For those who are looking for ways to stay healthy this winter and ward off that dreaded flu virus, here is a basic, time-proven solution that many seem to have forgotten. Excellent health begins with the understanding of the importance of a clean colon and a good digestive system. Keep reading, and I will reveal my secret, which is thousands of years old.

We all call my grandmother “Big Momma.” She is a former nurse who is now 106-years-young. Her name reflects her wisdom, not her size. She is absolutely beautiful; very alert, aware and as fit as a fiddle for her age.

I remember whenever one of us had a cold, tummy ache or the flu, my Mom would call Big Momma, asking for advice. “Give ‘em an enema!” she would say and that is what would happen. We would get an enema, and shortly thereafter, we would be fully recovered.

It always worked. Even now, our family still believes in enemas as the way to keep you cleaned out and free of any bacteria that may contribute to a low immune system and disease.

Big Momma says it used to be that hospitals commonly prescribed enemas upon admittance. A clean colon was, and is, the first line of defense. Back then, however, the nurses mixed the water in the enema bag with ivory soap!

Big Momma showed my mother how to use Ivory soap as well. She would suds it up in a large mayonnaise jar and we would literally be washed out! Today, however, the Ivory soap need not go in the enema bag. The water does the trick on its own.

Today, my advice to parents and adults (along with healthy diet/exercise and regular check ups with a medical doctor) is to keep their colons clean. As children, whenever we had signs of a cold, flu, or fever, or symptoms of nausea, the enema was the solution and prevented us from ever needing to have a flu shot.

Here is a beginner’s guide to giving yourself an enema:

1. Go to your neighborhood drugstore and purchase an enema kit, the kind with a quart size hot water bottle (HWB) included. Also purchase hydrogen peroxide or bleach to clean the contents of the kit before and after. You may want to purchase rubber gloves to be extra hygienic.

2. Once at home, go into the bathroom and unwrap the kit. Fill the HWB with a mixture of water and peroxide twice and let it flow through the cable. Make sure you also cleanse the insertion nozzle. Rinse out the HWB several times to make sure all traces of bleach are gone.

3. Fill your HWB with purified or distilled water. If you only have access to tap water, be sure to boil it first. If you are doing a coffee enema, or any other herbal mixture, use 1 cup to a quart of water. In fact, there are many natural additives that yield great benefits with an enema such as: bentonite, herbal teas, coffee, lemon, garlic and wheat grass.

4. You can fill yourself with the contents of the enema bag in the tub or on the floor. If you use the floor, lay down some towels. If you are giving an enema to your child, you can put them on their bed, just lay down some towels first. Hang the hot water bottle high enough so that the water can flow freely down.

5. Lubricate the end of the enema nozzle with coconut oil or vegetable oil, lay down on your left side, insert the nozzle into the anus, release the clip on the hose slowly, and start filling. It is important to be on your left side, or the water will run out. Also, you may need to squeeze your buttocks slightly in order to keep the water from dribbling out.

Make sure you can reach the open/close clip; that way, if you experience any cramping, you can close the clip and stop the flow, rub your tummy, and wait for the gas pocket to settle. When you are ready, you can open the flow again and continue to fill.

6. If you need to release in the middle of the fill, close the clip and do so. Once you empty, be sure to cleanse the insertion nozzle with peroxide and water again if you are re-inserting.

7. Once you have filled yourself, it is optimum to hold the water in for 15-20 minutes. I keep the nozzle in for that period of time, because it acts as a kind of plug. Then I get on all fours, head to the floor, butt in the air, as long as possible before then turning onto my right side. By this time, you are probably ready for the loo!

8. Have a nice release. Let it loose, let it flow, it’s time to go.