A Wellness Way to Use Coffee

New York Times bestselling author Haylie Pomroy is well known in Hollywood and in the medical community for her ability to effect rapid weight loss by using food to jump­start metabolism. With a clientele that reads like a Who’s­ Who of Hollywood, Haylie Pomroy has created powerful, metabolic meal strategies, tactical recipe planning, one­-on­-one food coaching, and collaborative care plans with physicians and clinics across the country.

Her #1 NY Times Best Selling book, The Fast Metabolism Diet, Instant Best Seller​, The Fast Metabolism Diet Cookbook, and The Burn are available wherever books are sold as well as on her website.

When you drink coffee, it can be awfully hard on your body — the extra stimulation revs your adrenals into a constant state of readiness, which in turn throws your hormones — and your metabolism — out of whack.

But believe it or not, there is one way in which coffee can boost your wellness without sabotaging your metabolism.

Coffee enemas?

Coffee has long been part of a demonstrably effective, but still controversial, alternative cancer treatment called the Gonzalez treatment. The Gonzalez treatment and two similar protocols (the Kelley and Gerson therapies) use medicinal foods, supplements — and coffee — to support your body’s liver function instead of repressing it.

How do they get such a different effect from the same food? The key is how you take it. All three therapies use coffee enemas instead of orally administered coffee — and believe it or not, the difference in how your body handles the two is pretty drastic.

Caffeine is several times less bioavailable when taken as an enema. And instead of spooling your adrenals up into constant-crisis mode or depressing your liver function as it does when taken orally, a coffee enema stimulates the nerves in your lower bowels, prompting your liver and kidneys to swing into full-on detox mode.

That’s why coffee enemas show up in so many regular detox diets, too — but remember, you only get those effects when you take it as an enema. If you drink the coffee, it’s going to do the exact opposite of what you’re looking for.

Is this for me?

The word “enema” may have some unpleasant associations, but enemas have long been a fast, effective method of administering certain medications and supplements. After all, it’s your colon’s job to absorb liquids and any vitamins and nutrients they contain.

Still, there are a few caveats. You must use organic coffee; non-organic coffee is full of toxins like pesticides  — exactly the sort of thing you’re trying to remove from your body, not put into it. You’ll also want to protect yourself by using unbleached coffee filters, and make sure your coffee maker is free of aluminum and preferably plastic too.

The enema must be at body temperature to avoid burns, and doing coffee enemas — or any enema — too frequently can upset your electrolyte imbalance and, in extreme cases, even lead to death.

Not every wellness tool is for everybody, of course — but as long as you do them safely, occasional coffee enemas can be an effective tool for boosting your body’s detoxification mechanisms. They’re a traditional folk remedy for constipation, too.

There are several variations on how to prepare the coffee for an enema. My go-to reference for is the book, Prescription for Nutritional Healing, by Phyllis A Balch. The book includes detailed instructions for preparing the right therapeutic concentration, and variations.

To learn more about creative ways of using coffee, visit HayliePomroy.com and sign up for the newsletter to receive a FREE Cookbook!