By Dr. David Jockers DC, MS, CSCS
The phrase “death begins in the colon” has seemingly become more popular and provides the simplifying truth of the importance of colon and digestive health.
All throughout history enemas have been used in different cultures as a reliable strategy to cleanse the colon of harmful pathogens and debris. The use of coffee enemas begins with Native American tribes who used organic coffee beans as a liver purifier. Today, we now understand the many health benefits of periodic coffee enemas.
Throughout the centuries numerous cultures such as the Egyptians, Greeks, Romans, Hindus, Chinese, and Sumerians have used enemas to cleanse their colons for improved health. Even the Dead Sea Scrolls, which may have been written while Jesus walked this earth, outline the significance of daily enemas for overall wellbeing.
Enemas were believed to be one of the most valuable tools for whole body health in the United States until the 20th century. In 1971, Dr. Kellogg reported in the Journal of American Medicine that more than 40,000 cases of people with gastrointestinal disease improved remarkably with the simple treatment of diet, enemas, and exercise.
The 21st Century and Our Digestive Health
Today, our liver and colon are persistently challenged with toxins. Our water contains added substances such as chlorine and health-damaging fluoride. Toxic chemicals surround us in the food we consume and toxic air we breathe within our homes as well as outside. Processed foods are one of the toughest obstacles for our digestive health. Such foods are not easily moved along the digestive tract and adhere to our intestines. A mucoid plaque envelopes the stagnant particles and creates a highly toxic fold in the colon.
Not only hard to remove, these folds create an optimal habitat for parasites, and inhibit the movement of feces as it exits the bowel. As food remains immobile in the gut, it begins to rot and release toxins into the bloodstream as it makes its way to the liver. Although the liver can purify the blood, an overburden of toxins for the liver to clean will eventually cause an accumulation of toxins. The liver’s burden of more toxins than it can remove will eventually cause disease.
Colon Therapies and Enemas Benefits
Colon therapies and enemas can improve gut motility and the frequency of bowel movements. Both assist in removing the toxic encapsulation of mucoid plaque stuck to the colon walls and further stimulate the removal of parasites from the gut.
Coffee enemas are also used by individuals to improve energy levels (both physically and mentally), prevent bloating, improve mood, and reduce toxicity of the whole body by prompting liver cleansing and tissue repair.
One added benefit of coffee enemas is that they promote the production of glutathione by the liver. A powerful antioxidant defense system, glutathione protects cellular damage to DNA and stimulates the removal of toxic waste out of cells.
Glutathione and Your Digestive System
Studies have shown that green coffee beans boost glutathione production by up to 600% in the liver and up to 700% in the small intestine. The coffee enema is the most potent way to gain these powerful effects because the enzymes of the digestive tract do not interact with the nutrients before they reach the liver.
Individuals with cancer, gallstones, digestive complications, low energy, autoimmune disorders, and liver conditions can benefit from coffee enemas. Used in most natural health retreat centers in the world, coffee enemas can clean and purify the digestive tract in a short period of time.
The Gerson Therapy and Coffee Enemas
The Gerson treatment for cancer involves a strict protocol of diet, dietary supplements, and coffee enemas. This therapy is designed to remove toxins from the body while simultaneously improving the immune response to fight infection and heal. Developed by Dr. Max Gerson in the 1930s, the Gerson therapy is said to achieve a 50% cure rate and is one of the best alternative cancer treatments today. This is really quite remarkable given that most of his cancer patients were far advanced with the disease.
Dr. Gerson’s purpose was to detoxify the body, provide essential potassium minerals, and supplement oxidizing enzymes for the body’s use. He used forms like green leaf juice in order to create an environment where carcinogenesis can no longer function, ceasing the progression of cancer.
Dr. Gerson believed that our modern day diets maintain an imbalance of minerals such as an abundance of sodium and a deficiency of potassium. He is quoted with saying “our modern agriculture decreased potassium and iodine in our nutrition, precisely the minerals for prevention of cancer.”
Gerson therapy involves a plan fixed on organic foods and the avoidance of processed foods contained in toxic packaging. Along with an improved dietary lifestyle, coffee enemas were used by Gerson to widen the bile ducts to improve excretion processes. Individuals undergoing Gerson therapy receive enemas continually throughout the day and night − every 4 hours. Therapies similar to Gerson’s regimen have shown an improved quality of life in individuals who maintain the treatment plan.
How to Do a Coffee Enema
People suffering from a chronic disease can commit to up to four coffee enemas daily. Otherwise healthy individuals can benefit from enemas weekly in order to detoxify the colon, filtering out debris, toxins, and other substances which have become stagnant throughout the week.
Avoid contaminants by choosing organic, light roast ground coffee and boiling with purified water for 15 minutes. (Add 3 to 4 cups of boiling water over 3 tablespoons of organic ground coffee and simmer in a saucepan for 15 min). Allow coffee to cool. Strain the mixture to remove any coffee grounds (i.e. through a cheese cloth or fine sieve). Pour this into an enema kit and bring to the bathroom. Lie on your right side in fetal position with your knees bent inwards and up towards your stomach. Insert the nozzle about 2 inches into the rectum and allow the coffee to begin flowing.
Tips to Receive Maximum Benefits from Coffee Enemas
Once you become used to coffee enemas you can move around once all the liquid is emptied out of the kit (you can even try some gentle yoga poses). This will help achieve a better detoxification by moving the coffee throughout the intestines. Holding in the coffee enema for about 12-15 minutes is optimal and also challenging as you will have the urge to release the fluid much sooner.
For those allergic to coffee, alternatives include apple cider vinegar that is undiluted and raw, or green juice. Choose what you can tolerate. You may also want to try organic teas such as assorted blends of organic herbs like green tea.
Potential Side Effects of Coffee Enemas
Coffee enemas, however beneficial as they may be, also have side effects. Adverse reactions may include intestinal cramping, loss of appetite, fever, electrolyte imbalance, and diarrhea. These consequences can further lead to dehydration, constipation, and infection. You should seek your health care practitioner’s approval before beginning a daily coffee enema regimen.