COFFEE ENEMAS

By Lawrence Wilson, MD

© February 2010, The Center For Development

Why in the world would someone want to take coffee in an enema? I asked this question when my health practitioner suggested I do coffee enemas. However, I went ahead with them, and when I got over my initial resistance, I quickly saw the benefits of coffee enemas. They heal the colon, remove many toxins from the liver and colon, reduce pain and many symptoms of toxicity, and often increase mental clarity as well.
I have since recommended them to more than ten thousand clients. Many have told me how wonderful they are. Several said coffee enemas “saved my life”. Indeed, they are most helpful for many types of conditions. The procedure is also inexpensive and can be done at home without special equipment.
Enemas are an ancient form of hydrotherapy. They have been used for hundreds of years for mechanically cleansing the colon. Enemas and colonic irrigation used to be routine procedures in hospitals. There are many types of enemas used for varying purposes. Technically, the coffee enema is a coffee implant and a retention enema. This means the enema implants coffee in the colon and the procedure is to retain the coffee mixture for 15-20 minutes.

History. I understand that coffee enemas were first used during World War I because nurses and doctors who lacked medicine for soldiers’ pain found that coffee retention enemas took away pain. Coffee enemas were listed in the Merck Manual for many years. I learned about them from reading A Cancer Therapy - Results of 50 Cases by Max Gerson, MD. Dr. Gerson pioneered nutritional therapy for cancer and other diseases with excellent results. His therapy combined coffee enemas with a special diet, juices and other supplements. The enemas were an integral part of the therapy.

The benefits of coffee enema. The major benefit of the coffee enema is to enhance elimination of toxins through the liver. Indeed, endoscopic studies confirm they increase bile output. A patient was given a coffee enema while an endoscope monitored the entrance to the common bile duct. Within minutes of administering the enema, bile flow increased.
Other benefits are:

· Increased bile flow alkalinizes the small intestine and promotes improved digestion.

· Coffee acts as an astringent in the large intestine, helping clean the colon walls. A common contributor to ill health is the production and absorption of toxins within the small and large intestines. If food is not digested properly, sugars ferment and protein putrefies or rots. Both processes generate toxic chemicals which are then absorbed into the liver.

· By stimulating the large and small intestines somewhat, coffee enemas help enhance liver activity. This is a process understood in acupuncture theory.

· Coffee contains some selenium, a mineral needed by most people. Taking the selenium by rectum apparently works better than taking it by mouth.

· Finally, placing anything in the rectum and retaining it for 10-15 minutes forces one to move one’s attention downward toward the pelvic area. This has a subtle healing effect. To read more about this, see the article on this website called Downward Energy And Healing.

Coffee enemas are particularly helpful for slow oxidizers. Their liver activity is more sluggish and digestion is usually even more impaired. Fast oxidizers occasionally have more difficulty retaining the enema.

How often and when? Dr. Gerson recommended the coffee enema up to 6 times daily for severely ill cancer patients. His patients continued them for up to several years with no ill effects. I usually suggest one enema per day to assist detoxification or to enhance liver activity. Two or rarely even three enemas daily may be taken during a healing reaction, if needed. For best results, a program of coffee enemas should be carried on for at least a year or more. Many people, including myself, have continued to take them for 10 years or more daily without any problem whatsoever.
The best time to take the enema is after a normal movement. One will get a slight rush from the caffeine, but it is not like drinking coffee, which I do not recommend. Coffee enemas taken in the evening may interfere with sleep, but not always by any means.

Cautions and contraindications. If performed properly, coffee enemas do not cause habituation, constipation or any rectal problems. They will cause some constipation in a few cases, but often this is because the fecal matter is removed daily, so there is less to remove. In over 29 years of practice, I have not seen any negative effects of coffee enemas at all.

However, the following are cautions. Difficulties can arise if one has hemorrhoids. Mild hemorrhoids are usually not a problem. Use extra care is needed in inserting the enema tip. Some people with hemorrhoids find the enemas irritating. If hemorrhoids are severe, one may not be able to do the coffee enema. Also, those with anal fissures or rectal prolapse may not be able to do coffee enemas.

Those with severe hemorrhoids or other rectal issues might be able to do coffee enemas if one uses a well-lubricated colon tube. This is a 30-inch soft rubber tube that one inserts in the rectum so that the coffee enters further up the colon. However, this may not solve the problem in all cases.
A small number of people are unable to retain even a cup of water for the required 15 minutes. One can start with less coffee or less water in these cases. Retain the small amount for as long as possible, and then insert more, retaining that amount for as long as possible as well.

There seems to be no harm if one wishes to retain the enema longer than 15 minutes. Below are some other hints if you have trouble retaining the enema. While enemas may seem uncomfortable, many clients report the procedure is so helpful they soon forget the inconvenience.

COFFEE ENEMA ARTICLE FROM THE TOWNSEND LETTER, FEB/MAR 2010, BY JULIE KLOTTER

Coffee enemas, used in the Gerson, Kelley, and Gonzalez cancer therapies, produce physiological effects that aid liver function and detoxification. The coffee enema, a common medical treatment during the early 20th century, was included in The Merck Manual, a standard medical reference book, from 1899 to 1977. Like other enemas, this one induces peristalsis and promotes evacuation of the intestine; but compounds in coffee have additional effects. Caffeine stimulates bile production in the liver and dilates the bile ducts. (Bile breaks down dietary fat and is a means by which the liver removes toxins.) The compounds kahweol and cafestol enhance glutathione S-transferase action. This detoxification system neutralizes a large variety of toxic compounds.

When mice eat green coffee beans as part of their diet, their glutathione S-transferase activity increases 600% in the liver and 700% in the small intestine, according to the National Research Council (Diet, Nutrition, and Cancer. National Academy Press; 1982:15-7,15-8). Roasted coffee has about 50% less glutathione-S-transferase-stimulating effect than green coffee, according to research by Lam, Sparnins and Wattenberg (Cancer Res. 1982;42:1193-1198).

So why not just drink lots of coffee? Drinking coffee is, after all, associated with reduced hepatic injury and cirrhosis in humans. Coffee enemas appear to be a more efficient way to get the benefits without getting a caffeine buzz. Most people, even those who tend to get jittery from drinking coffee, report relaxation after a coffee enema.

Chemical compounds in the gut enter the blood, which then goes directly to the liver via the portal vein. Gar Hildenbrand, of Gerson Research Organization (San Diego, CAl, says: "Because the stimulating enema is retained for 15 minutes, and because all the blood in the body passes through the liver nearly every three minutes, these enemas represent a form of dialysis of blood across the gut wall."

Dr. Max Gerson viewed the coffee enema's detoxification activity as the reason that this treatment eases pain in many cancer patients. A clinical study performed by Dr. Peter Lechner and colleagues showed that coffee enemas, performed twice a day, "reduced the need for pain medications by 71.3%, 59%, and 22%- respectively in cancer patients with WHO cancer pain level 1 (n = 91, P < 0.001), level 2 (n = 68, P < 0.05) and level 3 (n= 19 not significant due to small sample)."

Anecdotal cases also suggest that coffee enemas can relieve migraine headaches. Doctors who recommend coffee enemas to their cancer patients view the enemas as an important part of their protocols. None of them, however, claim that coffee enemas cure cancer.

People who choose to use coffee enemas to enhance liver detoxification and/or reduce pain should take the same precautions as in any enema: use an enema bag with appropriate lubricated nozzle to avoid damaging the rectum or bowel; thoroughly clean the equipment after each enema to avoid reintroducing pathogens to the colon; and do not perform too many enemas within a short time.

Dangers. Ralph Moss reports that the US Office of Technology Assessment "cites the case of the two Seattle women who died following excessive enema use. Their deaths were attributed to fluid and electrolyte abnormalities. One took 10 to 12 coffee enemas in a single night and then continued at a rate of one per hour. The other took four daily. As OTA points out, 'in both cases, the enemas were taken much more frequently than is recommended in the Gerson treatment.'"

As Moss says: "In general, coffee enemas are an important tool for physicians who try to detoxify the body. This is not to say they are a panacea. They certainly require much more research. But coffee enemas are serious business: their potential should be explored by good research - not mined for cheap shots at alternative medicine or derisively dismissed as yet another crackpot fad."

References

Enemas. The Merck Manual. 10th ed.

Hildenbrand G. A coffee enema? Healing Newsletter, May-June 1986.

Lechner P, Hildenbrand G. A reply to Saul Green's critique of the rationale for cancer treatment with coffee enemas and diet: cafestol derived from beverage coffee increases bile production in rats; and coffee enemas and diet ameliorate human cancer pain in Stages I and II. Townsend Letter, May 1994.

Moss RW. Coffee: The royal flush. The Cancer Chronicles. Autumn 1990. Available at: www. ralphmoss.com/coll.html. Accessed. November 11, 2009.

Muriel P, Arauz J. Coffee and liver diseases. Fitoterapia. Epub October 13, 2009.

COFFEE ENEMA PROCEDURE

Note: all the methods recommend using 2-3 cups of water in the enema. You may use more, but it is not necessary. If you cannot hold the enema well, use less if needed.

Step 1. Materials

* Buy a 2-quart enema bag with a clamp. This is sold at drug stores. The enema/douche bag combination is easier to use.

* Buy any brand of regular coffee - regular grind or flaked, non-instant and not decaffeinated, or grind your own coffee. Organically grown coffee is best, though any coffee will do. Organic coffee is available at natural food stores. Store opened coffee containers in the freezer for maximum freshness.

Step 2. Preparation of coffee

There are three methods. The coffeemaker and the boil methods are best.

1. Coffee maker. Place a cup or so of water in a coffee maker, along with ½ teaspoon to 2.5 tablespoons of coffee and turn the machine one. When starting to do enemas, use less coffee in case you are sensitive to it.
When the coffee is ready, add more water to cool the mixture to body temperature. The coffee made with a coffeemaker will not be quite as strong as with the boil method, so you may need a little more coffee using a coffee maker.

2. The boil method.
* Place 2 to 3 cups of purified water and two to three tablespoons of coffee in a saucepan and bring to a boil (or use a coffee maker).

* Let it boil 5 minutes, then turn off the heat and allow it to cool. One or two ice cubes may be added to speed the cooling process. You may make a larger quantity and use it for several enemas.

* Wait until the water is comfortable to the touch. If the water is too hot or too cold, retaining the enema will be more difficult. Strain the liquid through a fine strainer or coffee filter paper into a clean enema bag. Screw on the top of the enema bag. The enema is now ready.

3. The alternative non-boil method:
* Place 1 cup of ground coffee in a container with 2 cups of water. Stir the mixture thoroughly and allow it to soak overnight. (You may make a larger quantity if desired.)

* In the morning, filter the liquid through coffee filter paper or a fine strainer. Place in a jar for storage in the refrigerator.

* To prepare an enema, pour 2 cups of purified water into the enema bag. Add 2 or 3 tablespoons of the coffee liquid from the jar.

Step 3. Preparing to take the enema

* Be sure the plastic hose is pushed or fastened well onto the enema bag and the thin enema tip is attached to the other end.

* Remove any air from the enema tube the following way. Grasp but do not close the clamp on the hose. Place the tip in the sink. Hold up the enema bag above the tip until the water begins to flow out. Then close the clamp. This expels any air in the tube.

* Lubricate the enema tip with a small amount of soap or oil. (Too much lubrication will cause the tip to fall out of the rectum, creating a mess!).

Step 4. Taking the enema

* The position preferred by most people is lying on one's back on a towel, on the bathroom floor or in the bath tub.

* With the clamp closed, place the enema bag on the floor next to you, or hang the bag about one foot above your abdomen.

* Insert the tip gently and slowly. Move it around until it goes all the way in.

* Open the clamp and hold the enema bag about one foot above the abdomen. The water may take a few seconds to begin flowing. If the water does not flow, you may gently squeeze the bag. If you develop a cramp, close the hose clamp, turn from side to side and take a few deep breaths. The cramp will usually pass quickly.

* When all the liquid is inside, the bag will become flat. Close the clamp. You can leave the tube inserted, or remove it slowly.

* RETAIN THE ENEMA FOR 15 MINUTES. See below if you have difficulties with this. You may remain lying on the floor. Use the time to read a book, meditate, etc. Some people are able to get up and go lie on a towel in bed, instead of on the floor. Walking around the house with the coffee inside is not recommended.

Step 5. Finishing up

* After 15 minutes or so, go to the toilet and empty out the water. It is okay if some water remains inside. If water remains inside often, you are dehydrated.

* Wash the enema bag and tube thoroughly with soap and water.

Hints regarding enemas:

* If possible, do the enema after a bowel movement to make it easier to retain the coffee. If this is not possible, take a plain water enema first if needed, to clean out the colon.

* If intestinal gas is a problem, some exercise before the enema may eliminate the gas.

* It is not essential but is helpful if the water fills the entire colon. You can assist by first lying on your right side for 5 minutes, then on your back for 5 minutes, and then on your left side for 5 minutes.

* If water will not flow around the entire colon, you may gently massage your abdomen. Some people attach a 30-inch colon tube to the tip of the enema tube, and insert the tube so the water will reach the right side of the colon.

* If the enema makes you jittery, reduce the amount of coffee.

* The enema may lower your blood sugar. If so, eat something just before or after taking the enema.

* If you have trouble holding the enema, here are suggestions.

1) Be patient. Practice makes perfect.
2) The water may be too hot or too cold. Be sure the water temperature is comfortable.
3) It may help to place a small pillow or rolled up towel under your buttocks so the water flows down hill into your colon.
4) If trouble continues, try reducing the amount of coffee or add 2 tablespoons of blackstrap molasses to the water.

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