It certainly looks like it, Kathy, although looks can be deceiving. I’d love to see enema bags returning to the pharmacies. That would be a definite indicator.
On a positive note, the increase in alternative medicine practitioners appears to be giving the enema a renewed life as a suggested protocol for improving “gut health.” There are studies confirming a brain-gut connection.
One of my doctors, a naturopath who also works closely with a MD, has what she calls a “tool kit” for when a patient is ill. One of her “tools” is an old-fashioned enema with a little natural salt. It’s not a cure, she says, but from her own experience, simply clearing the lower bowel with warm water can make the patient more comfortable and relaxed, and it gives the G.I. system some rest if the patient is in bed. I can certainly support that “tool” — been there a few times through the years.
Constipation and PMS, that monthly condition that sometimes made me bitchy to live with (so said my older daughter), sometimes can be relieved without drugs by placing a warming pad for about 15 minutes to relax abdominal muscles, and then doing a warm water saline enema. Nice to have a partner administer the enema so you can concentrate on deep breathing to help with retention.
Then there are coffee enemas, which do seem to be the rage, especially among younger women being influenced by TikTok and Happy Bum Co. I don’t do coffee enemas, but I can see how the liver cleanse and detox regimen can be convincing to some people. Maybe it does work, but so far coffee enemas are not being embraced by MDs. They cite the fact that no studies have been done to support the claim, but I think to be fair, studies should be done.
I realize society has changed since the 1940s and 50s, even the 1960s, when most families had a fountain syringe or combo bag in the bathroom for use as needed. Fleet introduced a plastic squeeze bottle enema spiked with salt water that was quick and easy for nurses to give in the hospital, this type of enema has never appealed to me at home. I was given Fleets in the hospital in 1984, pre- and post-surgery. They stung and gave me terrible cramps. I never used them at home on me or my husband and our two daughters.
I admit that on the subject of erotic “backdoor entry and play” and how this practice may be increasing the popularity of enemas among individuals, couples in groups, my husband and I are not players in this league. Whatever I think on the subject has no basis in reality, but I do know the enema can produce one of the most intense and satisfying sexual experiences that I’ve ever had. If women (guys too) half my age are discovering those same feelings, then I can understand why there seems to be a growing attraction to owning an enema bag and how to use it for one’s health and self gratification. For goodness sake, the current state of our society, I think our nation can use a good enema!