Are enemas really healthy for you?

IBS was making my life a misery before I started taking regular enemas. I've been doing them for many years now, and the "cure" it offered me since was almost miraculous. My IBS is, for all intents and purposes, a distant bad memory. Can I consider enemas to have been a health benefit for me? Hell, yes!

Ah, but the question remains - are the myriad of supposed health benefits bandied about true or not? Methinks some of them may be. But no one can really claim to be sure without properly conducted research applying the Scientific Method and large sample sizes - which nobody in mainstream healthcare is really interested in doing. So we have no other option but to look at all the anecdotal information (such as on this forum) to make choices which will only turn out to be as good as the validity of the information we choose to follow.

IBS was making my life a misery before I started taking regular enemas. I've been doing them for many years now, and the "cure" it offered me since was almost miraculous. My IBS is, for all intents and purposes, a distant bad memory. Can I consider enemas to have been a health benefit for me? Hell, yes!

Same here, though in my case it stopped short of being true misery. I see you have "cure" in quotes - likewise I don't consider it a cure, but using enemas as a part of my strategy manages my IBS very well.

Ah, but the question remains - are the myriad of supposed health benefits bandied about true or not? Methinks some of them may be. But no one can really claim to be sure without properly conducted research applying the Scientific Method and large sample sizes - which nobody in mainstream healthcare is really interested in doing. So we have no other option but to look at all the anecdotal information (such as on this forum) to make choices which will only turn out to be as good as the validity of the information we choose to follow.

Zero controls and no formal look at everything makes the anecdotal stuff very sketchy at best. I accept that enemas are great for managing constipation and some IBS, because clearing out the bowel is what they do. There might even be something to the whole vagus nerve stimulation bit, but in that case there are probably better ways to do it. I'm not ready to accept the "enemas prevent cancer" type of stuff because that's not as clear-cut, and the "autointoxication" bit is very sketchy.

Controlling confounding variables in any enema-related study would be a nightmare, and given the history of enema quackery it would be hard to be taken seriously or formulate a acceptably proven basis for a study, so no, I don't foresee any movement there. Can you imagine trying to get a decent sample for it?

I don't know if they keep you healthy but I'm sure they won't do you any harm. I guess whatever floats your boat!

Don't think they are as bad as smoking(I don't) drinking(I rarely do and never to the point of drunk) or some of the other habits we have.

A good enema is minimally dangerous

I am not qualified to make that determination. However, if you do certain things like using water that is too hot, solutions that are not made for the anus, inserting a nozzle too deep, then yes they may be unhealthy. As to feeling better, I think they are "healthy" in that they provide fantastic stimulus and it seems to make me feel better in every way.

Wow, a 12 year old thread still going strong. Coolio!

Another way to read the evidence is that by taking enemas on a daily basis has made your body incapable of dumping those toxins without them. Not arguing with you, just pointing out that, without verifiable clinical evidence, one person's remedy or prophylactic could, in fact, be the disease.

There simply is insufficient scientific evidence to support the premise(s), much less prove, that enemas are good OR bad for the general population. And, even if such evidence existed, it would not, necessarily, apply to every individual.

But, what do I know? I'm just a grumpy, whiny, old man who enjoys enemas for several reasons.

I am a sixty five. I have been taking a daily enema for decades and have regularly colonics. Everyone says I look brilliant and I feel so well. I wonder why? Perhaps being slim helps, blame that wonderful Rago shapewear!

My colon hydrotherapist told me about a lady in her eighties who started to come for treatments. Within a couple of months her hair gleamed, her skin looked brilliant and her eyes were sparkling. Surprisingly she is now a "regular".

I am not qualified to make that determination. However, if you do certain things like using water that is too hot, solutions that are not made for the anus, inserting a nozzle too deep, then yes they may be unhealthy.

Beyond the "they did dumb stuff" issues with enemas there are two more-possible ways that overuse could cause problems. First is that we know that many enemas (with the exception of normal saline and balanced PEG) cause inflammation of the colonic mucosa for a day or so. I haven't seen anywhere that we know what that means, but in a worst case scenario chronic inflammation has been linked to cancer. I doubt it would be a very strong link with enemas, but again we don't know.

Second is if it alters the colonic microbiome sufficiently to cause problems. Again, we don't know what is enough to cause problems, but we do know that there are definite correlations between a unhealthy colonic microbiome and a number of problems. Susie has pointed out that it can take a week or more for the colonic bacteria to reach an equilibrium, but again we don't know what a "bad non-equilibrium" is yet.

In both of these situations there is no hard evidence for harm from enemas, but a conservative doctor would likely say that it could cause problems and it has little benefit so don't do it. I think that is a bit excessive, but I am still working on what a safe balance is.

Growing up in our home my mother thought a ' good cleanout ' was ' just the thing ' as per her assessment of the question and while I at times did in fact ' question ' her frequency , I was not plagued with many of the childhood illnesses making the rounds in our schools and neighborhood . In retrospect , I wonder if her regimen was in large part responsible for my ' robust ' health Probably so !!!

I am inclined to believe the major subject of this thread. I was bitten with the enema bug at age 11 and quickly became a major fan, taking them regularly and feeling well most of the time until I hit age 65 or so and laid off them. Then I developed hypertension, soon followed by diabetes and atrial fibrillation. all within a three-year period. Today I am on a regimen of medication to take care of the aforementioned conditions as well as high cholesterol. Now I am not claiming that my good health before I reached this period, but I always wonder....

I can certainly think of a lot of things that are less healthy.

Wny question the wisdom of our mothers, aunts and grandmothers? An enema was the first line of defense against all sorts of sickness and malady when growing up. Mom was quick to give an enema and although we didn't always like it, it was what it was- a necessary step to assure good health. My mother was very dutiful when it came to giving me my enemas. And if she wasn't a dedicated believer in them, certainly grandma was- grandma who had the will to give even larger, hotter, and soapier enemas than even mom. I do not dare be contrary to their time-tested wisdom...... michael

Lately, with the stress affecting my family related to the pandemic lockdowns, I'm feeling that taking an enema has actually helped me emotionally and calmed me down. I know this sounds hokey, but there is a connection between giving my colon a good cleanse when my insides are tied up, and the positive effects it also has on my state of mind.

Vicki. My wonderful colon hydrotherapist, who has decades of experience, always says that "the colon is the second brain". The two are linked. Cleansing the colon cleanses the brain.

I used to struggle with stress, depression and mood swings. Now everyone tells me how well I look and I am the happy, stable man I always aspired tobe. I wonder why????

I would say as in a general comment that my answer would be a ' yes ' in moderation . My mother , her mother and grandmother all lived to the proverbial ' ripe old age ' of late 80's / early 90's and I know for a fact that all three of my above referenced relatives were actively engaged in the ' enema arts ' all their lives as I heard them often say which is why I think they all were so keen on ' watering my rose(bud) garden ' from an early age forward . Yes ..... all of these dear ladies in my life are gone but not forgotten and I have legacy of enemas which early on expanded past the ' need ' which was valid in my life to the ' pleasure aspect ' I have experienced for many years . They all seemed to rather enjoy a long warm infusion based on their frequency of reception and sharing as per their conversations and my knowledge of their ongoing enema activities . These ladies were very open in the home that they were of a ' klismo bent ' as enema / douche equipment was mine to observe in the bathrooms and occasionally in the corner of the bedroom . In retrospect , all was very interesting from youth onward ........... Such ' openness ' as to the enema / douche ' scene ' is not so common in homes today .

First of all I am an enema affectionado who loves to give. I would have to say that an occasional enema for constipation or just being in the doldrums is probably good for you. Most medical practitioners ( I am not one) would say that frequent enemas are unnecessary. Who can say but if I get the opportunity to bare a bottom and fill it I'm going to do it.

@Moppys_jalopy

First of all I am an enema affectionado . .

Really Moppy? Who would have guessed? I’d say the Zity world has figured out your obsession with enemas.

I don’t know if enemas are absolutely necessary, but certainly they could be helpful as part of the larger picture in my opinion. Best frequency of enemas is another debatable topic! I wonder if it is important to return to “normal” for a time before the next enema?

@Moppys_jalopy Really Moppy? Who would have guessed? I’d say the Zity world has figured out your obsession with enemas.

I don’t know if enemas are absolutely necessary, but certainly they could be helpful as part of the larger picture in my opinion. Best frequency of enemas is another debatable topic! I wonder if it is important to return to “normal” for a time before the next enema?

@anng I agree with you anng, frequency is debatable, everyone's system is different. But my enemas are 98% of the time on weekends, that's the only time I have time for. The work week is too busy and all the other things I have to stay on top of. Plus I can enjoy a series of 3 bags, take my time, relax, and enjoy them. 😉

@Vicki_V said,

Lately, with the stress affecting my family related to the pandemic lockdowns, I'm feeling that taking an enema has actually helped me emotionally and calmed me down. I know this sounds hokey, but there is a connection between giving my colon a good cleanse when my insides are tied up, and the positive effects it also has on my state of mind.

When we were kids mom or grandma (a retired RN from the 20’s to the early 40’s). Would give us an enema at the drop of a hat, for two reasons, first being constipated, and second being moody, having a bad attitude, or picking a fight was a guaranteed enema. The second reason also had a down side, about half the time it earn you a bare bottom spanking with a hairbrush across their lap before you got the enema. And sitting on the toilet to release the enema after the bare bottom spanking was no fun.

After I got married and we had kids of our own, we were surprised when their Pediatrician advised us to give our kids enemas for the same reasons mom and grandma had given us enemas. He was totally against giving kids under age 18 laxatives and believed it was easy to tell if kids were constipated by their behavior. My brother’s kids Pediatrician advised he an his wife to do likewise.