Can you become dependant on enemas

But he may well end up with more severe problems if you avoid enemas. Your son will then be able to better sense when his rectum is full, and his rectum will have the tone and strength to empty more completely.

But a child who is chronically constipated needs them! Must-read books for kids by Steve Hodges, M. Get your child on the path to dryness with the 4th Edition of the M.

Download the Introduction for free! Featured Posts. Encopresis: What Doctors Get Wrong. Even then, whenever you have a bowel movement, it pushes things out roughly in the order it went in. Any waste that you eliminate during an enema is from recent meals and would have been eliminated during normal bowel movements in due time. While enemas can be a useful tool in medicine, giving yourself enemas at home can have many complications.

Temporary side effects of enemas can include bloating and cramping. Enemas can also affect the balance of microbiota in your gut. However, enemas also negatively affect the good bacteria in the gut probiotics , which can damage the microbiota balance and cause digestive symptoms.

Coffee enemas first became popular in the s, when a German scientist, Max Gerson, claimed that coffee enemas were more effective than standard saline enemas, because the coffee would be absorbed rectally, and could help stimulate the liver. Supposedly, this would detoxify the body and could even help cure cancer.

Coffee can offer health benefits — such as antioxidants — when you drink it, but there is no advantage to taking coffee rectally. In fact, it comes with the risk of normal enema complications, and the potential for rectal burns if the coffee is too warm. It is also possible to take in too much caffeine, if you are using larger amounts of coffee than you would normally drink.

If you want to enjoy coffee, it is best to enjoy drinking it in moderation. If your physician does recommend you use an enema for any reason, make sure to follow their instructions carefully to avoid unpleasant side effects and injuries. In Ancient Egypt, a wide range of physicians would attend to their Pharaoh, with each one attending to a different body part.

One such position, the Shepherd of the Royal Anus neru pehut , had the primary duty of providing the Pharaoh with regular enemas, either to administer medicines or to clean out the colon. A number of behavioral techniques can also be quite helpful:. Children who are toilet trained should get in the habit of sitting on the toilet for minutes after breakfast and again after supper. Establishing regular bathroom times is also helpful because many children are completely unwilling to pass bowel movements at school just as many adults are unwilling to do at work.

Some pediatric centers offer biofeedback therapy as a way to improve the muscle coordination associated with passing bowel movements. Remember, many children with chronic constipation have become quite incoordinated and use muscles against one another when they try to pass bowel movements.

With biofeedback, several small wires are taped to the skin around the anus and on the abdomen. These wires measure what the different muscles are doing and display this information on a TV screen. By playing a type of video game, a child can learn how to tighten and relax the muscles in ways that make passing bowel movements more efficient and less painful. With the assistance of behavioral psychologists, we use modeling and other behavior modification techniques to help children understand how to use their muscles correctly while straining.

Department of Pediatrics. Treatment of Chronic Constipation Constipation in children can be treated in many different ways. Three methods are commonly used to empty the large intestine: Enemas Suppositories Laxatives Enemas push fluid into the rectum. The phosphate is not absorbed in the lower intestine and thus keeps the water from the enema in the intestine.

Soap suds: contain water with a small amount of soap. The soap is mildly irritating and stimulates the lower intestine to secrete water and salt. Milk and Molasses: contain milk sugars and proteins as well as molasses.

None of these are absorbed in the lower intestine and thus keep the water from the enema in the intestine. In high doses, often produce diarrhea. Often causes bloating and excessive amounts of intestinal gas. In high doses, often produces diarrhea. Also a mild irritant, senna causes the lower intestine to contract squeeze.

In high doses, may cause cramps and diarrhea. Available as a tasteless, odorless powder that can be readily mixed into juices or other fluids without altering their taste.