As a general rule, you should have at least one preferably two motions daily, and not too far away from your meals either. If you do not at least have one bowel petition each and every day, or if you have inconsistent motions - in terms of how often (frequency), how they look (texture) then you have constipation. In this record we will gawk some causes and effects of constipation, and also take a look at how some diets can be a real question with this annoying complaint and I'll also give you some tips on how to enhance this complaint. I have yet to find a case yet which cannot be corrected with natural methods, and over 90% of constipation will acknowledge to simple adjustments in lifestyle. The doctor's acknowledge is generally either a laxative, or a fibre supplement like Metamucil®. I've got a best idea, let's find and treat the actual cause of the constipation. Some practitioners would define constipation as the passage of a hard stool. Whilst an additional one therapist I once knew told a patient that it was perfectly suitable for her to have a bowel petition every ten days, if that was general for her! In my opinion, it is the frequency and texture of your bowel motions which are all leading factors, not the term constipation, which will all the time remain arbitrary. The frequency of bowel motions (how often you go) is leading because it tells me how good your gut is functioning, and also how well your 'gastro-colic reflex' is working. Of policy we are not taking catalogue here if you have acute diarrhoea from an infection or parasites, giardia, appendicitis, etc. When you eat food it passes from your mouth down the oesophagus and into your stomach. The stomach then tells the colon to empty, and this is why (you should) after a meal feel like going to the toilet. This communication between the top end of the digestive principles and the bottom end is called the 'gastro-colic reflex'. In other words, the top tells the bottom that it must empty, because there is food coming down its way.
The Eyeball Test
Potassium IOdide
Ok, let's get over it, poo, bottoms, toilets - this is an area we are not comfortable with, let alone talk about. Do you ever look at your bowel motions? I call this the eyeball test. It surprises me how many patients I speak with do not look at their motions. Do look regularly, it will give you a vital understanding into how your digestive principles is functioning.
Constipation - Do You Go Every Day?
The texture of the stool is important, and will decide not only how easy the petition is passed, but can also tell us a lot about the actual health of your digestive system. The longer a petition is in the bowel, the more likely that it will become increasingly dry by way of the bowel provocative water from it, and therefore make the petition much more difficult to pass. Very loose stools on the other hand, can pass much too easily, and have not been long adequate in the bowel to firm up, you will know all about this with a campylobacter infection. Take a look at the Bristol Stool Chart, it was advanced by Dr.Heaton at the University of Bristol and was first published in the British medical Journal in 1990. If you are in class 1 - 2, you are quite constipated indeed. No. 3 is starting to look more like a general motion. I'll bet many out there can relate to the "snake" motions in No. 4, this tells me that you are having problems with peristalsis and/or constipation, particularly in the up-to-date past. Colonics are great for restoring the bowel in this situation. Peristalsis basically means a distinctive pattern of flat muscle contractions that propels foodstuffs and straight through your esophagus and intestines. Stress has quite an overwhelming effect here, and this is why many will be able to relate to snake like motions - periods of stress have a potent effect on impairing the peristaltic effects in your bowel. Possibly you felt "gutted" about something? Stress draws blood away from the gut towards the muscles. This in turn can slow digestion and peristalsis down considerably, then constipation occurs. Will a laxative work here?, don't waste your time, try a chill pill instead.
Have you noticed that when animals eat, many will want to have a petition not long after? You will generally find this with young children as well. They have a very active gastro-colic reflex, and in my touch the elderly have a poor one. As adults, many unfortunately "hang on" until the last wee - we all have something too important, and go to the toilet when it is more favorable to in fact do so. I have found this to particularly so with the all the time busy habitancy with occupations like real estate, taxi, truck or courier drivers, shop keepers, etc. Many have consulted me over the years with bowel issues - generally constipation.
If you ignore the subtle signs of "needing to go" long enough, your bowel can become quite lazy, and so will you. And then when you in fact want to go - your bowel won't! So what are you going to do from now? If you feel like going, you should Go.
Constipation Cause
Diet & Lifestyle
The most coarse cause of constipation in Western culture would have to be a lack of dietary fibre combined with a poor sedentary lifestyle. I can remember years ago reading a book about the San Bushmen of the Kalahari Desert in Africa. These wee bush habitancy are hunter-gatherers who for many thousands of years have supported themselves living in the desert. They hunt mainly discrete kinds of antelope, but their daily diet has all the time consisted more of the fruits, nuts and roots and seeds which they seek out in the harsh desert. It has been found that the bushmen pass many small motions daily, rather than their Western counterparts, who go on average once daily. The bushmen rarely if ever suffer from any type of digestive question because of their simply whole food and high fibre-based diet. We have not only gently reduced our fibre intake over the years, and eaten a diet increasingly high in processed foods with great amounts of sugar, salt and fat, we have also adopted strange diets to control our weight which contain wee fibre, low carbs and high protein.
For many years, fat was social enemy # 1, but the Atkins and South Beach diet gurus are blaming obesity on primarily eating too many carbs. Bread sales are down, habitancy have become more reluctant to buy the humble spud. Pasta makers in the Usa were so panicky recently that they in fact sponsored a consulation of scientists and food experts to say that their product is healthy. On the other hand, eggs, once shunned for cholesterol, are selling more than ever. Animal protein has all of a sudden become king of the hill - and so have the health problems connected with it.
These diets started the "low Gi" craze nearby the world as millions embraced the South Beach and Atkins diets. The drug companies even jumped onto this bandwagon, battling for a shop once dominated by our older citizens, the shop for dietary laxatives. Because many Kiwis have gone fully carbo crazy in diets that are low in fiber and high in fiber-less animal protein, they are also less likely to face a big movement - towards the bathroom. As a result, sales of fiber laxatives in Nz were booming by 2004, when the high-protein & low carb craze was at its height. Hopefully, Atkins and the South Beach diet are passing food fads. If not, Kiwis may awake one day to find that they are not only more obese but they have numerous digestive health problems like constipation, kidney stones and hemorrhoids & high cholesterol caused by these diets. It is provocative to note that both diets were advanced by medical doctors, and not naturopaths. Have these diets in fact contributed to exquisite health in those who created them? Questions arise about the personal health of both these doctors. Dr. Atkins death was supposedly the effect of a fall, but doubts have surfaced about his health at the time of his death at age 72.
The Atkins Diet
How many habitancy have tried the Atkins diet and ended up fatigued, muscle aches & pains, constipated or with other digestive problems? I'll bet many of you out there can relate to this, after going onto a low carb and high protein diet, high in saturated fats and cholesterol. Dr. Atkins can't help but concede the health benefits connected with fiber, in his own words: "plenty of fibre can be found in vegetables, nuts and seeds, fruits, beans and whole unrefined grains" The 2 week "Induction phase" of this diet tells you to fully avoid the starchier carbohydrate foods - the ones that most Kiwis like to eat, the foods which help to bulk up the bowel motions: breads, pasta, carrots, corn, parsnips, peas, potatoes in all forms and squash, but pumpkin is allowed. In addition, this diet also allows a man to have 2-3 tablespoons of heavy cream or one ounce of sour cream daily, along with lashings of meats, eggs and bacon. No wonder this is a favorite diet with Kiwis, but spare a notion for your poor bowel and liver and kidneys groaning under the strain. The fatty tissue of an animal is also generally where the toxins are stored, so this is not my favourite way to encourage a patient towards a healthier diet and permanent weight management. Atkins is in fact not ideal for vegetarians or vegans as it is a meat-heavy based (protein) diet. This diet has been connected in the States to osteoporosis, heart disease, colon cancer and kidney disease. It is also below the recommended daily values for several vitamins and minerals such as calcium, potassium and magnesium.
I know that there will be many habitancy out there who have benefited short-term from this approach, but I'll bet there are probably many more who didn't benefit at all long term. Agreeing to medical examiner's reports, Atkins had a history of heart disease and heart attacks. His weight of 129 kg would have located the 6-foot-tall physician in the obese category, Possibly a good candidate for.....a healthy weight loss program?
Dr. Atkins was well aware of the constipation link to his high protein diet, and therefore recommend that all his followers start taking products like Metamucil ® or Splenda ®). (both containing toxic aspartame). While the induction phase, the Atkins diet may also have a strong diuretic effect for some of its followers, which means a loss of a large number of water causing a discount in weight, along with a loss of vital electrolytes which contain the minerals potassium, magnesium and calcium. This is what causes the leg cramps, and fatigue and frailness many are familiar with this dietary approach. This is why you initially feel good, you loose weight, your vigor is up. But this is all short lived, you then start to get tired and grumpy and your bowels play up. The best way to replace these minerals is to add (a little) sea salt to your food to taste and take a chelated mineral supplement (preferably in citrate form) that includes calcium, magnesium and potassium. Also, make sure this supplement contains plenty of trace elements and vitamins, to allow the liver to process the fat & protein more effectively. Many Atkins critics are skeptical of how a high-protein, high-fat diet can effect in weight loss - permanently. Like All diets, research shows that habitancy can keep off weight lost with Atkins, as long as they don't go back to eating the way they used to eat. In my experience, most habitancy tend to gravitate gently back towards the foods they used to eat before they started the diet anyway. And the weight gently comes back again - no wonder that weight-loss franchises are popping up nearby town like mushrooms. It has all the time been my trust that any sufficient permanent solution to weight administration must also address your emotional challenges, including food cravings and addictions, self-image issues and other self-sabotaging behaviors. These psychological issues are not addressed in both the Atkins' or South Beach Diet books.
The South Beach Diet. Also called the "Atkins Lite". The Tufts University health and food Letter commented on the South Beach Diet in their May 2004 issue: "Disappointingly, the South Beach Diet, advanced by a Dr. Agatston, is simply yet an additional one version of Atkins wrapped within a gimmick." Like Atkins, there are dissimilar phases in South Beach Diet. You eat general portion sizes in Phase 1, but just about all carbohydrate are restricted. Like Atkins, this is the strictest phase in the diet and will last for two weeks, and instead of lots of red meats, bacon, etc, this diet emphasises lean meats such as chicken, turkey, fish, and shellfish. Low Gi vegetables are allowed as well as low-fat cheese, nuts and eggs. Dieters should expect to lose somewhere between 4 to 6 kilos, but again, is it any wonder you get constipated on this regime? Here we go again - shades of Atkins, you stop all carbs such as breads, pasta and potatoes. You are told to eat plenty of protein (meats) as well as low Gi vegetables (greens) which you don't ordinarily eat in these amounts. And of policy you get just about fully blocked up.
Dr. Agatston's most vital oversight may be his lack of understanding of trans saturated fats. These artery-clogging fats are to be found in margarine, shortening and many foods such as hot chips, doughnuts and many processed foods, they increase your risk of heart disease and diabetes. Early in The South Beach Diet, Agatston states that trans fats are dangerous; yet, on page 54, he claims that "hot chips and potato chips are in fact healthier choices than baked potatoes ".According to Agatston, the glycemic index "measures the degree to which eating a particular food increases your blood sugar and therefore contributes to weight gain." With this logic, a man is best off eating ice cream or a chocolate bar instead of a baked potato because the glycemic index of a potato is higher than the other two.
The high protein & low carb diets have been nearby for awhile, in 1967, a Dr. Irwin Stillman wrote the "Doctor's Quick Weight Loss Diet," allowing his patients to eat only meat, eggs, and cheese. Stillman himself died of a heart attack, a similar fate to all doctors it seems who advocate this high protein diet approach. Any diet such as this, composed of 90% protein is necessarily short of other vital substances; should you fail to take a vitamin supplement, you run serious risk of vitamin deficiency. Because this diet is low in roughage, you will most in fact be constipated, and although Stillman recommends daily to consume eight glasses of water, it will in fact send you to the bathroom often to urinate, not to pass motions! In his book, Dr. Agatston openly admits that he in fact takes statin pharmaceutical drugs that are used to lower cholesterol. "I personally take aspirin, fish oil capsules, and a statin drug" he writes.
But Dr. Agatston, you may not be aware that studies nearby the world have shown that habitancy on a high fiber vegetarian diets can sacrifice their cholesterol almost as much as habitancy on statin drugs. Possibly Dr. Agatston would benefit from a high fibre diet, not the reverse. I'll bet that the San Bushmen of the Kalahari have never heard of high cholesterol, let alone a statin drug to lower it.
A detailed consulation of the causes and treatments of constipation goes way beyond the scope of this article, but here are some of the more coarse ones I see in the clinic. Examples range from conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome, diverticular disease, infection of the abdomen (e.g. A bacterial, sponge question or appendicitis) to painful anal conditions that make the man afraid to open their bowels both physically or psychologically. The elderly and very young are groups often afflicted with constipation.
Constipation causes
- Improper chewing of food, not paying attention with eating: watching Tv or reading whilst eating. This can be a real problem, is this you? If you are seeing it difficult to go and you can relate to the Tv watching or reading- just turn the Tv off or stop reading while you eat! Chewing food to a fine particle size makes sense - it facilitates digestion and absorption, improves peristalsis and bowel function. A quote from the Bible: "Chew your grains until they are liquid".
- Dehydration - not adequate water. Probably one of the most coarse of causes. Aim for 30 mls per kg of bodyweight each day when the weather is hot. You may not be having everywhere near that amount, particularly if you have been quite constipated for years.
- Insufficient intake of dietary fiber The diets above may well fall into this category, too much protein and too wee fibre. Keep you fluid intake high and make sure you eat ample fibre.
- Long periods of immobility, stress or depression.- Having regular bowel motions to me is a bit like a woman having a regular period. It comes in cycles, and when things go well they tend to stay well - until something happens. If you have recently had problems in going, look what happened just recently. A turn in lifestyle? A separation or divorce, turn of occupation? Did you start new medication?
- Medication - Loperamide is an anti-diarrhoea drug which reduces peristalsis and increases intestinal transit time, causing constipation in some. Codeine & morphine are used to control pain but also unfortunately sacrifice the motility of the stool, and some antidepressants do this as well. Even aspirin can seriously work on the digestive tract, particularly the stomach, liver & small bowel. You may want to get your medications checked out thought about to see if they are a factor in your constipation. So many drugs work on your liver's function, and can cause congestion here.There will be alternatives to drugs in case there is a constipation connection.
- Gallbladder problems - This is an area that comes up so often in the clinic. The 4 F's - flatulent, forty, fat and fertile. Is that you? I find that many women aged between about 35 - 45, they may like chocolate, wine & nibbles like cheese & crackers, and this group is often affected with constipation or a sluggish bowel. When the gallbladder becomes sluggish, your bowel slows down. Bile is produced by the liver & stored in the gallbladder & helps to soften the stool and facilites excretion. Gallbladder removed? - then take digestive enzymes, e.g., fats & oils are not digested/absorbed well by these folk. Take a digestive enzyme when you take a fish-oil supplement, or Vitamin A. Remember the eye-ball test - After you go to the toilet, look! Herbs are awesome here - see your herbalist.
Eric's Top Constipation Tips:
o Eat smaller, more frequent meals and avoid overeating at one sitting. Take time to eat, breathe gently and chew food thoroughly.
o Try beans as kidney and chick peas, lentils, fresh fruit and vegetables, dried fruits (not too much), If you're not used to eating a lot of fiber gently increase your intake as you may initially have increased flatulence, gas. Soaking beans first in water (and frosty them after soaking) and discarding the water you soaked them in, may help to sacrifice flatulence from this group. A hot tip I picked up in the States: add a few drops of Lugol's solution ® or potassium iodide to the water when you soak beans - you will have less gas. It in fact works! (unless you are allergic to iodine)
o Reduce your caffeine intake as caffeine may promote constipation by causing you to loose fluids.
o Add unprocessed oat bran to hot cereals and yogurt. Eat bran cereals or shredded wheat, foods made with whole grains.
o Foods that lubricate the intestines - beet, okra, kiwi fruit, seaweed spinach, sesame seed & oil, honey, pear, prune, peach, apple, apricot, walnut, pine nut, almond, alfalfa sprouts, carrot, cauliflower
o Foods which promote motions - cabbage, papaya, peas, sesame seeds, coconut, kumara, asparagus, figs, kiwi fruit
o Herbs & foods that soothe the intestines - marshmallow root, flax seeds, fenugreek seeds, psyllium seeds, licorice root, glossy elm bark
o Good bacteria improving foods - miso, sauerkraut, yoghurt, kombucha mushroom, kefir, quark
o Decrease intake of saturated (animal) fats (animal and increase vital fatty acids (cold-water fish, nuts, and seeds). It is best to take Omega 3 (arctic cod liver oil) daily in small amounts)
o Eat more fresh fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Basic stuff, but often taken for granted.
o Drink more water. Warm lemon water taken before meals stimulates digestion. Try the juice of ½ a lemon in water in the morning before breakfast. Remember to drink plenty of liquids. You need more fluid particularly when you have more fiber for fiber to work effectively.
o Stewed or soaked prunes, 1 to 3 a day, have a slightly laxative effect. Prune tea - 3 prunes in a 250ml cup, add boiling water, leave stand until warm, drink & eat the prunes. Have 1 cup per day.
o Flax meal, 1 heaping tsp. In 8 oz. Of apple juice, provides fiber and soothes the digestive tract. effect with an further 8 oz. Of water. Lsa (linseed/sunflower/almond - equal parts, finely ground up together) mix is exquisite too. glossy elm bark powder is good, but is a bit pricey lately.
o Aloe Vera - Take 10 - 30mls twice daily in a glass of water before meals.
o Colonic hydrotherapy - I have solved very tricky cases of constipation with recommending a policy of colonics plus other complementary and alternative methods of healing. There is no query about the huge incompatibility a expert colon therapist can bring to the patient by utilising colon hydrotherapy.
o Liver and bowel detox Go and see your practitioner, you will be glad you did. And, you'll probably loose a fair number of weight as well. Some of my favourite herbs here are Artichoke, St Mary's Thistle, Picorrhiza and Tumeric.
Constipation - Do You Go Every Day?
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