Is straining a part of your bowel movements?   Do you have fewer than one bowel movement for each meal eaten? Do you read while on the commode?

Understanding Constipation

Clinical constipation refers to going three or more days without having a bowel movement.  However, at Optimum Health anything less than one bowel movement a day falls under constipation.  Why?  Because anything less than one bowel movement per meal eaten means that your bowel contents may be too dry when they are passed.  When too dry, the bowel contents can scrape the lining of your intestines and cause major problems such as hemorrhoids.  Less than one bowel movement per meal can also give the toxins dumped into your intestines a chance to be reabsorbed into your bloodstream where they can cause problems.  Having less than one bowel movement each day drastically increases the possibility and intensity of these problems.       

Constipation can be caused by not giving your body what it needs to create regular bowel movements.  Your body needs fiber and intestinal microbes for regular bowel movements? 

Bowel Movement = 4 Parts Fiber + 6 Parts Intestinal Microbes

 

The fiber portion of the food is often overlooked though it is extremely important.   The fiber is the part of your food that you are not able to do anything with.  Therefore, it passes into your intestines and then out when you empty your bowels.  It forms about 40% of each bowel movement.  Toxins buildup in the fiber and get passed out of your body with each bowel movement.  Therefore, the fiber is helping to detoxify your body. 

Without enough fiber, your bowels won't fill up and give you the urge to pass your stool.  This causes you to hold the content of your bowels too long.  Therefore, your stool becomes too dry and the toxins have a chance to go back into your blood stream.  When the toxins go back into your bloodstream they can buildup and rob you of your energy or be the source of many types health issues.

Microbes Help Prevent Constipation

How do I replace my intestinal flora?

Remember that breast milk supports the developing city of microbes called the intestinal flora.  Yogurt not only has the microbes (live active cultures) but it also has the substances needed to nurture the microbes as they develop into the colony of intestinal flora much the way breast milk does.

Eat yogurt that has plenty of live cultures every day for a few years and you will have your intestinal flora once again. If you want to replace your intestinal flora much faster, you can take our capsule of microbes (called probiotics) with your yogurt each day until your stool becomes loose.  Initially, the probiotic capsule will give you all the microbes you need for the day.Once your intestinal flora is established, it will also give you all the microbes you need for the day.  This will cause you to have too many good microbes each day which will cause loose stool.  Therefore, this loose stool signals that your intestinal flora is thriving and producing plenty of microbes and lactase.  That will be a time to celebrate as you  will have succeeded in reestablishing your intestinal flora.   

How can I protect my intestinal flora?

A high fiber diet is really helpful since good microbes feast on fiber while the bad microbes love refined sugar and animal fat.  Garlic, green tea and ginseng are also helpful in fostering friendly microbes as they contain polyphenols which good bacteria love.  Garlic is especially good as it also helps prevent the growth of bad bacteria.  Eating fermented food such as miso, tempeh and yogurt is a wonderful way to support your intestinal flora.  Bananas, chicory root, onions, leeks, soybeans, sweet potatoes, asparagus and some whole grains help support the colony of good microbes by providing natural sugars (fructooligosaccharides(FOS) and inulin) that the good microbes thrive on.  

Again, chemotherapy and antibiotics have the unfortunate side effect of destroying the intestinal flora.  Maintaining a high fiber diet with plenty of miso, tempeh and yogurt while being exposed to these and other things that insult your intestinal flora will help tremendously. Taking our Probiotic capsule with the miso, tempeh or yogurt 2 hours after chemotherapy and/or antibiotics can be extremely helpful. Just as the mother’s breast milk will nurture this dynamic city, yogurt is especially good at supporting and nurturing it also.

Schedule your appointment.

When will I notice relief from my constipation?

What if I don't get relief from my constipation?

You may have something such as an impacted colon which will  prevent the probiotic bacteria from reaching your intestinal lining where it would be able to recolonize.

See our testimonials for examples of the many benefits!

Member Certified Natural Health Professionals of Virginia

Optimum Health
3112 N Parham Road
Richmond, VA 23294
804-677-6061

Info@OptimumHealth.ws