Natural help for constipation

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Constipation is a huge problem in this country. A clogged colon leads to many health problems, is uncomfortable, and can cause weight gain. But constipation is fairly easy to correct. If you have a dog or a baby, you may notice that they poop daily, typically right after they eat. Natural health professionals recommend at least 2 effective bowel movements a day as well. If you have a tunnel, and 3 cars go into the tunnel, 3 need to come out the other end! If that isn’t happening for you, below are some tips to assist the process for you.

Underlying Emotions

If you’ve read any of my articles in the past, you know there is an underlying emotion for every illness. These emotions/illness’ are listed in several books two of which are Feelings Buried Alive Never Die, by Karol Truman and Messages From the Body by Michael Lincoln. The overall underlying issue for constipation and the colon in general is control. After working with thousands of clients I have seen this usually isn’t about trying to control other people, but rather mostly about people trying to control emotions inside of them, to not let out emotions that they have around relationships, jobs or other issues in their life. Many times I have seen clients get messages from these books and transform their health miraculously. Emotions are energy, and if there is buried emotions not being addressed, the body will usually cause pain until you get the message.

Colon

Many of us were not taught about the colon in school. The colon is a muscle, just like any other muscle. If you feed the muscle what it needs, exercise it properly, provide fluids and nutrients, it will help you live a long healthy life. Dr. Bernard Jensen, who is considered the father of Iridology in the US, often said we live or die by the condition of our colon. The colon has nerve endings for each part of the body, similar to what you see in foot reflexology. If the colon is not working properly, it can affect the rest of our body.

Below is an iridology chart for the colon. Iridology allows us to see the condition of tissues in the colon and throughout the body.

Chart by Dr. Bernard Jensen - https://bernardj.com/about-us/

Diet

If you have constipation, I suggest looking at your diet. If you are making poor food choices, like a consistent amount of fast food, candy, chips, or desserts, these food choices often cause constipation. Cleaning up your diet can help to rebuild the colon tissues and assist you in having regular bowel movements. Focus on eliminating wheat, diary, sugar and processed foods. Stick to quality meats, vegetables, and fruit sparingly.

Dehydration

Dehydration can also be an issue. If you are not providing adequate liquid in to your colon, it causes dryness within your bowels. Drinking quality water and electrolytes and limiting or avoiding sugary drinks, soda, fruit juices and alcohol is important as these beverages do not feed your body but instead pull nutrients out of your body and prevent your body from being hydrated properly.

Exercise

You colon is a muscle. If muscles do not get used often, they atrophy. Exercise helps your colon muscle in addition to other muscles in your body. Simply walking each day helps to prevent stagnation within your body helping your colon to work better for you. If you are injured or unable to exercise for some reason, you may want to check into a vibration plate which can help your body get movement until you recover.

Intestinal valves

There are 2 important intestinal valves connected to the colon. The first is the ileocecal valve which goes between the small intestine and the large intestine allowing processed matter from the small intestine to move into the colon. This valve is located on the right side of the body somewhat between the hip bone and the pubic bone. The valve should open, then close to prevent fecal matter from moving back into the small intestine where our bodies absorb nutrients. If fecal matter gets back into the small intestine, this can make people sick and cause a plethora of health issues.

The second valve is the Valve of Houston and it is on the left side of the body between the large intestine and the rectum. When you have to go to poop quickly, this is the valve that is opening. Sometimes these valves can get stuck or not close correctly. If you have issues in this area, some chiropractors (I find Palmer graduates/and those educated in kinesiology) are trained in fixing these correctly.

Helpful Supplements

There are many laxatives that people can take. However, I have found that taking something that actually helps the body and has a natural laxative ability is the best place to start. Two supplements that work great for this are Vitamin C and Magnesium. Both are laxatives and provide nutrients and do other important functions in our bodies. For Vitamin C - there is ascorbic acid which can be harsh for some. There is a fruit called Camu Camu which is a bit gentler for those needing a milder form of Vitamin C. For Magnesium, you can learn about the different forms and how each works here.

Another supplement that can help with constipation is enzymes. Enzymes are building blocks that can help digest food, neutralize toxins and repair tissues. Sometimes taking the correct enzymes can help move the bowels correct. There are many types of enzymes, and people sometimes confuse enzymes with probiotics. You can learn about difference of both here.

Many people get constipated when they travel. It is easy to get dehydrated when traveling and many things are out of control during the whole process which attribute to the bowels holding on more. I have found taking additional Vitamin C and Magnesium can help to prevent this during my travels.

Liver Involvement

Congestion can easily build up in the liver from sugar, bad food, alcohol and feelings of anger. When the body is constipated, the liver can get backed up and overworked attempting to remove toxins, but having no way to do that if the bowels are clogged. Sometimes the skin will break out in rashes attempting to circumvent the bowels just to get the toxins out. The point is that constipation doesn’t just affect the colon, it backs other organs up stream causing all kinds of issues. When cleaning the colon, you may also need to focus on nourishing the liver.

Photo by Lisa Hobbs on Unsplash

Herbal Laxatives

There are several herbs that can help. Senna is a popular herb, however it is very strong, pulls potassium out of the body and isn’t the first herb I would recommend. It is a very strong stimulant that should only be taken for a short period of time for people that present with difficult constipation.

Another strong herb is Cascara Sagrada that I have found works best when taken with Psyllium Seed Husk (not the same thing as Psyllium Hulls). The image I share with my clients is image cooking an egg on the sidewalk in Arizona - the egg gets stuck. The Psyllium Seed is like a scrubber brush that can get that egg off the sidewalk and the Cascara Sagrada is like a hose. And the 2 work great to get the colon to the next level of repair and health. I have found it challenging to find a good source of Psyllium Seed Husk lately. Here is one.

Yes, you can take Psyllium Hulls, however this is only fiber, and I have found that it doesn’t do the best job of scrubbing the colon walls, especially if there is other colon issues, such as diverticulitis.

Finally, another herb popular in India is Triphala. Triphala is used in Ayurvedic Medicine is a good choice if experiencing random constipation. It is fairly gentle, helps to improve digestion, reduces inflammation, helps many with weight loss and can even help to balance blood sugar. It is available in many formulas and by itself in health food stores. Here is a link to a good brand.

In summary, drink more water, get out and move, check your Vitamin C and Magnesium intake and change your diet. If you still have an issue after a day or 2 making these changes, then you can look at taking one of the recommended laxatives. Be sure to check with your health professional for optimum results.

About the Author

Kasara is educated as a Mental Health Therapist, Master Herbalist, Traditional Naturopath and Energy Worker with over 35 years of helping thousands of clients find alternative health options that work. She writes articles on Medium, and on her website http://truhealth.com. You may subscribe to her Medium account or her newsletter to stay connected.