Coffee enema
Coffee enemas are the enema-related procedure of inserting coffee into the anus to cleanse the rectum and large intestines. This procedure, although well documented, is considered by most medical authorities to be unproven, rash and potentially dangerous.[1][2]
History
While the idea of anal cleansing dates back to the Egyptians, the notion of caffeine as an enema-related substance is relatively new. It was conceived in 1917, and appeared in the Merck Manual until 1972.[3]
In 1920, German scientists investigated caffeine's effect on the bile duct and small intestines. Max Gerson proposed coffee enemas had a positive effect of the gastro-intestinal tract; Gerson said that coffee enemas had positive effects on patients with tuberculosis, and later even cancer. He claimed that unlike saline enemas, the caffeine traveled through the smooth muscle of the small intestine, and into the liver. This, he said, cleared even more of the gastro-intestinal tract and removed more toxins and bile than a normal enema. He told his patients often that the "coffee enemas are not given for the function of the intestines but for the stimulation of the liver."[3]
Effects and dangers
Some proponents of alternative medicine have claimed that coffee enemas have an anti-cancer effect by "detoxifying" metabolic products of tumors.[4] There is no medical scientific evidence to support any anti-cancer effect of coffee enemas.[2][5][6]
Coffee enemas can cause numerous side effects, including infections, severe electrolyte imbalance, colitis, polymicrobial enteric septicemia and heart failure.[4][6][7][8][9][10] If the coffee is inserted too quickly or is too hot, it could cause internal burning[11] or rectal perforation.[12] The use of coffee enemas has led to several deaths as a result of severe electrolyte imbalance.[8]
References
- ^ Ernst E (1997). "Colonic irrigation and the theory of autointoxication: a triumph of ignorance over science". J. Clin. Gastroenterol. 24 (4): 196–8. doi:10.1097/00004836-199706000-00002. PMID 9252839.
{{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter|month=ignored (help) - ^ a b Shils ME, Hermann MG (1982). "Unproved dietary claims in the treatment of patients with cancer". Bull N Y Acad Med. 58 (3): 323–40. PMC 1805327. PMID 7052177.
{{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter|month=ignored (help) - ^ a b Moss, Ph.D., Ralph W. "The Cancer Chronicles" 2nd ed. Austin, Texas: 1994. (6-7)
- ^ a b Attention: This template ({{cite pmid}}) is deprecated. To cite the publication identified by PMID 19077527 , please use {{cite journal}} with
|pmid= 19077527instead. - ^ Cassileth B (2010). "Gerson regimen". Oncology (Williston Park, N.Y.). 24 (2): 201. PMID 20361473.
{{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter|month=ignored (help) - ^ a b "Colon Therapy". American Cancer Society. 11 January 2008. Retrieved 13 May 2011.
- ^ Attention: This template ({{cite pmid}}) is deprecated. To cite the publication identified by PMID 6710988 , please use {{cite journal}} with
|pmid= 6710988instead. - ^ a b Attention: This template ({{cite pmid}}) is deprecated. To cite the publication identified by PMID 7420666 , please use {{cite journal}} with
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|doi= 10.1038/ajg.2009.505instead. - ^ "Livingston-Wheeler Therapy". Memorial Sloan–Kettering Cancer Center. 9 May 2011. Retrieved 13 May 2011.
- ^ Attention: This template ({{cite pmid}}) is deprecated. To cite the publication identified by PMID 18657805 , please use {{cite journal}} with
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|pmid= 10613482instead.
External links