Re: Weil on the coffee enema

[Guest guest]

Interesting that using coffee in enemas can cause dependence as well!

Kenda

> Q Are Coffee Enemas Worthwhile?

> I have heard that coffee enemas can be used to detoxify the body. What

> can you tell me about this?

> A Answer (Published 9/12/2005)

>

> Coffee enemas are recommended in some alternative approaches to cancer

> treatment, and they are widely promoted on the Internet and by some

> alternative practitioners as a detoxification method. Proponents claim that

> coffee administered as an enema stimulates the liver and helps it remove

> toxins from the body. I have never recommended coffee enemas, but I won't

> write them off - at least not until we know the results of an ongoing clinical

> trial studying a treatment regimen for pancreatic cancer that includes them.

>

> That treatment program, devised by New York physician Nicolas ,

> is currently the subject of a five-year study funded by the National Center

> for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM), an arm of the National

> Institutes of Health. Coffee enemas are just one element of Dr. '

> program, which also involves administration of pancreatic enzymes orally,

> taking up to 150 pills per day (a variety of dietary supplements) and a diet

> that emphasizes fresh, raw fruits, raw and lightly steamed vegetables and

> vegetable juice. The study is a small one, which probably means that it won't

> reveal whether coffee enemas or any other single element of the treatment plan

> are particularly useful.

>

> While there is no medical evidence showing that coffee enemas are

> useful, there have been reports of infections, dangerous electrolyte

> deficiencies and death as a result of excessive use of them, especially when

> combined with fasting. Coffee taken rectally can also be strongly stimulating

> and can produce dependence, just like coffee consumed in the usual manner.

>

> Weil, M.D.

>