When I qualified in colon hydrotherapy, it soon became very clear to me how big a problem constipation is in this country. Many people may not talk about their issues with constipation due to the embarrassment and shame around the ridiculous notion that speaking about anything to do with our bowels is ‘off-limits’. Honestly, we all poo and we all fart. From as early as she could use a potty, our family have congratulated our grand-daughter, Jessie, on having a bowel movement. We clapped and did a silly dance every time she opened her bowels and any time she, ‘Grandy’ (grandfather) or ‘Grommy’ (me!) pass wind, we all laugh. She’s four now, but this still continues. In the future, I want her to be able to come to her parents, to me or Grandy with any issues of a personal ‘sensitive’ nature that she may have, and not feel embarrassed or ashamed to talk about them. We were always very open about such matters when our son was growing up and even now, when I see him, I will ask him, ‘Have you had a good bowel movement today?’ This would sometimes embarrass him when he was younger, but not nowadays because he too understands the importance of getting rid of wastes.
I feel very strongly about these so-called ‘things we should never speak about’ and how dangerous to health they can be – constipation being one of them!
Constipation is NOT normal. Retaining rotting food in your bowels for days, sometimes weeks is NOT normal; in fact, it can be downright dangerous, increasing the risk of bowel infections, ‘leaky’ gut, prolapses, diverticular disease and bowel cancer.
Whenever someone contacts me for help with whatever digestive issue they have, one of the questions I ALWAYS ask is, ‘Do you get constipated?’ and I ask this for a very good reason –constipation can not only increase the risk of the above, but it is implicated in causing IBS, IBD (in particular ulcerative colitis), worsening menopausal symptoms due to the pressure that constipation puts on the liver and thus not being able to break down hormones that are then recirculated in the blood, perpetuating menopausal symptoms. Constipation can also cause skin breakouts, weight gain, bloating, fatigue, low mood and increase the risk of getting a UTI.
Causes of constipation
You can get constipated for different reasons, some more surprising than others. It can be a consequence of partially digested food moving too slowly through your colon (part of the large intestine). It’s the colon’s job, in part, to remove water from waste, but if the transit of waste through your digestive system is sluggish, the colon can absorb too much water. Stool becomes hard, dry, and difficult to pass in a bowel movement.
A diet too low in fibre and fluids and too high in fats can contribute to constipation. Fibre absorbs water and causes stools to be larger, softer, and easier to pass. Increasing fibre intake helps constipation in many people, but those with more severe constipation sometimes find that increasing fibre makes their constipation worse and leads to gassiness and discomfort.
If you’re not eating enough whole grains, fruits, or vegetables, don’t be surprised if you have difficult or irregular bowel movements. Prepared and processed foods (including frozen meals, fast food, and snacks) tend to be lower in fibre. If you’re already constipated, these are foods to avoid or consume less often.
Drinking enough water is also important for keeping regular bowel habits. If you don’t drink enough fluids, you may experience constipation.
Other factors that might lead to constipation
Medications – all the following can potentially cause constipation as a side effect:
- Antibiotics
- Some pain relief medicines
- Some antidepressants
- Antacids that contain calcium or aluminum
- Diuretics
- Medicines used to treat Parkinson’s disease
- Medicines used to prevent seizures (anti-convulsants)
- Drugs that relieve muscle spasms (anti-spasmodics)
Irritable bowel syndrome – changes in bowel habits are a common symptom if you struggle with IBS. With IBS, you can have constipation, diarrhoea, or both. If you have mostly hard stools, you may have IBS with constipation, or IBS-C.
Pregnancy – Constipation is common in pregnancy. One possible reason – high levels of hormones during pregnancy. These hormones can slow digestion and relax muscles in the bowel, making you feel constipated. Another factor – an expanding uterus. As that organ stretches during pregnancy, it can put pressure on the bowel, which can slow down bowel movements.
Changes to routine – disruptions to everyday routines as well as stress and changes that occur over time can leave you feeling constipated.
Lack of exercise – a sedentary lifestyle and not getting enough exercise can lead to constipation. Staying in bed or being inactive for extended periods due to illness or recovery from surgery may also contribute to constipation.
Treating constipation
Many cases of constipation can be successfully treated at home through diet, increased fibre, fluids and medications like laxatives or stool softeners can all bring relief to symptoms.
When people contact me for advice about their constipation, many of them will be already taking laxatives. In many situations, taking targeted supplements such as our Live Bacteria, Digestive Enzymes, Fibre and Omega 3 can really help improve transit time, but it just depends how lazy a person’s bowel is. When someone has a very lazy bowel, laxatives are necessary, but I prefer that they take natural ones as the chemical, synthetic ones are not as effective. Without the helping hand of natural laxatives, they simply would not have a bowel movement and that presents a number of different risks, including weight gain, headaches, mood swings, pressure on the liver, increased risk of prolapses, UTIs, diverticular disease/diverticulitis, polyps, bowel infections, ulcerative colitis and bowel cancer.
There are also many cases where supplements can help sort out constipation and leave people no longer needing laxatives. Aimee is one such customer:
I put together my ‘solution-based’ 30-day Perfect Balance Kit to help rebalance the digestive system, including putting back into the system what is needed to achieve more regular bowel movements. I recommend this Kit a lot to people who also suffer with IBS, painful bloating, diverticular disease and acid reflux, because all these conditions are almost always rooted in the same cause – a lack of friendly bacteria, natural enzymes, essential fatty acids and natural antimicrobials and if you are deficient in such essential substances, either through poor diet, through taking drugs, through a gut infection or illness, unless you put back what has been destroyed or what is missing, you will never get a reduction in symptoms and with each year that passes, symptoms will just get worse.
You only have to read some of the reviews we get on our 30-day Perfect Balance Kit to get an idea of how this unique combination of supplements can help support a broad range of digestive conditions and symptoms.
If you have a question about a digestive and gut health issue, or would like more information about a tailored supplement protocol, please get in touch.
