WHAT IS CONSTIPATION?

Does it matter how often we open our bowels?

Doctors define constipation as opening the bowels less than three times a week.  I define constipation as opening the bowels less than seven times a week.  Although let’s be clear about this.  An individual may be having one or even two bowel movements each day, but still have problems with retained solid waste matter, and so have constipation.  They just don’t know it.

Constipation, lazy bowel, sluggish bowel, idle bowel or hypotonic bowel.  They all mean the same thing.  The inability of the large bowel (colon) to completely empty itself.  A wave-like motion in the bowel moves the poo along in a clock-wise direction.  At first, the waste is like a brown, soupy liquid, but as it is moving along the bowel, water is absorbed and this liquid turns into a more solid looking poo.

What we have to remember is that if we are having three meals each day, then we should be having three bowel movements each day – right?  Right, but how many of us actually achieve that.  For most people it may be once a day, and that’s fine, providing it is a large, soft, satisfying movement.  However, if you’re having a bowel movement just once or twice a week, or once every two or three weeks then that is something that needs addressing.

I think that for many people pooing has always been something to get over and done with as quickly as possible.  It’s an inconvenience, embarrassing, smelly, and it takes up too much of our precious time.  As a result, we zip in and out of the toilet as fast as we can, without properly relaxing and concentrating on what we went in for in the first place.  Our minds can be too busy thinking about a million and one other things we need to do.

If we suffer with chronic constipation, there’s always the risk that we may be re-absorbing endotoxins through the bowel wall, further burdening the liver, and spilling out into general blood circulation.  There’s also an increased chance of developing diverticulosis (pockets that develop in the lining of the bowel wall, where poo can get trapped) and this can sometimes cause nasty infections, even sepsis.  Other complications of constipation are piles and incontinence.

According to The World Cancer Research Fund, there is a strong link between constipation, a high consumption of red  meats, and bowel cancer.  We should be aiming for less than 500g (cooked weight) of red meat each week. Research linking processed meat like bacon, ham and salami, with bowel cancer is even stronger.  I would recommend that you avoid these processed meats as much as possible.

Here is a patient who was suffering with bloating and stomach ache due to constipation. Before the colonic:

And after just one colonic hydrotherapy treatment.  I think you will agree, a vast improvement. These images have not been touched up or interfered with in any way.

Constipation is not to be under-estimated.  A chronically constipated bowel can rob us of our health, wellbeing and vitality.  We should do whatever is necessary to ensure that we are emptying our bowels at least once daily, and I don’t mean a few hard pellets here and there. I’m talking about a large, soft, satisfactory bowel movement every day.