Using Enemas Safely

SAFE

Enema soaps, essential oils, and Celtic Sea Salt may be purchased at our product website, accessible from the Enema Kits and Products page.

WARM WATER ENEMA. Water is very important in the therapeutic enema because it is your main tool for cleansing your colon. A good enema program consists of being able to infuse high-quality water deep into your colon to stimulate peristalsis throughout the entire colon, thus cleansing the entire colon and not just the rectal or sigmoid areas.

There are many sources of quality water. If you use tap water, make sure it has been filtered.

The temperature of the water is important. If the water is too cold, you are more likely to cause yourself unnecessary pain. If the water is too hot, you could damage the sensitive tissues of the colon. I recommend that the water you take into your body be 96 to 103 degrees Fahrenheit.

As far as quantity of water, here is a rough guide:

Infant: 250 cc (approximately one cup) or less

Toddler and preschooler: 500 cc (two cups) or less

School-aged child: 500 to 1,000 cc (between a pint and a quart)

Adult: 1,000 to 3,000 cc (between one and three quarts)

THERAPEUTIC ENEMA SOLUTIONS:

1. SOAP SUDS ENEMA. Soap suds enemas prove to be more effective at emptying the bowels for some people than water alone. I would always start your enema program without soap. If you want to experiment with your enema effectiveness, or don't find that your bowel empties well, add soap to your water. Always use a therapeutic plant-based, animal-based, or food-based soap such as castile soap, chamomile and sage goat milk soap, or frankincense and myrrh goat milk soap.

Depending on the type of soap, there can be additional healing benefits to using soap. For instance, some people are finding that by using the frankincense and myrrh goat milk soap, they are experiencing relief from prostate concerns.

2. ESSENTIAL OIL ENEMA. Use essential oils as part of your enema solution instead of soap. Peppermint and lavender essential oils work well to stimulate and nourish the colon.

3. SEA SALT ENEMA. In order to nourish your colon with electrolytes, use 1 teaspoon of Celtic Sea Salt per quart of water. To assure adequate levels of electrolytes in your body, have a hair tissue mineral analysis (HTMA) done seasonally.

LEARN MORE. For more information about enemas, please view our instructional videos on DVD, All About Enemas and Cleansing, Coffee Enemas, and Colon Tubes, or our downloadable videos, Large-Volume Enema and Small-Volume Enema.

These educational enema videos comprehensively cover important safety concepts regarding in-home enemas. They will inform you on how to take therapeutic enemas, so that you can provide colon cleansing for yourself, in your own home, that will have the same therapeutic effects as professional colon hydrotherapy sessions.

POTENTIALLY UNSAFE

CHEMICAL ENEMA

PUBLIC WATER SUPPLIES

SOAP IN THE ENEMA SOLUTION

The enema solution, the liquid used in the enema container, is one of the more controversial issues regarding enema use. For the purposes of using enemas to promote health, we will define a potentially unsafe enema solution as an enema solution that has potential side effects and is not therapeutic to the human body. In other words, the potentially unsafe enema solution is limited in its scope of only encouraging a bowel movement, and does not promote overall healing of the body.

CHEMICAL ENEMA. Unfortunately, due to the influence of pharmaceutical companies, chemical laxative enemas and mineral oil enemas are currently the enemas of choice for most people. These unhealthy enema solutions cause health problems due to electrolyte imbalances, vitamin imbalances, and liver strain.

Warm water enemas were used by medical doctors and nurses for many years. Under the Workup Section in the article entitled "Constipation" by Dave Holson, MD, MPH, we see one reason why the medical profession has turned away from the warm water enema to the use of chemical enemas: "Warm water enemas usually are unpopular among the nursing staff and probably are not necessary." Chemical enemas and oral laxatives are much less time-consuming than warm water enemas and involve much less physical and emotional effort on the part of the health care provider than are warm water enemas.

The goal of the chemical enema solution, sodium biphosphate and sodium phosphate, is to draw water out of the colonic tissue. The risk with these enemas is that they can deplete your mineral and electrolyte levels. On the drug guide for this product it states, "Using more than the recommended dose in 24 hours can be harmful. If there is no bowel movement after the maximum dosage, contact your doctor. Also, do not use sodium biphosphate and sodium phosphate for longer than 1 week except under the direction of your doctor."

On the actual labels of these chemical enemas, it states, "Since FLEET® Enema contains sodium phosphates, there is a risk of elevated serum levels of sodium and phosphate and decreased levels of calcium and potassium, and consequently hypernatremia, hyperphosphatemia, hypocalcemia, hypokalemia, and acidosis may occur."

Additionally, in 1998 the FDA requested a reduction in the size of the packaging for the sodium phosphate enema and a modification in its labeling. The FDA initiated these changes because of numerous reported side effects and overdosing when people were using the sodium biphosphate and sodium phosphate enemas.

Currently the FDA states that the chemical enema must include a warning statement regarding use with patients with a colostomy, congenital mega colon, imperforate anus, impaired renal function, heart disease, congestive heart failure, preexisting electrolyte disturbances, or in patients using diuretics that may affect electrolyte levels.

Rulemaking History for OTC Laxative Drug Products

If you have used chemical enemas, you can monitor your electrolyte levels through a hair tissue mineral analysis (HTMA), a service available through our Optimal Health Network.

 

PUBLIC WATER SUPPLIES

SOAP IN THE ENEMA SOLUTION