Dr. Ismail Kibirige on Living Healthier

Dr. Ismail Kibirige was educated as a naturopathic doctor at Clayton College, the number one college of natural health. A certified colon hygienist, Dr. Kibirige currently serves as director of the Manhattan Hygienic Center in New York. The African-born naturopath and natural healer spent a large part of his life in a wheelchair, paralyzed from a vaccination. His mother, who believed in natural healing, told him every day that he would walk again. It was five years before he took his first step, but today he walks without crutches. In this interview, Kibirige explains how your colon health is as important as any other aspect of your well-being.

What are people doing wrong as regards their health? Is there a pattern?

Many people don’t want to take back their own health. They think they’re healthy, they get sick, they go to a physician or take medication. They feel better. They go back and do the same thing that made them sick. Then, they go back to the doctor. It’s this cycle. The reality is that we need to teach people how to take back their power, because your health belongs to you and not anybody else.

What steps would you recommend for living healthier in the first 30 days?

I don’t believe in fanaticism. If someone is drinking ten cups of coffee a day, you cannot just tell them coffee is bad. Tell them to take one cup or two; that will be a big change. If they like to eat chocolate so much, tell them to have chocolate once or twice a week. Some people spend six hours in the gym, just obsessed with losing weight; all that has to be balanced. Small changes last longer than the drastic diet programs you see on TV. After the diet is over, people gain all the so-called bad habits back. I tell people to make no drastic changes—just take one step at a time.

Can you recommend some specific changes for the first 30 days?

Reduce your sugar intake to half of what you use. Sugar addiction is a very big problem in this culture. Minimize the level of caffeine you put in your body. Instead of drinking soda, try freshly made juice.

Why do some people keep weight off, while others gain it back again?

Their mental attitude contributes a lot to how people feel about themselves. I tell people they should fall in love with themselves. If you fall in love with yourself, there’s no way you’re going to do what I call self-destruction. I tell people it’s OK to be happy. Some people are afraid to be happy. Some people are afraid to smile from their heart because nobody allowed them to express their emotions freely. They’re afraid to dance and feel the music. I’ve never seen a child who’s afraid to cry when they are upset. When they’re happy, they’re smiling. But as we grow up, if we cry at a funeral, they think we need a tranquilizer. It’s OK to cry. Our mind cleans itself through tears.

Why is it so hard for people to change their lifestyles and improve their health?

We, as human beings, have a tendency to be very stubborn. It’s very difficult for some people to change. They’re trying to do what’s familiar in their mind. What I tell people is, “Look at your body and your mind as a computer. A computer has an input and output. How do you expect to have different results when you’re putting the same garbage into your body constantly? The results will be the same. And you’ll still be the same miserable person five years from now.”

What are the myths and fears that people have about colonics?

Some people have a very bad view on colonics; they’re told that the colonics are bad for them. Do you think keeping all this junk in your gut is the best way to wellness? It’s not natural. Of course, people are afraid of the colonics because culture looks at the bowel as something taboo. Going into the bathroom is something they don’t want to talk about. On TV you can discuss a serial killer and it becomes a point of discussion. But if you discuss the bowel and how it functions, people are ready to shoot you. They’re very uncomfortable. I think it comes from the puritanical culture we have here.

What can other cultures teach us about living healthier?

To connect with other spirits and beings. To feel. To just reach out, listen to your neighbor and say, “How are you? Is there anything you need? Is there anything I can do for you?” without them asking you first. Community spirit is getting so lost here, I think maybe that’s why people are afraid to get old. I’ve visited nursing homes where I see the most cherished people, the elderly, pushed away. They look at the walls, stare at television all day and walk like they’re dead, as people try to forget they even exist. That’s a disgrace of a nation.

What do people most need to hear about the first 30 days of living healthier?

In the first few days of living healthier, everyone should be made aware of the importance of keeping your colon clean or detoxified. My main concern is prevention of growing cancer. I don’t think people understand that colon cancer kills even more people than HIV/AIDS throughout the world. The best prevention of colon cancer is having a high-fiber diet and to detoxify. Your colon is where your wellness begins: That’s where life and death begins.