I posted this to a lady on line a few years ago, still has some good information in it. What do you think? I don't have the original questions, just the answers, but covers a range or topics about enemas.
I had only 6 enemas as a child. One of the people on line that dominated the enema chat rooms for years strictly claiming to do enemas only for sexual fetish reasons (Joyce to those that remember her) claims to have had her first enema at 21 when in the hospital for childbirth.
The point is well taken, many enemas to none, the development of a fetish has several elements. The fascination with enemas in my opinion is likely most developed in those that have FEWER enemas than needed. So if you want children to develop a fetish about enemas -- don't allow them to have them when they need them. This develops a hunger for something needed but missing, a key element in forming a fascination.
There are a few incidents of people as adults claiming to have been abused by parents by enemas. I think this can happen, but I don't believe it has ever been proven, even though I cover it in my book. It certainly is a messy way to punish a child. Most of the punishment should the child poop during the process -- becomes the parents! They get to clean it up! As well it stimulates a number of pleasure centers. That is not punishment either.
I mention that abuse during toilet training, which is very very common, could cause transference in which the person interprets later events as abusive when they were not abusive. This would in particular apply to enemas, which even if lovingly and gently given to a child abused in toilet training, could be interpreted and remembered not at all as they occurred. Making all the adult memories and stories about abusive childhood enemas most likely fantasies, or suspected fantasies, no matter how genuinely the person believes them to be true. I am sorry if people are bothered by this, but that reaction makes it even more likely that it was a fantasy, that they themselves believe, and being confronted with the truth challenges their own thoughts and causes an emotional reaction.
Our childhood memories are always suspect when we are making serious accusations! It is difficult to prove child abuse in these sorts of cases, and even when people have been sent to jail (as in several large child care center cases and others) the evidence gathered from children has been often very very suspect. It is highly influenceable. Kids will usually tell investigators and adults what they want to hear. If a wave of reporting enemas as abusive could be started, many kids, or susceptible adults, would report this to get parental or adult approval, as seems to be happening on line. Abuse in real abuse cases are more logical than enemas used as abuse. We know that some cases are true, some are false. The memories and statements of children are usually mixtures of fantasy and truth. This is true with all of us. As kids our brains were not fully developed and as such or interpretations and memories are often very easy to color.
Even adult memories change with time. What happened last year unless recorded, changes in our minds. I asked a wonderful young lady to marry me, and she accepted conditionally. A year later she denied it. Having it recorded in a letter from her, was a shock to her, but reaffirmed her memory, and such a thing you would not expect her to forget. What happened 10, 20 or 60 years ago when we were 7 may be very different in the persons mind, and if you question several members of the family you will usually find that their memories are not the same at all.
To make such fantasies a reason to stop or reduce the number of enemas given to children, is very very wrong. The next reason for not giving them was lack of certified personnel to give them. This is also a serious error in advice. We know that the medical profession does not offer or recommend enemas because they get results at little or no profit to the docs or pharmaceutical companies. To in anyway allow the medical profession to control enemas or colonic irrigation, is putting a group that has proven beyond any reasonable doubt, that their purpose is not to make safer, study or help patients do what they feel is best for themselves, but only do destroy the system.
Next reason was that enemas were not proven, and they should only be done for proven reasons. It was further stated that with diet, exercise, laxatives, etc., that the need for enemas could be almost totally eliminated and no longer necessary. This sounds good in a way -- live perfectly and you don't need enemas. This advice will of course reduce the number of enemas given. It will also reduce far greater the number of visits to doctors, and use of drugs. I follow this. I am a living foods vegan, run, etc., and have far more vigor, sex drive, and health than most American men 20 years younger than me. I do not go to doctors not have I taken an aspirin or any other medication in many years. I still do enemas when fasting or needed though.
Here is the point. INVASIVE -- an aspirin is invasive. An aspirin can cause Reyes syndrome. It can cripple and destroy a child's life, yet we commonly give aspirin to children in this country, and thousands of other prescription and non prescription drugs. Phenothalin, the active ingredient in ex-lax a few years ago has been proven to cause cancer, etc. There are side effects to almost things given to children, yet we do them. There has never been a negative reaction or injury reported from a properly given enema in the medical literature since 1923, and that is only because an index before this doesn't exist. I doubt in recorded history such a problem has occurred. This does not include improperly given enemas. In that time from 1923 to 1979, 8 deaths from improperly given enemas were reported and additionally the spread of amebic dysentery via a dirty colonic machine (this problem has been totally corrected in new machines) cause 9 deaths in Colorado. During this time many billions of enemas were given making a single enema far far safer than taking a single aspirin statistically.
As to conditions, I have documented 122 conditions for which enemas have been used on billions of people by the medical profession from 1960s back. Not one of those conditions has changed. No research on the stopping of giving enemas for them was ever done, so we should continue to use enemas for them! Briefly a few are--constipation, diarrhea, dysentery, painful menstruation, depression, toxicity, irritable bowel syndrome, diverticulosis, common migraines, tension headaches, acne, allergies, fevers, gastritis, colds, flu, pneumonia, etc.
Older pediatric texts recommend, if in question give an enema. The first line in one was if you suspect a child is getting sick give them an enema. An enema is less invasive than giving them a bath, certainly, and less harmful when done properly. I don't recommend enemas as frequently as baths, but I have had three patients that took them daily. Two were in their mid nineties and had been doing this for more than 70 years each and both were in good health. Dr John Harvey Kellogg, MD, took a daily colonic irrigation for more than 70 years and was still doing surgery into his 90s. So harm seems to be minimal to overdoing this if done properly, as per my directions at my site.
So my advice, with a sick or healthful child. If they need an enema give it properly (no soap, not to hot, pure non clorified water etc as per my directions at my site) and do it as needed. Do it without trauma by talking to them working with them and letting them know it will make them feel better. Teach them how to take and release it so there are no cramps, and be gentle and positive about the procedure. One nurse told me that in more than 40 years, mostly as head nurse in a very large hospital during the hey day of enemas, that she had never seen or heard of an incidence of a child traumatized by an enema. Lets keep it that way.