Depth of enema

I started doing coffee enemas recently and they are really helping my chronic body pain and also bowel discomfort. Some enema kits come with a soft red enema tip so you can get the tip further up in the colon but my enema tip got stretched out and no longer stays on the tube properly. So I've been just using the tube (the thinner type) with no tip at all. I have no problem inserting it but I want to get up into the colon as far as possible. I'm wondering if there is any danger of damaging the colon. Sometimes I can get in about a foot or so. Not sure if this is a good idea or if it's fine. I don't like the other hard tips I've tried. They're pretty useless.

Welcome to Zity @CoffeeEnemaPerson.

You're in the right place for enema questions of any type.

I started doing coffee enemas recently and they are really helping my chronic body pain and also bowel discomfort. Some enema kits come with a soft red enema tip so you can get the tip further up in the colon but my enema tip got stretched out and no longer stays on the tube properly. So I've been just using the tube (the thinner type) with no tip at all. I have no problem inserting it but I want to get up into the colon as far as possible. I'm wondering if there is any danger of damaging the colon. Sometimes I can get in about a foot or so. Not sure if this is a good idea or if it's fine. I don't like the other hard tips I've tried. They're pretty useless.

YOU need to do research on coffee enemas.

Coffee enemas are supposed to be a LOW enema, NOT a particularly high enema.

A deeply inserted colon tube is NEVER necessary to get the solution higher up because the solution always penetrates farther than the physical tube. Isn't it obvious that a liquid will penetrate farther than a solid tube of any degree of rigidity?

OF COURSE there is always a danger of a tube perforating the colon if you use too much force.

There are those who advocate for using a rectal or colon tube in lieu of the traditional nozzles that come with the enema kit. There is certainly some danger when inserting anything well up into the bowel. The critical thing is to assure adequate lubrication and slow insertion without forcing the tube. I routinely use a 16 inch colon tube for a coffee enema. It aids in retention when I can deliver the solution higher into the bowel. I have a longer tube which I occasionally use, but the larger diameter requires a bit more patience.

A typical nozzle and rotating positions can get the fluid higher in the bowel, but there can be a certain satisfaction with the longer tube. Some twisting and turning along with a slow flow can aid in advancing the tube. During a colonoscopy, the scope is inserted quite a distance. Insertion of a colon tube can be accomplished with some effort and caution.

If you're using a disposable, plastic enema bag and tube, the small diameter tubing may be difficult to insert and double back inside the bowel.

YOU need to do research on coffee enemas.

Coffee enemas are supposed to be a LOW enema, NOT a particularly high enema.

A deeply inserted colon tube is NEVER necessary to get the solution higher up because the solution always penetrates farther than the physical tube. Isn't it obvious that a liquid will penetrate farther than a solid tube of any degree of rigidity?

OF COURSE there is always a danger of a tube perforating the colon if you use too much force.

Susie,

I didn't think you were in favor of coffee enemas at all because the pseudoscience about liver detoxification was nonsense. If you want a rectal caffeine rush and excuse for an enema, that might be worth it or at least enjoyable. I gave myself a couple just to experiment and they felt like I was just taking water or saline. But I also drink at least 2-3 cups every morning.

Eric

Susie,

I didn't think you were in favor of coffee enemas at all because the pseudoscience about liver detoxification was nonsense. If you want a rectal caffeine rush and excuse for an enema, that might be worth it.

Eric

I'm not for or against the coffee enemas. There is a lot of pseudoscience attached to them. The liver detox is BS.

If you like the sensations of a coffee enema, go for it.

I'm not for or against the coffee enemas. There is a lot of pseudoscience attached to them. The liver detox is BS.

If you like the sensations of a coffee enema, go for it.

Since the liver effects are BS and I don't believe any of the other health claims about coffee enemas, especially for depression, to me it's a waste of good coffee that can be actually enjoyed passing by my tongue. Lots of other enema solutions I can actually enjoy, so I'll stick to them.

Eric

If you like the sensation, you can dissolve caffeine pills or caps in hot water and add it it to your enema if you like the rush.

That will save your coffee.

Since I do coffee enemas quite frequently, I would like to add my two cents here.

I agree with Susie that most claims of liver detox, weight loss, or other health claims for coffee enemas are probably BS. I also believe Susie and some other web sites that most of the caffeine is absorbed in the rectum so there is no reason for a large volume high enema to completely fill the colon when using coffee. That only makes it harder to retain.

That being said, I usually take one quart of coffee cooled to 103-105F, on my left side. Then I hold it anywhere from fifteen minutes to an hour depending on my mood and how much time I have. I do not stay in place for the retention. After the initial urges to expel diminish, I get up and usually go to the computer to check what is new here (like right now), or e-mail, or whatever. I use regular supermarket coffee just as I might drink it. No special "organic" coffee. Why do I do this? I feel good after. Maybe it is all in my head, but it works for me.

I'll just add my approval to all the comments thus far, and second the motion that if you like the caffeine rush, then find a coffee you like the flavor of, and drink your caffeine! Using the hose w/o a nozzle for a higher insertion is dangerous. If you insist on inserting the hose higher than your rectum, then buy a colon tube. Colon tubes have smooth, rounded ends which reduce the chance of scratching or perforating your colon wall. BTW, I rarely do coffee enemas, but find them comfortable and enjoy the caffeine rush; but much prefer to get my caffeine from a cup of Folgers Black Silk or Starbucks Cafe Verona. Just sayin'!

@Soapy4me said

. . . . If you insist on inserting the hose higher than your rectum, then buy a colon tube. Colon tubes have smooth, rounded ends which reduce the chance of scratching or perforating your colon wall.

That still is NOT a fail safe remedy. You CAN puncture your colon with a colon tube.

Wow! I didn’t expect to get so much feedback. Thank you everyone! Actually I can’t believe how helpful the coffee enemas have been for my chronic pain and some other symptoms. I have read that higher up gets better results but it’s just anecdotal advice and I can’t remember where I read it. The soft rectal colon tip (that came with my enema kit) worked quite well for me until it wore out and I haven’t been able to source a replacement in Canada as of yet. I will now make more of an effort to find one having read this feedback. (And I will stop feeding the harder plastic hose up higher even though I do it slow and without pain. It’s the thin 1/4” one.) I have also read elsewhere that there is risk of perforating the colon. That’s why I posted here to get advice from folks who have a lot of enema experience. I always look for available research on anything I try including prescriptions from MDs. However, researched medical treatments have gotten me nowhere in 20 years so I have been trying alternative things including seeing an integrative/functional internist (MD specialty) who uses both prescriptions and and other treatments that do not necessarily have double-blind peer reviewed research to back them up. That being said, he has only encouraged me to get colon hydrotherapy at a professional clinic. He has avoided commenting on the coffee enemas. I’m sure there would be legal implications if an MD were to advise home use of coffee enemas. I doubt that coffee enemas will ever be seriously researched since there’s no money in it. I don’t think that necessarily means they don’t help people though. They do help me more than professional colonics and saline enemas. That’s for sure. Drinking coffee makes my pain worse.

There is a 2014 study on PubMed about using coffee enemas to prepare for small bowel endoscopy. They concluded that coffee enemas may be a feasible option instead of drinking gallons of that PEG stuff to clean you out. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25136541 The PEG drink actually gives me severe migraines and itchy skin. The colonoscopy itself is a breeze. It’s the horrible prep that does me in.

CoffeeEnemaPerson,

I'm a retired doctor. What exactly is the body pain and other conditions that you think are improved by coffee enemas? What had you tried before that was not as effective? Thanks,

Eric

A couple of observations about coffee enemas:

First, I have found them relatively easier to hold for a longer period of time. And there's something appealing about holding a pot (or two) of coffee in my colon for an extended period of time.

Second, the scent during expulsion is dominated by the fragrance of coffee. In the "competition" between various organic compounds, the ones associated with coffee usually win out.

Lastly, I don't experience a caffeine rush with a coffee enema. Maybe that's because I am a coffee drinker with a preference for Cafe Verona. Caffeine may be absorbed by the large intestine but it is more effectively absorbed in the small intestine. I know the combination caffeine/sugar rush that I feel in the late stages of a marathon when taking a combination gel. But to really feel that requires about two weeks of caffeine abstinence to have it clear the body.