Like other detoxes, the whole premise that you need to "cleanse" your colon is kind of screwed up to begin with. More and more research supports that bacteria in the body, specifically in the gastrointestinal tract, actually has some benefits , Dr. Sam says. Gut bacteria helps digest food, fight infections, and protect against disease — so you want some of it to stay inside your body. Taking laxatives or doing saltwater cleanses could be risky, because they mess with this important "good" bacteria. "Changing the natural state of the body by taking these 'natural' things is actually affecting the equilibrium or natural way the body cleans itself," she says.