Editing Mucoid plaque (section)

==History==

Various forms of colon cleansing were popular in the 19th and early 20th century.<ref>{{cite journal |author=Sullivan-Fowler M |title=Doubtful theories, drastic therapies: autointoxication and faddism in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries |journal=J Hist Med Allied Sci |volume=50 |issue=3 |pages=364–90 |date=July 1995 |pmid=7665877 |doi=10.1093/jhmas/50.3.364}}</ref> In 1932, Bastedo wrote in the [[Journal of the American Medical Association]] about his observation of mucus masses being removed during a colon irrigation procedure: "When one sees the dirty gray, brown or blackish sheets, strings and rolled up wormlike masses of tough mucus with a rotten or dead-fish odor that are obtained by colon irrigations, one does not wonder that these patients feel ill and that they obtain relief and show improvement as the result of the irrigation."<ref>{{cite journal | last = Bastedo WA | title = Colonic irrigations: their administration, therapeutic application and dangers | publisher = JAMA | year = 1932 | volume = 98 | pages = 736}}</ref>

While colonic irrigation enjoyed a vogue in the early 20th century as a possible cure for numerous diseases, subsequent research showed that it was useless and potentially harmful.<ref name=Ernst>{{cite journal|last1=Ernst|first1=E|author-link=Edzard Ernst|title=Colonic irrigation and the theory of autointoxication: a triumph of ignorance over science.|journal=[[Journal of Clinical Gastroenterology]]|date=June 1997|volume=24|issue=4|pages=196–198|pmid=9252839|doi=10.1097/00004836-199706000-00002|doi-access=free}}</ref> With the scientific rationale for "colon cleansing" disproven, the idea fell into disrepute as a form of [[quackery]], with a 2005 medical review stating that "there is no evidence to support this ill-conceived theory that has been long abandoned by the scientific community."<ref>{{cite journal |vauthors=Müller-Lissner SA, Kamm MA, Scarpignato C, Wald A |title=Myths and misconceptions about chronic constipation |journal=Am. J. Gastroenterol. |volume=100 |issue=1 |pages=232–42 |date=January 2005 |doi=10.1111/j.1572-0241.2005.40885.x |pmid=15654804 |s2cid=8060335 }}</ref>  Similarly, in response to claims that colon cleansing removes "toxins", Bennett Roth, a gastroenterologist at the [[University of California, Los Angeles|University of California]], stated that "there is absolutely no science to this whatsoever. There is no such thing as getting rid of quote-unquote 'toxins.' The colon was made to carry stool. This is total baloney."<ref name=Foreman/> The preoccupation with such bowel management products has been described as a "quaint and amusing chapter in the history of weird medical beliefs."<ref>{{cite news | first = Denise | last = Grady | url = https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9A05E2DA1E3AF930A15756C0A9669C8B63&sec=health&spon=&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink | title = Cult of the Colon: From Little Liver Pills to Big Obsessions | work = [[New York Times]] | date=  May 23, 2000}}</ref> Nevertheless, interest in colonic "[[Colon cleansing#History|autointoxication]]" as a cause of illness, and in colonic irrigation as a cure, enjoyed a revival in [[alternative medicine]] at the end of the 20th century.<ref name=Ernst/>

The term "mucoid plaque" was coined and popularized by [[naturopath]] and [[entrepreneur]] Richard Anderson, who sells a range of products that claim to cleanse the body of such purported plaques by causing them to be eliminated.<ref name=GeorgiaStraight/>  Anderson describes a mucoid plaque as a rubbery, ropey, generally green [[gel]]-like mucus film that covers the [[epithelial cell]]s of the [[Lumen (anatomy)|hollow organs]], particularly of the [[alimentary canal]]. Anderson also claims the plaque can impair digestion and the absorption of nutrients, hold [[pathogen]]s, and cause illnesses such as [[diarrhea]], [[bowel cancer]], [[allergies]] and skin conditions. Based on these claims, he promotes efforts to remove the plaque, and sells a range of products to this end.<ref name=Schwarcz>{{cite news|author1=Joe Schwarcz|author-link1=Joseph A. Schwarcz|title=I have a gut feeling something's wrong here|url=http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/columnists/story.html?id=437cc94f-2b5f-4327-abf8-762f63e6067a|work=Montreal Gazette|date=April 5, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120603145225/http://www2.canada.com/montrealgazette/columnists/story.html?id=437cc94f-2b5f-4327-abf8-762f63e6067a&p=1|archive-date=June 3, 2012}}</ref><ref name="AndersonBooks">{{cite book| last = Anderson | first = Richard |title = Cleanse & Purify Thyself, Books One and Two | publisher = Christobe Publishing |year = 2000}}</ref>

Though Anderson argues that his beliefs are backed by scientific research, his claims are primarily supported by [[anecdotal evidence]] rather than [[empirical data]], and doctors have noted the absence of mucoid plaques. Anderson claims this is due to medical textbooks failing to cover the concept, which results in doctors not knowing what to look for.<ref name=GeorgiaStraight/>