A coffee enema is the injection of

coffee Coffee is a drink prepared from roasted coffee beans. Darkly colored, bitter, and slightly acidic, coffee has a stimulating effect on humans, primarily due to its caffeine content. It is the most popular hot drink in the world. Seeds of t ...

into the

rectum The rectum is the final straight portion of the large intestine in humans and some other mammals, and the gut in others. The adult human rectum is about long, and begins at the rectosigmoid junction (the end of the sigmoid colon) at the l ...

and colon via the

anus The anus (Latin, 'ring' or 'circle') is an opening at the opposite end of an animal's digestive tract from the mouth. Its function is to control the expulsion of feces, the residual semi-solid waste that remains after food digestion, which, de ...

, i.e., as an

enema An enema, also known as a clyster, is an injection of fluid into the lower bowel by way of the rectum.Cullingworth, ''A Manual of Nursing, Medical and Surgical'':155 The word enema can also refer to the liquid injected, as well as to a device ...

. There is no

scientific evidence Scientific evidence is evidence that serves to either support or counter a scientific theory or hypothesis, although scientists also use evidence in other ways, such as when applying theories to practical problems. "Discussions about empirica ...

to support any positive health claim for this practice, and medical authorities advise that the procedure may be dangerous.

Efficacy and safety

There is no medical or scientific evidence to support any detoxification or anti-cancer effect of coffee enemas. Coffee enemas carry a risk of

adverse effect An adverse effect is an undesired harmful effect resulting from a medication or other intervention, such as surgery. An adverse effect may be termed a " side effect", when judged to be secondary to a main or therapeutic effect. The term compli ...

s, some of them serious, including

infection An infection is the invasion of tissues by pathogens, their multiplication, and the reaction of host tissues to the infectious agent and the toxins they produce. An infectious disease, also known as a transmissible disease or communicable dise ...

seizure An epileptic seizure, informally known as a seizure, is a period of symptoms due to abnormally excessive or synchronous neuronal activity in the brain. Outward effects vary from uncontrolled shaking movements involving much of the body with los ...

s, heart and lung problems, and death.

History

The rationale for using enemas can be traced back the earliest medical texts, to the

prescientific __NOTOC__ In the philosophy of science, there are several definitions of protoscience. Its simplest meaning (most closely reflecting its roots of '' proto-'' + ''science'') involves the earliest eras of the history of science, when the scientific ...

misconception that the accumulation of

faeces Feces ( or faeces), known colloquially and in slang as poo and poop, are the solid or semi-solid remains of food that was not digested in the small intestine, and has been broken down by bacteria in the large intestine. Feces contain a relati ...

in the intestines can lead to autointoxication and that the "cleansing" of intestines can prevent that. The practice of colon cleansing experienced a renaissance in the 1990s, and at this time, coffee enemas were used as alternative cancer treatments. Their frequent use is a feature of Gerson therapy and Kelley therapy, ineffective alternative cancer therapies. Their use is promoted with claims they can " detoxify" the body by boosting the function of the

gallbladder In vertebrates, the gallbladder, also known as the cholecyst, is a small hollow organ where bile is stored and concentrated before it is released into the small intestine. In humans, the pear-shaped gallbladder lies beneath the liver, altho ...

and

liver The liver is a major organ only found in vertebrates which performs many essential biological functions such as detoxification of the organism, and the synthesis of proteins and biochemicals necessary for digestion and growth. In humans, it ...

. Such claims are not supported by

evidence Evidence for a proposition is what supports this proposition. It is usually understood as an indication that the supported proposition is true. What role evidence plays and how it is conceived varies from field to field. In epistemology, evidenc ...

. In 2018,

Gwyneth Paltrow Gwyneth Kate Paltrow (; born ) is an American actress and businesswoman. She is the recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Primetime Emmy Award. Paltrow gained notice for her early work in films ...

's company

goop.com Goop (stylized as goop) is a wellness and lifestyle brand and company founded by actress Gwyneth Paltrow. Launched in September 2008, Goop started out as a weekly e-mail newsletter providing new age advice, such as "police your thoughts" and ...

was promoting coffee enema kits, one of a number of questionable medical products it has sold. Advocates of coffee enemas often point to their inclusion in editions of the

Merck Manual ''The Merck Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy'', referred to as ''The Merck Manual'', is the world's best-selling medical textbook, and the oldest continuously published English language medical textbook. First published in 1899, the current print e ...

through 1972, where coffee is listed as an ingredient for a retention enema for treating

constipation Constipation is a bowel dysfunction that makes bowel movements infrequent or hard to pass. The stool is often hard and dry. Other symptoms may include abdominal pain, bloating, and feeling as if one has not completely passed the bowel movement ...

. The Merck Manual does not list any other uses for coffee enemas, and in editions after 1972 all mention of them was dropped.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Coffee Enema Alternative detoxification Alternative cancer treatments Coffee

Efficacy and safety

History

See also

References