Constipated? Want to know what to do?

What is Constipation?

Constipation is defined as infrequent or incomplete bowel movements. What constitutes infrequent? Well medical doctors will say it depends on what's "normal" for you. They say as few as once a week is alright. However, practitioners of natural medicine define infrequent as less that one bowel movement a day. Constipation is the most common digestive complaint and accounts for more than 2 million doctors visits a year. Americans spend more than $700 million dollars a year on laxatives.

Why Is Constipation Bad For You?

Toxic waste held in the bowel because of infrequent bowel movements goes to the blood stream and liver causing inflammation.

Effects of Chronic Constipation

• Headaches/Migraines
• Fatigue
• Skin conditions
• Gas and bloating
• Impaired liver functions
• Autointoxication: Autointoxication is "self-poisoning" caused by the degradation of protein in the colon by anerobic ("bad") bacteria generating toxins.
• Cancer: A 1982 study found that women who experienced chronic constipation had a higher risk of breast cancer.

What Causes Constipation?

• Dehydration.
  
• Consuming unhealthy oils. Processed foods are high in unhealthy oils.
  
• Low fiber diet. Eat both soluble and insoluable fiber. You cannot overcome constipation without increasing your fiber intake. Fiber provides the bulk your bowel needs to push against.
  
• Low magnesium intake. Magnesium is needed to keep water in the bowel. Good sources of magnesium are beans, peas, nuts, broccoli, and whole grains.
  
• Excess consumption of tannins. Tannins found in strong tea, red wine and some fruit.
  Low thyroid function
  
• Low colon muscle tone. Can be caused by a diet high in meat.
  
• Constipation is a major side effect of many medications. Blood pressure and pain medications are major culprits.
  
• Low intake of B vitamins. B vitamins important for a healthy nervous system in the gut.
  
• Constipaton is a symptom of other diseases like Multiple Sclerosis.
  
• Lack of "good bacteria" (probiotic) in the bowel. The good bacteria should comprise 80% of the bacteria present in the bowel. Dysbiosis is the imbalance of good bacteria to bad. The causes of dysbiosis are too much sugar and protein, low fiber intake, consuming over processed foods, aging and the overuse of antibiotics.

  Why Do We Need the Good Bacteria?

  What are the benefits of probiotics?

  • The probiotics produce vitamins A, B and K.
  • Probiotics control the proliferation of the "bad bacteria" and thereby prevent infection. 70% of immune system is in the gut.
  • Probiotics help the intestines to absorb nutrients from consumed foods.
  • Probiotics produce enzymes
  • Probiotics increase and stimulate white blood cells and therefore improves the immune system.
  • Probiotics produce fatty acids which the bowel requires for its energy needs. This energy allows the bowel to make new cells. This promotes a healthy bowel.
  • Probiotics lowers "bad" cholesterol. LDL is reduced by the production of healthy fatty acids. These fatty acids tell the liver to stop making LDL!

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What Can You Do About Constipation?

• Eat 25gm to 35gm of fiber each day. Count fiber grams the way you count calories. Keep a food diary for a week to see how many grams of fiber you're consuming each day. If you can't consume enough fiber in your diet, then supplement your fiber.
• Drink plenty of clean, filtered water each day. Drink 1/2 your body weight in ounces each day. (I.e. if you weigh 120 pounds then you should drink 60 ounces of water a day.)
• Add healthy oils to your diet. Eat food high in omega-3 fatty acids like salmon. Consider taking an omega-3 supplement each day.
  

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• Take a probiotic (good bacteria) supplement each day. Be sure it's enteric-coated and shelf stable.
• Talk to your doctor about the medications you take that cause constipation.

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Additional Information:
Learn more health benefits of omega-3 supplementation.
Learn the differences between soluble and insoluble fiber. What are the health benefits of each?