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Coffee enemas and morning sickness

33K views 21 replies 6 participants last post by  entiti 
#1 ·
I've been doing coffee enemas (Gerson therapy) for detox and healing purposes for almost a couple of years now, and was wondering about doing them while pregnant.....so I did a little Google search. I came upon a couple of forums where women said it helped with morning sickness.

Here's one w/ some good info:
http://welltellme.com/discuss/index.php?topic=21321.0

Anyhoo...I've had awful morning sickness with my last two pregnancies starting probably within a week of conception. Last week I didn't do a coffee enema just due to being busy with the kids, and life.....and I started really feeling icky. Nausea hit, feeling tired, etc.

Well yesterday, I remembered the info I read, and went ahead and did a coffee....and I felt great afterward! Nausea went away, uncomfortableness went away.....and I felt a lot better.

And this morning I woke up feeling great! I feel great right now! I'm stoked:grin:!

The reasoning behind it all is that the coffee stimulates bile flow, and increases enzymatic action of the liver and in general is one of th most powerful liver cleanses you can do.
And since Milk Thistle is also recommended for morning sickness because of it's liver cleansing properties, I definitely see the link.

Anyway, I thought I'd pass my experience along, because morning sickness really is the pits!
 
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#5 ·
Does it act as general detox as well, or just liver support? I'm not sure I would start doing it while pregnant having never done it before, if it has detox effects. Although it seems like with the bile flow and colon cleansing it would affect phase I and II detox, which would be safer.


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#6 ·
I believe it acts as a way to actually take the toxic buildup delivered into the bloodstream by detox itself, collecting it from where it is stored in the liver/gallbladder. Here's a better tidbit:

You may not know this, but the body recycles bile up to 10 times, reabsorbing bile and bile salts through the intestinal walls. It is one of the ways the body conserves its resources.
That worked fine eons ago when we lived in a younger, more pristine world. Today, it is advantageous to help our bodies eliminate bile faster.
Here's why...
Bile carries toxins out of the liver through the gallbladder. Because bile is reused, a large portion of the toxins tends to be reabsorbed along with the bile.
Choloretic (bile flow stimulating) herbs like dandelion, milk thistle and oregon grape can help increase bile flow and benefit fat digestion. HOWEVER, they do NOT keep bile, bile salts, and toxins carried in the bile from re-toxifying your body.
Just stimulating bile flow with herbs will not quickly detoxify the body.
But coffee enema WILL!
Coffee enema activates and intensifies certain enzyme systems that ensure that around 98% of toxins in released bile will be safely carried out of your body!
It does not allow the liver to reabsorb toxic bile through the permeable walls of the gut. Therefore, it is the most effective means of utilizing natural enzyme systems of the liver and small intestine to detoxify the blood stream."

Coffee enema VASTLY increases the activity and efficiency of protective enzyme systems in your liver and gut which bind toxins so they can be safely eliminated from your body.
How..?
Scientific research shows that two forms of palmitic acid contained in coffee (cafestol palmitate and kahweol palmitate) activate glutathione s-transferase. This enzyme is one of THE most powerful body detoxifiers.
The very best certified organic enema coffee contains up to 87% more palmitic acid, and 48% more caffeine than medium roast organic coffee.
Glutathione S-transferase (GST) is a major enzyme system that captures electrophiles (reactive carcinogenic compounds), and metabolizes xenobiotics (toxic elements from drugs, pesticides, etc.). It removes many kinds of toxic radicals from your blood stream.
Glutathione is used by the body to detoxify and remove dangerous elements such as mercury.
GST binds these destructive poisons with reduced glutathione (an amino acid that is a powerful antioxidant and detoxifier), so they can't escape, and escorts them safely out of the body. The coffee itself is also eliminated.
In addition, coffee enema prevents the reabsorption and recycling of toxic bile - a very GOOD thing that helps you eliminate toxins FAST!
Dr. Nicholas Gonzales says, 'Regular use of coffee enemas help you eliminate a lifetime of toxins in only a year or two.'
It is tempting in our instant gratification culture to think 'a year or two' is a long time. If you do the research, you will find that many kinds of poisons, like pthalates from plastics and heavy metals are very difficult to get out of the body. Not only that, but the toxic load in our bodies is continually being added to every day."

When my son was born three years ago, unbeknownst to me, he had some bad food allergies that were being riled up through my breast milk. I did an elimination diet....and the poor thing could hardly breathe his head was so full. So my naturopath introduced me to coffee enemas, and said that not only would it be a good way to remove waste from my lower intestines, possibly reintroducing whatever might be affecting him in my milk, but while I was on the Elimination diet trying to figure it out....I was likely going through detox putting old nasties in my bloodstream making him worse!

Eek! I had no idea! I started doing one coffee enema a day for two months, but I kid you not, after about a week in a half my little bub was breathing through the night, and sleeping so much better! I continued to do the enemas everyday until I figured what foods to eliminate, and then at least twice a month ever since, and I definitely contribute a lot of my bounced back health to removing the toxic overload from my body via colon cleansing/coffee enemas.

As far as the technical stuff, I got a kit like this one from Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Stainless-Enema-Bucket-Deluxe-Kit/dp/B005V09AOG

Ordered a few male tip catheters that are silicon, and very thin...easy to insert! Which was a big thing for me! And you just get some good organic coffee from your local grocer (I have never used any 'enema coffee' or anything super strong).
*Boil a 2 cups of purified or distilled water and 3-5 tablespoons of coffee (I usually do 5) for 5 min, and then let it simmer for another 10-15 min.
*Let it cool down
*pour it in your enema bucket (strain it first, so no coffee grinds get in there)
*Pour in another 2 cups of purified/distilled water (So you will have 4 cups of water/coffee mix in the bucket total)
*You make a pallet on the floor in the bathroom, or close to it.
*Lube your catheter tip (and bum) with organic coconut oil.
*Insert about 2 or 3 inches (the silicon catheter is very flexible....I didn't have any trouble other than my first general apprehension of putting something up there:wink:.
*You are supposed to hold as much as you can for 15 min before releasing. At first I could hardly hold it at all....but I got to the point where it was no big deal after a few days.
*Clean when your done

As far as absorbing the coffee, all the info I have read says says the mixture of 1/1 coffee/water held for 15 min then released leaves no absorption of coffee. I personally do not drink coffee, and do not tolerate any stimulant well without feeling waaaay jiterry. I have never felt any effect of caffeine, except once or twice whn I have tried to eye the coffee instead of measure, and have used too much.

I know someone made a really good documentary on Gerson therapy/coffee enemas I watched a couple of years back on youtube, I will try to find it and post it.
 
#8 ·
There's 'science based' proof for all info on any two sides of an argument on the internet. My take has always been to try something for myself, and then make a judgement. I am only posting info because I have done this myself with amazing results for years, and was happy that it helped with the morning sickness that pounced on me last week.
Just thought I'd pass on my first hand knowledge, if it was just something I read on the net w/out experience, I probably would not have posted it.
 
#9 ·
Well, I'm sold, but then, I was sold back when I watched that documentary you referred to. And I thought, why doesn't insurance pay for Gerson therapy for people who don't want to do chemo or radiation? It's sad that people have to go to Mexico just to do it. My OB tells me that medicine for nausea is perfectly fine and will not harm the baby, but coffee in my colon would? Nope, I'd rather do the coffee thing. I don't trust science based medicine most of the time (btw that website is a known skeptic site with an agenda, so that's another reason I don't trust it). There's a time and a place, but I just don't believe in medication except as a super duper last resort, with diet and other natural therapies being a first resort. Too bad that doctors don't really do natural therapies and medicine is usually the first resort. Would be nice if doctors were half nutritionists. Okay, sorry, I'll step off my soapbox now.

entiti, did you buy the male catheter in addition to the enema bag? Like to add on to it?
 
#10 ·
I agree with you 100% Valerie.
I was so astounded that I had never heard of Gerson therapy, or any of the natural treatments that cure so many 'fatal' diseases here in the US. I got to visit the Tree of Life Rejuvenation Center last year while my family and I were wwoofing at a farm in the area and got to meet so many people who were either managing their cancer (very well!), or had beat it incorporating only changes in diet/colon cleansing/resting.....but with no chemo or drugs! One person told me her doctor refused her to take coffee enemas....and was just about giving her a death sentence in that same breath!

Our health system is so backwards.

I ordered a stainless steel enema bucket that came with a male catheter. But I bought a few more from a medical supply online for like .75 each. I would make sure it is male, and also not plastic but silicon. I have never used an enema bag (but do remember my grandmother's on the back of the bathroom door:smile:), but I would guess whatever came with it would be fine as long as it could hold 4 cups of liquid. The catheters I feel are just more comfortable if you are not used to doing enemas/colemas.

Happy liver cleansing:)
Cheers for finally getting to do it!

*Also as an update, I haven't had any nausea since yesterday about 45 min after doing my coffee. I felt a little fatigue midday today, but nothing like what was going down last week.
 
#11 ·
I mentioned it to my husband and he about had a heart attack. He seems to think it would be okay to take the medication, but that a coffee enema amounts to an abortion because of the caffeine amount. I'm going to have to do some research. I quit drinking coffee when I found out I was pregnant because of caffeine, but he is saying that he has read that the caffeine is more potent through the colon and would go strait to the baby. I'm not so sure about that. He did make me take a B6 vitamin and that has seemingly helped a bit.

I was also thinking that perhaps nausea and vomiting is partly nature's way of removing bile from the system. In the beginning (last month) my morning vomiting was very yellow and I'm pretty sure it was bile. But now it's never like that, it's mostly clear.
 
#13 ·
I mentioned it to my husband and he about had a heart attack. He seems to think it would be okay to take the medication, but that a coffee enema amounts to an abortion because of the caffeine amount. I'm going to have to do some research. I quit drinking coffee when I found out I was pregnant because of caffeine, but he is saying that he has read that the caffeine is more potent through the colon and would go strait to the baby. I'm not so sure about that. He did make me take a B6 vitamin and that has seemingly helped a bit.

I was also thinking that perhaps nausea and vomiting is partly nature's way of removing bile from the system. In the beginning (last month) my morning vomiting was very yellow and I'm pretty sure it was bile. But now it's never like that, it's mostly clear.
You will definitely vomit bile if there's nothing left in your stomach. It's all that's in there! Both B6 and ginger have good evidence to support both their efficacy and safety for use in pregnancy.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2990891/
 
#14 ·
I have no idea about coffee enemas, but what about salt water flush? I do them from time to time when I am not pregnant to help with constipation. You put 2t-1T of sea salt in 1 quart of water and drink it. The salt does not absorb into your system. You usually "go" within an hour.

Any opinions on if that would be safe? The only danger I can think of would be if it causes bad cramping, which I doesn't (for me anyway).

Also, what about senna-based tea (like Smooth Move)?

Usually when things get really bad I just do a regular old enema, but I am curious.

PS- I always thought detox's during pregnancy were a no-no because the toxins stirred up could be absorbed by the baby somehow.
 
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#15 ·
The thing is....ANY change in diet causes a detox effect. So, guess what? All that not eating you're doing because of nausea, you're cells are detoxing, because in a very factual way, your body is fasting....causing cellular detox. The coffee enemas just remove the waste, making for less detoxifying effects or toxic waste recirculating through the body and reabsorbing into the tissue system. I started doing them in the first place to knock off the detox effects/remove any toxicity of an elimination diet I was doing while nursing my baby dealing with food allergies. After starting them, the very week later he was slept for 4 hours straight, and it only got better.....no more congestion or restlessness.
So my own experience causes me to know that I was experiencing detox, and the coffee enemas helped rid my body and milk of toxic material.

Valerie, I would say doing your own research is the best thing you can do. Do what feels right, and use your good judgement, and you'll be just fine:)

For the fact that you do not drink and process the coffee itself, but retain it in the colon and release it is a lot different . In the 2 years I've been doing coffee enemas, I have never had an effect of caffeine absorption when I followed the proper ratio. I did it through nursing a baby, then toddler....and he neither suffered any effects and was and is now a healthy boy.

DentonMidwife, could you explain why you are taught to give a coffee enema to induce? I've never heard of that, and wonder what it is about the coffee enemas? BTW, I went to UNT, grew up in Ft. Worth and spent many fond years in Denton:) Hope all is still well there!
 
#21 ·
DentonMidwife, could you explain why you are taught to give a coffee enema to induce? I've never heard of that, and wonder what it is about the coffee enemas? BTW, I went to UNT, grew up in Ft. Worth and spent many fond years in Denton:) Hope all is still well there!
Honestly it was not something that I was taught the science of. It was more of an anecdotal, if all else fails kind of thing. I believe it is similar to the thought of using castor oil to induce because it stimulates the bowels.
 
#16 ·
Well Cagnew, it's that the coffee has an enzyme in it that captures toxic material in the body and removes it from the blood stream and then releases it from the bowel when you're done retaining it.

While salt flushes are GREAT for colon cleansing, and even better for displacing halogens from the thyroid and other glandular bodies, they invoke two separate results. But salt flushing is awesome:) Unfortunately drinking salt water does not appeal to me right now....but I tell you what it did miracles for me getting bromine out of my body! I was like a new person!
 
#18 ·
I have high HDL and low LDL cholesterol, so if you look at my total number it looks bad because it's over 200, but separately it's good. I remember someone (may have been you, luckiest) saying that women are craving bread and carbs during their pregnancy in order to make bile. This pregnancy has been the opposite for me, I can't stand the smell of bread and I really haven't been liking sugary things (haven't even had any chocolate!). Could it be that my body already has a stock of cholesterol to make bile with and so I'm not craving the raw building materials?
 
#19 ·
Ok I can't figure out how to quote on Tapatalk, but @Valerie11, from what I understand that is a good part of the reason for the combination of fat/protein aversion and carb craving - your cholesterol is being diverted to make hormones, less is available for bile, you're less able to digest fats, so they make you sick; meanwhile your body can manufacture cholesterol from carbs, which it can still digest, so you crave that.

The other thing behind nausea/carb craving is that the first tri is a major stress on your adrenal glands - until your placenta is big enough to take over, your ovaries and adrenals are in charge of making all these hormones. Healthy adrenals can handle the extra burden, but most of us don't have healthy adrenals, so they slack in other functions in order to make the hormones. They stop being able to regulate your blood sugar, so when it's low they can't bring it back up, so you end up becoming nauseated (like when you've waited too long to eat and you're nauseated instead of hungry, but it happens every two hours) and crave carbs to "manually" bring your blood sugar back up. But of course carbs only exacerbate the problem, causing another blood sugar crash in a couple hours, repeat ad nauseam (pun kind of intended). Also, I can't remember the mechanism for it, but chronic fatigue is the first big sign of adrenal fatigue, so there's your answer for why everyone is so tired all the time, and why it all gets better in the second tri when the placenta relieves the adrenals of their burden!

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#20 · (Edited)
VERY clear and concisely stated luckiest! I've been thinking a lot about adrenal function and pregnancy lately, can't find too much in my old biochemistry textbooks....but enough to figure that the endocrine system as a whole has a lot to play in the first trimester. The fact that so many women face thyroid issues in the mid life, I believe is a clear indicator of endocrine system stress from pregnancies (as well as all the nasty stuff like hydrofluorosilicic acid of course) that for the majority of women are never built back up properly.
 
#22 ·
Ahh, I see. So I wonder if it is more of the retention of liquid that causes peristalsis rather than the coffee itself.
With that said, I do have to add that it is becoming a bit uncomfortable to do any enema, in that even the last time I did a regular enema it was really hard to retain much water in one sitting, same with the coffee. I usually have this issue while menstruating as well. Must be the expanding uterus and all.

I stand by the idea that anything that stimulates bile, supports liver and adrenal function, as well as generally helping to keep the digestive system from becoming compacted for too long are main staples to controlling nausea.

I have more to say, mainly pertaining to the first trimester (nausea, fatigue,etc.) and the ductless glands....but I should probably start a whole nother thread for that:)
 
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