Consider the Coffee Enema as a Healing Resource
When I watched The Beautiful Truth film last week and was reminded about the benefits of a coffee enema. So I asked my gut if it wanted one and I got a distinct,Yes. In our culture, it’s not polite to talk frankly about our rectum and what comes out of it, but I notice it’s something both the very young and the very old (and others in between) are seriously interested in.
Rectal cleansing as a health practice dates back to Ancient Egypt. An enema is a fluid injected into the rectum to flush (cleanse) your lower intestine. The fluid should be warm (not hot) and as clean and toxin-free as possible. Usually this means water boiled with other substances (herbs, salt, etc) to make a tea, then cooled and strained. The enema (prepared liquid) is then injected with a tube into the rectum. You lie on your back or side as you take in the enema (there are different strategies for getting the liquid to move around your lower intestine) and you either expel quickly to cleanse the colon or retain the liquid for several minutes to absorb the desired substances for a specific effect – in this case, coffee. The process hydrates the body but you don’t want to do it too often and you can mess it up.
Details
I did my first coffee enema my third week off sugar. That was quite an experience. If you think of it as “drinking coffee with your butt”, you miss the point that “packing” caffeine into your colon in this way acts as medicine to get your gall bladder and liver to flush toxins and reset important certain metabolic processes. (scroll down for more info) I’ve tried enemas before, but this was very different. At the time, my body was detoxing from the switch off sugar and the process was intense. The only way to manage holding the liquid for the 12-15 minutes all the instructions recommend was to tune in to the deeper conviction that this was helping me heal myself.
I had to breathe and be 100% present in my body. The moment my attention veered away, my body called me right back. That told me that this is a significant process. Then I’d pull my concentration back and breathe and the distress subsided. I tried it once a week for 4 weeks and I found the process got easier and more comfortable each time. Previously, I’d had trouble with elimination for a few days after an enema. But that didn’t happen that time and I took that to mean my gut was definitely working better.
I like this succinct explanation of the effects of a coffee enema:
When a coffee enema is used, the caffeine from the coffee is preferentially absorbed into this system and goes directly to the liver where it becomes a very strong detoxicant. It causes the liver to produce more bile (which contains processed toxins) and moves bile out toward the small intestine for elimination. This seems to free up the liver to process more incoming toxic materials that have accumulated in the organs, tissues and bloodstream. The coffee does not go into the systemic circulation, unless the enema procedure is done improperly.[1]
Coffee contains alkaloids that also stimulate the production of glutathione-S-transferase, an enzyme used by the liver to make the detox pathways run. It is pivotal in the formation of more glutathione, one of the main conjugation chemicals, enabling toxins to be eliminated via bile into the small intestine. So in other words, a coffee enema speeds up the detoxification process and minimizes the backlog of yet-to-be-detoxified substances.
There are many explanations of coffee enema procedures on the web. However, I found that I had to piece together information from several sources to get answers to all my questions. Use these links for the Basic enema procedure and Coffee enema procedure.
Best Practices
Here are additional best coffee enema practices for the average person without particular contra-indications:
#1. Do a plain-water enema first. Use boiled, then cooled, structured water, (1qt) with (½ tsp) Himalayan or mineral salt, if you have it. (For more about structured water, see my bog post of 1/18/15) Make sure the water is plenty cool!
#2. Boil 1 qt water and 2 Tbs ground, organic coffee for 20 minutes. Let it cool and then strain it through clean cloth (not through a paper coffee filter) or pour it carefully into the enema bag/cup to avoid getting coffee grounds into it.
#3. Be gentle with yourself afterward. Emotions might come up and you might feel tired or vulnerable. Eat fresh, fruits and vegetables for the rest of the day – you are coming off a cleanse, after all. 😉
“Gut brain”
As we learn more about the “gut brain” and the intelligence that seems to reside in our abdomen, we will naturally respect and appreciate this important area of our bodies more. For now, I’ve started a practice of thanking my gut and the millions of microbes that live there. They help me digest my food! I notice this has had a positive effect on my tummy, including less bloating and digestive distress. I can even button my skinny shorts now and I haven’t lost any weight. It seems ludicrous that I hadn’t applied my general “love your body” advice to this particular part of my body in that way before – but I’m doing it now!
Think of everything you eat and under what conditions and what you ask your gut to take care of for you. Amazing, isn’t it? I recommend you focus on this amazing part of you with love and awe. Pat it, smile at it, and appreciate it for how healthy it is. No matter what it’s condition, it could be worse…
For a deeper dive into a dialog with your body, get your copy of Issues in Your Tissues today!
notes
[1] From S. A, Wilson’s page: http://sawilsons.com/basicenema
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