Enemas for Digestive Health?
“Your body is designed to process your waste effectively,” says gastroenterologist David Greenwald, MD, a professor of clinical medicine at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx, N.Y. That doesn’t mean it’s a perfect system or that you’ll always enjoy the results. Everyone has occasional bouts of constipation and diarrhea. But according to Dr. Greenwald, you don’t need to invest in enemas. Treatments such as enemas could be an easy sell because society tends to view defecation as “dirty,” so giving the body a helping hand in the process of cleansing might seem like a good thing. Not so, he says. Those who promote the use of enemas might be capitalizing on these thoughts by emphasizing that enemas are cleansing or, in some cases, contain natural or herbal ingredients such as chamomile or caffeine, Greenwald says, but he stresses that there’s no medical support for the use of herbs or other materials in an enema. Enemas are also touted for weight-loss purposes, but Greenwald disputes their usefulness for this purpose as well. “We are not carrying around pounds of unprocessed waste,” he says. There are also some practical reasons to forego an enema:
Cost. “They’re expensive,” Greenwald points out, adding that people can expect to pay $100 or more for a boutique enema. If you’re going to fork out that much, pay for something you’ll be sure to find relaxing, like a massage.Side effects. Nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea are all possible side effects of an enema, warn the researchers who covered the risks of colon cleansing in a clinical article for The Journal of Family Practice.Risks. Enema risks include perforation of the rectum, which requires surgery to repair and possible damage to internal organs. Furthermore, the “washing” out of the rectum and intestine can interfere with your body’s normal absorption of nutrients and fluids, leading to chemical imbalances.Dependency. People can develop a habit of using enemas to create bowel movements, but you can (and should) break this habit. Talk to your doctor about how to do so and what should be a realistic expectation for your bowel movements.
Take a Pass on the Enema Fad
If you’re wondering whether you’ve somehow missed out on the digestive benefits by choosing to drink your morning coffee in a mug instead of inserting it in an enema, fret not. Thai researchers tested the effects of hot coffee drinks and hot coffee enemas with 11 men and found that there was no difference in the measures of antioxidant benefit between the two groups. So if you want the health benefits of coffee, stick with drinking your morning cup of Joe. Additionally, there’s no reason to think you’ll get a caffeine high from an enema, at least not a greater high than you’d get from drinking it, says Greenwald.
Enema Alternatives
The medical use of enemas to treat constipation is recommended for severe cases only and ideally with the consultation of your doctor. Alternatives to enemas abound. If you’re troubled by constipation or other digestive problems, you should consider changing your diet to include more fiber, drinking more water to move things along, and being physically active. If bowel movements become painful or are interfering with your quality of life — either because they’re too frequent or not frequent enough — talk to your doctor.
