pint of water is used in a standard enema, several gallons are used by a trained colonic therapist to flush the colon while the patient lies on a slanted treatment table for about 45 minutes. The goal is to remove toxins from the large intestine and other organs, such as the liver and kidneys, which also eliminate wastes from the body.

High colonics are widely advertised on the Internet and those interested can find a location nearby for such treatments by looking up the International Association of Colon Hydrotherapy. I found, for example, more than 20 practitioners listed in the Baltimore area alone.

Another approach to detoxifying the colon is to use herbal supplements, or "colonic cleansers," along with drinking lots of water.

A recent issue of the Baltimore Sun ran a full-page ad with the headline "Turn your body into a fat-burning machine naturally." The advertisement was for "The Original Slim & Cleanse Complete," a pill which, when taken by mouth, is touted as "one of the quickest and most effective ways to cleanse your body of toxins, poisons and sludge that otherwise would not move."

In addition to weight loss, other avowed benefits of taking "The Original Slim & Cleanse Complete" for a month (only $49 + shipping costs, with a $20 discount if ordered within the next 10 days) include reduction of headaches and bloating, an improved immune system, and elimination of bad breath.

Now, you may believe that flushing toxins out of your body by means of a high colonic or an oral cleansing agent will improve your health. You may even be prepared to fork over $49 for The Original Slim & Cleanse Complete.

But as a "self-proclaimed medical expert" (what one hydrotherapy article I read called anyone who disagrees with the value of ridding the body of toxins) who believes that maintaining colonic health is a form of "gastrointestinal quackery," I would have to advise you against it.

It is hard to believe, and there is precious little supporting evidence for it, that the periodic flushing out of toxins harbored in the colon and at other sites around the body will cure health problems ranging from obesity to bad breath to headaches. In fact, I urge you to be wary of any product that claims to be a cure-all.