Coffee enema#Effects and dangers
{{Short description|Injection of coffee into the colon}}
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A coffee enema is the injection of coffee into the rectum and colon via the anus, i.e., as an enema. There is no scientific evidence to support any positive health claim for this practice, and medical authorities advise that the procedure may be dangerous.{{cite journal |author = Ernst E |title = Colonic irrigation and the theory of autointoxication: a triumph of ignorance over science |journal = J. Clin. Gastroenterol. |volume = 24 |issue = 4 |pages = 196–8 |date = June 1997 |pmid = 9252839 |doi = 10.1097/00004836-199706000-00002 |doi-access = free }} Coffee enemas are an important part of Gerson therapy, a discredited alternative cancer treatment that was promoted by the Gerson Institute in the 1970s.{{cite journal|year=1990|title=Unproven Methods of Cancer Management: Gerson Therapy|journal=CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians|url=https://acsjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.3322/canjclin.40.4.252|volume=40|issue=4|pages=252-255}}
Efficacy and safety
No medical or scientific evidence supports any claim of detoxification or anti-cancer effect of coffee enemas.{{cite journal |author=Shils ME, Hermann MG |title=Unproved dietary claims in the treatment of patients with cancer |journal=Bull N Y Acad Med |volume=58 |issue=3 |pages=323–40 |date=April 1982 |pmid=7052177 |pmc=1805327 }}{{cite journal |author=Cassileth B |title=Gerson regimen |journal=Oncology (Williston Park, N.Y.) |volume=24 |issue=2 |pages=201 |date=February 2010 |pmid=20361473 }}
Coffee enemas carry a risk of adverse effects, some of them serious, including infection, seizures, heart and lung problems, and death.{{cite web |publisher=Cancer Research UK |title=Gerson therapy |url=https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/cancer-in-general/treatment/complementary-alternative-therapies/individual-therapies/gerson |date=5 April 2019}}
History
Image:Saco de enema (café).jpg
The rationale for using enemas can be traced back the earliest medical texts, to the prescientific misconception that the accumulation of faeces in the intestines can lead to autointoxication and that the "cleansing" of intestines can prevent that.{{cite web |publisher=Science-Based Medicine |title=Ask the (Science-Based) Pharmacist: What are the benefits of coffee enemas? |author=Scott Gavura |date=11 July 2013 |url=https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/ask-the-science-based-pharmacist-what-are-the-benefits-of-coffee-enemas/}}
The practice of colon cleansing experienced a renaissance in the 1990s, and at this time, coffee enemas were used as alternative cancer treatments.{{cite journal|last1=Ernst|first1=E|author-link=Edzard Ernst|title=Colonic irrigation and the theory of autointoxication: a triumph of ignorance over science.|journal=Journal of Clinical Gastroenterology|date=June 1997|volume=24|issue=4|pages=196–198|pmid=9252839|doi=10.1097/00004836-199706000-00002|doi-access=free}} 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 and liver. Coffee enemas were also mentioned in early 20th-century medical literature as a remedy for constipation, though their use was limited and eventually fell out of favor due to a lack of supporting evidence.{{Cite journal |last=Son |first=Heejung |last2=Song |first2=Hyun Jin |last3=Seo |first3=Hyun-Ju |last4=Lee |first4=Heeyoung |last5=Choi |first5=Sun Mi |last6=Lee |first6=Sanghun |date=2020-09-04 |title=The safety and effectiveness of self-administered coffee enema |url=https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7478478/ |journal=Medicine |language=en |volume=99 |issue=36 |pages=e21998 |doi=10.1097/MD.0000000000021998 |issn=0025-7974 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250118215224/https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7478478/ |archive-date=2025-01-18|pmc=7478478 }}
Advocates of coffee enemas often point to their inclusion in editions of the Merck Manual through 1972, where coffee is listed as an ingredient for a retention enema for treating constipation. The Merck Manual does not list any other uses for coffee enemas, and in editions after 1972 all mention of them was dropped.{{cite book|title=Unconventional Cancer Treatments|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=W8e4C4uhZnYC&pg=PA51|publisher=Congress of the U.S., Office of Technology Assessment|page=51 |year=1990}}
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Gerson therapy
Gerson therapy is an alternative treatment developed by Dr. Max Gerson in the early 20th century, primarily aimed at treating cancer and other degenerative diseases. The therapy emphasizes a strict organic vegetarian diet, nutritional supplements, and coffee enemas, which are believed to detoxify the body and strengthen the immune system. Proponents claim that this regimen can restore metabolic balance and promote healing; however, there is no scientific evidence supporting its efficacy. Health organizations, including the National Cancer Institute, warn against using Gerson therapy as a substitute for conventional cancer treatments due to its unproven nature and potential risks.{{Cite web |date=2005-10-24 |title=Gerson Therapy - NCI |url=https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/treatment/cam/patient/gerson-pdq |access-date=2025-01-20 |website=www.cancer.gov |language=en}}
See also
References
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Category:Alternative detoxification