Fascinating article from Italy...

Well, this just stood the "enemas are ineffective and bad" argument right on its head...

(note the citations, too)...

I've supplied only the link, because I don't want to interfere with the copyright laws, but you all will be very interested in this:

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10151-016-1576-6

Funny what happens when one is looking for something else...

Thank you for the link. It is an interesting paper that all enema afeccionados should read. One important take away is they found no negative issues, including the lack of disturbance of the gut micro biome.

Interesting, but you should also note that both authors have declared some conflicts of interest. One has worked as external consultant and advisory board member for Coloplast and has served as an advisory board member for Wellspect Health Care. The other one is only affiliated with SICT Società Idrocolonterapia, Milano, Italy

(note the citations, too)...

The article has only been cited 4 times so far, that is not very impressive...

One also should note that the journal the article has been published in does not have very high impact. Nevertheless, still an interesting read!

@DoctorGyno, I don't want start an argument, so I won't, but I'm not at all put off by the conflicts or the lack of interest. If you are not aware, Coloplast is a supplier of colostomy products, and also manufactures products for transanal irrigation, which is essentially an enema, but usable by people who have a difficult time with standard enema procedures (such as paraplegics). When I had my colostomy, I found their products excellent. I am also not put off by the association with someone who advocates colon hydrotherapy. I found the article while I was doing a search for my own issue, which is self diagnosed LARS. I didn't bother to consult my surgeon about LARS, since the diagnosis is primarily symptomatic anyway. He asks me the "five questions," and I answer. I didn't see the point.

Anyway, I imagine that the whole "enema" thing is a "movement of the pendulum," and it's welcome, given many doctors' opposition to alternatives of all kinds, and the heavy handed approach some have.

I was more interested in the material they noted about the problems that the new "standard care" creates. That bothered me, in part because it set me to wondering if my own care had been different that I might not have wound up with two surgeries, a colostomy and a reversal. Probably not, due to my diverticulitis, but it still made me think a bit. As it was, my first surgeon saved my life by doing the surgery, which was made necessary by a bowel perforation due to diverticulitis. The good news is that all the diverticuli but one are gone, and I'm headed back to good health--however, because of the LARS (Low AnterIor Resection Syndrome), I will probably need enemas for the rest of my life, daily or at least several times per week.

Here's a symposium speech by a Mayo Clinic doctor (Phoenix, but not my Doc) that discusses LARS, if you're interested.

https://youtu.be/toAI30sSGSE?si=wGgkIfJZB7UK_9dh

Thanks so much for this link. As someone who has suffered for decades from chronic functional constipation of the slow transit variety, it is nice to see a paper which validates what I have already learned through personal experience. Long term, trans anal irrigation with warm tap water is the one thing that consistently works for me. I have used every laxative under the sun and been prescribed all of the prescription drugs. Eventually they all fail. I am currently on a regimen of 1500 ml tap water enemas twice a week (Saturday morning and Tuesday evening). They empty my colon effectively and efficiently and I have noticed no buildup of tolerance on the part of my body. I have one of the trans anal irrigation systems and find it even more effective than a gravity enema bag because of the balloon rectal catheter and the fact that the contents of the water container are delivered to my colon under a controlled pressure. The mechanical distention of the bowel seems more pronounced to me and stimulates very effective peristalsis.

@eboyhou, I truly sympathize. I follow the r/constipation subreddit on reddit, and the people on that subreddit suffer immensely. I don't recommend enemas often on there, but if these sufferers would give up trying to find "the ideal drug," and do regular enemas, their miseries would be greatly reduced. As it is, they go to emrgency rooms, urgent care, doctor's offices, and so forth, seeking help and never getting it. If Docs would learn what our forefathers knew, that enemas acually work, and do so reliably, there would be much less of that misery. I'm always fascinated when Docs assume they know things that they really don't. There's a YT Video of a young woman (still in her 20's, I think) who is a paraplegic. Her doc told her to remove the feces from her body manually--with a gloved finger (which reulted in a lot of blood and constant impactions. She moved on to the transanal irrigation (can't remember if it was the same doc), and although she can't feel much, her problems have eased greatly. I can't imagine a doc, with all the knowledge they have acquired, being uninformed or rejecting of a simple procedure such as this--except for the fact that it's the same with nutrition (and chiropractic...and...). Docs have tunnel vision. I wish it was not true, but it is.

Glad you have found something that really works for you.