Can enemas disrupt the normal gut flora and in turn effect a persons mood and serotonin production?

I know this question has been asked a lot before, but I couldn't find a suitable answer. Will doing tap water enemas regularly damage my intestinal health in any way? I have heard that enemas effect the gut microbiome, but is it really that intense? will my gut bacteria ever regrow back to full potential? Since gut bacteria is involved in serotonin production is there any evidence that enemas can cause low moods and other cognitive problems? Once I took a tap water enema and got cloudy watery like foul-smelling diarrhea for 2-3 days. I don't know if its the enema that caused it or something else.

I have no medical expertise to answer your question....just my own observations with myself and husband. If anything, plain water enemas put me in a good mood but generally due to the effect it has on my "enjoyment". I find them very sensual. I take an enema twice a week for most of my life beginning in childhood. No ill effects and I am almost never sick, depressed....only an increase of sexual desire!! Denise

For most, there is little chance an enema can adversely disrupt one's guts flora. (Not a medical pro). But some articles differ,

https://www.theguthealthprotocol.com/wp/science_behind_enemas/

"Osmotic diarrhea (such as that from certain laxatives) works the same way as enemas, they draw water into the colon to help expel the contents. “Stool and mucosal microbiotas were strikingly different, with Firmicutes dominating the mucosa and Bacteroidetes the stools. Osmotic diarrhea decreased phylotype richness and showed a strong tendency to equalize the otherwise individualized microbiotas on the mucosa. Moreover, diarrhea led to significant relative shifts in the phyla Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes and to a relative increase in the abundance of Proteobacteria on the mucosa, a phenomenon also noted in several inflammatory and diarrheal GI diseases.” — PubMed #PMC3568139

There is even a possibility of contracting a clostridium difficile infection after an emema. Though not common, it can’t be ruled out. “C. difficile colonizes the human intestinal tract after the normal gut flora has been altered”. An enema has been proven to dramatically alter the colon’s microbiota.

Enemas wash out and disrupt the microbiota in the colon without differentiating; good, bad, and indifferent strains are all flushed out. This leaves the colon open to infection (much like after antibiotics)."

It is unlikely an occasional enema will play into any gut concerns, unless they are ridiculously frequent, use of caustics, tremendously voluminous, or forced with pressure..... every colon is unique. When you enemtaize frequently, you can change the normal “flora” of the lower bowel, and yes, that can cause changes. However, an occ gentle cleanse is not a concern.

what most folks don’t realize is that other items can easily lurk within the colon... diverticulosis, amongst others. These lie there quietly and in most cases, bother no one. But if disturbed the right way, can lead to a diverticulitis episode, or perforation (rupture) of what’s called a “tic”, which can land you in the ER, or worse, a trip to the operating room. So when those folks who enematize frequently or use pressure and volume enjoy their cleansing, ya gotta wonder what’s going on inside that they CANNOT see... dangerous, huh? And potentially messy.

I used to cringe here many, many years ago. There was a gentleman , I believe from the UK, who was an enema fanatic, spreading his worldly wisdom about the need for frequent enemas and cleansing, using more toxic items. And when questioned about the possible complications of using those caustics, he would become enraged and very defensive. It was only a matter of time before his enemalogic did him in... and I believe it did. There was some type of death notice here... again many years ago. I always wondered whether his colon had told him enuf was enuf. Oh well... to each his own.

common sense and gentleness are always best practices.

Not on a permanent basis.

In the short term they not just CAN they DO, but in a few days your body recovers.

We take time to boil tap water before using it inside our bodies. It adds to planning time to allow the water to cool to a gentle warm temperature.

When you use products to rinse your sinuses the instructions there are to always use distilled water. I believe in erring on the side of caution.

Probably tap water is the least disruptive to colon flora... but plain water produces the dreaded dribbles (water doesn't all expel out, instead dribbles out over the course of hours) and besides I love strong very soapy enemas that I take a number of times per week - now if anything will mess up one's flora I imagine they will. I seem to recover quickly once I stop them...sometimes a day of gas bloating follows, other times nothing... but my colon is rather strong; can't imagine a person with IBS doing the things I do...

We take time to boil tap water before using it inside our bodies.

I don't know about elsewhere but drinking water standards in the US are ridiculously stringent. Anything good enough to drink is plenty good enough to shoot up your butt. The occasional enema won't disrupt flora but too many too fast can wreak havoc on a sensitive colon. You just need to know what works for you.

You just need to know what works for you.

So true!