Bringing back the "Golden Age"

Many areas of interest have fractured into very specific narrow topics in which people identify with and have extremely high levels of loyalty. In the 50's right after WWII, the age of homogeneity started with a few products and lifestyle trends dominating. Through the decades things and lifestyle trends began to fracture as access to information grew. Enemas fell out of favor as a home remedy as over the counter products crept into the shelves of drugs stores with a steady momentum. Then came the Internet and every special interest or topic provided infinite access to others who could articulate and share your interest as well as selling innovative products that heightened the experience of your specific interest.

Enemas did not go away entirely, but evolved in this new environment. Interest in enemas fractured just like other areas of interest. No they may not be as commonplace as they once were as a complement to aspirin when one fell ill, but now they exist in specific areas of interest: erotic, role play, rectal cleaning before anal play or used for medical conditions and health and well being.

Enemas are alive and well today but exist in a world fractured special interest, which there is very high levels of interest among the users but less users overall compared to the days of generic usage of the 1950's.

Enemas did not go away entirely, but evolved in this new environment. Interest in enemas fractured just like other areas of interest. No they may not be as commonplace as they once were as a complement to aspirin when one fell ill, but now they exist in specific areas of interest: erotic, role play, rectal cleaning before anal play or used for medical conditions and health and well being.

They have been out of favor with the mainstream medical community for awhile but may be making a comeback with some new homeopathic type doctors who are actually recommending certain types of enemas as preventative and good for adding certain vitamins on a regular schedule. I've seen several posts lately from members who are on a regular injection schedule.

Homeopathic healing seems to be much in vogue. I'm not talking about enemas but rather how about all of the supplements that people now take? Antioxidants and probiotics plus I have to add that my wife uses a CBD topical rub for a touch of arthritis in her hand. We both take an elderberry gummy to boost our immune systems and every evening I pop an alpha loperic acid capsule for my neuropathy . Bottom line: who is to say that a good enema cannot be an effective treatment for some ailments? Even if it does not cure the problem, a good cleaning out does always seems to feel better.

How could the benefits and the pleasures of the enema be brought back center stage? If a community like this had to spread the word, could there be any success? Remove some of the taboo or distaste from the topic perhaps by talking to acquaintances or friends about the benefits, health or otherwise of the simple enema?

Word of mouth could be a good way to bring up the idea of enemas. But talk about pooping is not usually a topic one brings up or is comfortable discussing. Add to it the personal beliefs one grows up with and carries into their adulthood, change will not happen.

Enemas, with their extra steps, time involved, and equipment needed are not as easy and convenient as are fleets and suppositories.

Back in the 40's, 50's and 60's, enemas were used for cure all's. Hospitals routinely gave enemas the night before surgery. Big Pharma changed all that and not for the better. Drug companies don't make money on the one time sale of a bulb or fountain syringe. A bottle of Dr. Bonner's Castile soap or a bar of Ivory costs far less that the average prescription. My point being, not to go back to the norms of the “Golden Age” but to bring back the simple things that today bring pleasure to those of us that are Klismo's.

The large volume enema fell out of favor because of three main reasons:

1 Patients loathed them and despite the image of a compliant patient in the 50's and 60's, the reality was the majority of patients groused, a lot, when told an enema was on the schedule! Neither nurses nor doctors enjoyed the enema evoked vitriol that patients uttered.

2 Cost. A low cost syringe in the residential setting of the 50's was $3.00 nominal. For much of the working public $1.00 an hour was the prevailing wage. While the women of the age recognized the value of the fountain syringe, no one was enthused about expending three hours of wages on a rubber bag viewed as torment. In the clinical setting the enema was labor intensive. By the 60's insurers were pressing hospitals to justify select procedures and the enema was one of the first to be attacked by insurers. It was far less expensive to use a Fleet enema than the locally prepared bucket enema.

3 Convenience. Face it, laxatives for the most part are fairly predictable. You know for example if you take Dulcolax before breakfast, that within a few hours it will act. When traveling you can place a blister pack of your favorite brand in your luggage and you are good to go.

With all of the above said, the enema is not going away anytime soon in the US. Aging populaces discover that maintenance free aspects of the human body, like memories are the distant past. They discover the GI tract is notorious for blocking up with hard stool. When a traveler experiences a sudden hard stool that is to large to pass normally, they also discover the Fleet mineral oil enema is just a pharmacy away in most of the US. With continued aging and disdain for the daily use of products such as Miralax, Metamucil and stool softeners, the enema becomes less threatening. It offers a quick escape from anal tears and pain that the event driven, delayed onset of action laxative does not.

Given the geriatric population grows in number every day, enema use should increase. Just don't expect it to return to Victorian era popularity unless a longevity benefit is ascribed to it.

I think of the following factors:

• Enema bags doubled as douche bags. Many women were familiar with these due to social pressure to douche (vagina seen as unclean, use of pads as opposed to tampons) and the use of douching as part of contraceptive procedures (cervical caps). In the 1970s, the “vagina as unclean” part dropped out due to women's lib, women used tampons, and they had easier and more reliable contraception. As douching became less popular, there was less reason to stock a combination syringe.
• As @Victoria1951 rightly points out, most patients (including children who received them at home) disliked the procedure. Almost all women here who mentioned enemas before labor said that hated them.
• As @Victoria1951 said, a bag/can enema is a labor-intensive procedure, thus high costs for hospitals. At home, it's a clumsy procedure (if given on a bed you need a rubber sheet or other precautions in case of spills, etc.).
• Respect for the privacy of patients and children grew. Few people want to be genitals and anus on display for a nurse or mommy for minutes if they can help it.
• A lot of the benefits of enemas as cited up to the 1950s (give an enema to the kid it can't do bad and it will keep the bowels open) were just quackery.

Bring them back.

Most parents even though “ helicopter ” parents, are just finely suited to their kid's just staying home the said that “ they didn't feel well ” while playing with their phones. I grew up knowing if anyone of us kids got sick, we got enemas. My kid's learned at an early age ( 1979-1982 birth ) that this was TRUE for them too. They hated them, but kept them in school for the most part. Think we made our oldest daughter a klismo, as after going out one night with my ex, and about to take a shower, found the damp bag in the back of the hall closet. I questioned my wife, and she had no clue or need. A few weeks later we both saw the same thing again. The 3rd time we questioned the two younger kids about what they did when we were out.

“ We played video games ”, but ( blank ) took a 2 hour shower.

The Victorian days aren't dead.

A Google translation of the phrase: “Golden Age” : “ A period of great peace, prosperity and happiness ”.

A Google translation of the phrase: “Golden Age” : “ A period of great peace, prosperity and happiness ”.

That’s probably a very good definition. I think here Golden Age is being used to describe the “heyday “ when enemas were widely used. They have have brought some people happiness, but Peace and Prosperity????

A Google translation of the phrase: “Golden Age” : “ A period of great peace, prosperity and happiness ”.

Most, if not all ‘Golden Ages’ were also imaginary, a constructed past with all negative aspects filtered out. They are usually nostalgia to offset dissatisfaction with the present.

When applied to religion or politics, talk of Golden Ages or similar euphemisms can become dangerous and misleading.

I have never left the ‘ Golden Age ’……….. all present is as it was .

The “Golden Age” be it enemas or women's foundation wear - While I lived in both, at the time I had no clue I was passing thru a golden age. So be it when experiencing a golden age.