CONSTIPATED? WHAT TO DO?

SELF ABDOMINAL MASSAGE TO MIMIC PERISTALSIS

Peristalsis is the action of the smooth muscle that lines the tube of the bowel that pushes fecal mater along. If the fecal matter is too hard, you can assist this movement with the massage demonstrated in the video on the below (or a quick version in the video on the left).

First and easiest thing to check is to see if you are drinking enough water. Did you know your body gets most of it's water from your colon. If you are not drinking enough water, it will make your fecal matter (aka - your poop) more dehydrated and hard. This makes it harder for your colon to push it through and out. So make sure you are drinking at least half your weight (measured in pounds) in ounces of water. CLICK HERE to learn more. 

Recipe that helps with constipation

1. Take one cup of water
2. Add 1/3 cup of oatmeal
3. Cook oatmeal for the time directed (it will be soupy)
4. Add psyllium fiber (usually a tea spoon is enough to make it less soupy)
5. Add berries, honey and or nuts for flavor.
6. Eat for breakfast daily until your bowels are no longer runny
7. Then wean down to every other day
8. If still doing well for a week, wean down to every third day
9. If still doing well for a couple weeks, wean down to eating it every fourth day

Eating this "porridge" every four days should help keep your bowels consistent. This works because it turns hard fecal material into the consistency of a sponge. Be warned, if you are not drinking enough water throughout the day, this "sponge" will turn into a hard brick and make your constipation WORSE!!!

Add these two supplements
and take out this one thing

Not having regular bowel movements can affect your overall health.  Bowel health is very important for your immune system, endocrine system, and even your brain's health.  If your bowels are not regular, your ability to absorb nutrients is affected, making you deficient in the nutrients you need to repair muscles, make hormones, to make the chemicals needed for your nerves to function and. so much more.

As we age, our pancreas's production of insulin and digestive enzymes slows downs. This is why we are prone to conditions like adult onset diabetes. But it is also part of why our digestive system slows down. We need digestive enzymes to break down our food into it's basic parts, so we can either absorb them or poop them out. If we are deficient in digestive enzymes, this can lead to constipation. 

Digestive enzymes

For a healthier gut, try taking a digestive enzyme with your heaviest meal of the day.  A digestive enzyme breaks down food into particulates, so you can better absorb the nutrients you need and poop out the waste.  This helps curb cravings and keeps your midsection slimmer because you are not as bloated or full of fecal material.

Probiotics

Probiotics are the live good bugs you need in your gut to keep it healthy.  It is important to have a healthy gut to have a healthy body. Studies have found that the flora in thin people are different than those in obese people. Some probiotics, like Akkermansia muciniphila, have been shown to support weight loss.  Interestingly, the probiotic Lactobacillus rhamnosus was found to aid weight loss in women only.

It is best to take a full spectrum probiotic during a meal but not at the same time as your digestive enzyme. You don’t want your digestive enzyme eating away at your good bugs!  I take a digestive enzyme if I eat out, and I take my probiotics first thing in the morning, so I don’t forget to take them!  I need them for more than just the health of my gut!

Avoid Chemicals

This may be difficult but try to avoid processed foods.  The sooner you clean out your diet, the sooner you will be healthier for it. 

Processed foods are often dehydrated, and therefore dehydrating.

Protein powder is meat without the water. Can you see how this can worsen your constipation?

Chemicals can irritate the lining of your gut, and harm your natural flora, all of which can contribute to your IBS.

Eat food that is natural, and you will be healthier for it. Remember, you are what you eat.

WHAT ABOUT DOING AN INTESTINAL CLEANSE?

AN INTESTINAL CLEANSE typically involves limiting food intake, taking herbs and fiber to help heal and clean the lining of the gastrointestinal tract, and a lot of water to basically flush out the system over a period of time.

Some of my readers may be surprised to learn that I am not a fan of most cleanses. Again, I am a believer in moderation. I find most cleanses are too harsh and likely to upset the balance of the flora in your intestines because a cleanse starves and wipes out the good bugs along with the bad.

Remember, if you starve yourself, you also starve the good bugs in your digestive system. If they die off, your intestines become a petri dish for any bug (good or bad) to take over. If you severely limit what you eat for too long, you will kill the good bugs that can’t live without whatever food you removed from your diet. 

This is part of the reason why I discourage patients from going on severely restrictive diets. Restricting caloric intake for too long messes not only with your intestinal health but your metabolism. If you need to lose weight, I believe it is best to do so slowly and with a healthy diet that allows you to eat in a way that you will be able to maintain for the rest of your life. You won’t lose weight quickly on this type of diet, but it will be healthier and more sustainable.

With all that said, I do believe in mild, mini cleanses because it is unnatural to have an overabundance of food all year long.

Our bodies evolved to do well with short periods of famine, when we don’t have access to fresh greens in the winter, and when meat is scarce. So I do mini cleanses throughout the year. With my busy lifestyle, I naturally tend to have days where I didn’t eat enough. I just make sure I don’t allow this to happen more than three days in a row. I usually under eat a day or two a week. Then there will be a day or two a month where I eat more than my fair share. For me, it all evens out in the end.

I try to mimic the natural rhythms of the seasons. For example, I don’t worry about getting my fresh sprouts in the dead of winter, and I eat more pickled veggies instead. In the spring, I load up on sprouts, and baby greens. In the summer and fall, I enjoy fruits and veggies, eggs, etc. In the winter, I go back to a meatier diet.

I’m not strict with this. If I go out with friends and they put food in front of me that is out of season and looks yummy, I’m not just going to eat it, but I’m going to enjoy every bite of it.

I will do so without any worry because stress is the number-one trigger of IBS, which brings us to our next chapter… CLICK HERE FOR IBS AND STRESS.

You don't have suffer with IBS. Why wait?

Drummond Chiropractic, LLC
More than chiropractors, we are wellness experts.
We can help you with your IBS!
565 N Walnut St Bloomington, IN 47404

(812) 336 - 2423

To learn more, check out Dr. Karin's book: