Why Coffee Enema?
By Dr Raymond Yuen Chuen Fong, MBBS, M Med , FAMS
Hosanna Medical Centre
Physician in charge of the Nutrition Program for Cancer and Chronic Illness
www.HosannaCare.com
My mother often recalls how she developed high fever after giving birth to me. The fever lasted for more than two days despite aggressive medical treatment. My father was informed to prepare for the worst. My mother was smart enough to request the doctor for an enema to relieve her discomfort. The fever subsided within the day after the passing out of the impacted faecal mass.
I have never under-estimated the importance of enema in my medical practice which have worked quite miraculously in few of my patients. I came to know about coffee enema when I was serving in the CareCancer society as a volunteer a few years ago. I knew quite a number of cancer patients were using coffee enema as part of their treatment. I did not pay much attention to this and as far as I am concerned, I would not give therapy or medicines to my patient which are not medically proven to be effective and safe. I noticed some patients do feel relieved after the coffee enema and at least not much harm was done. I particularly noticed one of the patients who suffered from Stage 4 tongue cancer and was given 6 months to live survive until today (more than four and half years now). He regularly practices coffee enema and juicing. At his last CT scan, he was declared cancer-free.
I searched through the Internet to get more information about coffee enema, as the procedure is not described at all in standard medical textbooks. Coffee enema was first applied to help wounded soldiers relieve pain because of the shortage of anaesthetic drugs during the First World War. A German doctor, Dr Max Gerson, applied the coffee enema to treat some of his patients with TB and cancer. Coffee enema was recorded as early as 1917 and was recommended in the Merck Manual. In the 1920s, German scientists found that caffeine in the coffee could open the bile ducts and stimulate the production of bile in the liver of the experimental animals. In 1981, Dr Lee Wattenberg and his colleagues were able to show that coffee has palmitate which can increase Gluthathione S transferase by seven fold. This enzyme system helps to detoxify the bloodstream. The enzyme group is also responsible for neutralizing the free radicals and harmful chemicals that are commonly implicated in the initiation of cancer. In addition, theophylline and theobromine (two other chemical in coffee) dilate blood vessels and counter inflammation of the gastro-intestinal tract. The fluid of the enema stimulates peristalsis and the transit of diluted toxic bile from the duodenum and out of the rectum.
In short, the effects of coffee enema are to enhance detoxification of blood, increase excretion of bile and removal of toxic chemical load from the body. It eventually helps to improve the liver function and body immunity. Coffee enema helps in cleaning the bowel and removing of faecal mass. Besides relieving constipation, its important function is removing toxins from the body and helping liver recovery. If the coffee enema is coupled with proper nutrition and detoxification, it becomes a powerful way for the body to enhance immune function, hence super-charging its ability to fight against cancer and chronic illnesses.
I have heard a lot of critics about colon cleansing and enema. Many people confuse coffee enema with colonic irrigation. Colonic irrigation flushes about 4 or more gallons of fluids to clean the whole colon (i.e. the ascending, transverse and the descending colon) whereas coffee enema uses about 800 ml to 1000 ml to fill the descending colon. The loss of electrolytes and fluid is much less in coffee enema. There is no sharing of equipment in coffee enema; the chance of cross infection between patients is minimal. Coffee enema is practised in Gerson therapy and the patient is advised to drink enough juices before the enema. If under proper training and supervision, it is a safe procedure. Whereas with colonic cleansing, the procedures require a colonic cleansing machine and a trained therapist, the cost is much higher and patients are not advised to do colonic cleansing as frequently as coffee enema.
In the US, FDA classifies colonic irrigation systems as Class III devices that cannot be legally marketed except for medically indicated purposes. No system has been approved for routine colon cleansing to promote the general well being of a patient.
On the other hand, coffee enema is relatively inexpensive, quite easy to apply and self-administered. With proper supervision and training, the procedure is relatively safe to use even in cancer and chronically ill patients. However it is advisable for patient with impaired liver function and heart diseases to have a medical check before the enema is performed.
Other benefit of coffee enema includes:
- Cleanses the colon; detoxifies the blood and the body.
- Relieves constipation, reduces stress of the bowel.
- Helps toxic bile excretion.
- Relieves body pain.
- Improves body immune system.
- Increases peristalsis and gastric emptying, improves digestion and absorption.
