Welcome to another edition of the Doctor’s Note, where we talk about what’s on our minds when it comes to your health. This week, we’re talking about constipation, it’s impact on your health, and some natural ways you can get rid of constipation.
Having normal bowel movements is one of the main ways you get rid of toxic waste in your body. Everything depends on your elimination.
It’s about digestion, absorption of nutrients and vitamins, and eliminating the part that is waste and toxic to your body.
If you’re constipated (not having at least 1 bowel movement per day) then something is going on that needs to be chased down. If you’re chronically constipated, you increase your risk of colon cancer.
In order to figure out what’s wrong when a patient talks to me about being constipated, I’ll start by asking them how much water they drink, fiber in their diet, and how active they are.
How long have they been constipated? Has this been a life long problem? What medications are they taking?
I usually like to get some basic lab work as well, especially looking at the thyroid.
Other things you can do
One easy thing you can do is add coconut oil to things like coffee. I do this every morning with Bulletproof coffee. What you want is good fats and more fiber in your diet.
Here are some vitamins and nutrients I recommend for constipation:
- Magnesium at night (Helps move your bowels among other things)
- Prebiotics and Probiotics
- Flax seed (Make sure you grind those flax seeds)
- Metamucil (Fiber)
- Dr. Shulze’s intestinal formula (A patient favorite)
This is a bit old school but I love prunes and plumbs as a source of fiber, as well as all the berries.
Of course there is water. Always drink more water! Walking and being active really helps with constipation and so many other health problems.
Constipation can be difficult to talk about for some people, but it’s a very common problem. You need to watch out for constipation because if it becomes chronic it can be very bad for your health.
Here are some things to look for in your stool and bowel movements:
- Regularity (Consistency)
- Not too loose, not too hard
- Soft consistently
- No blood
- No dark black tarry stools
One thing I’ll add is that you need to get a colonoscopy at age 50. Sooner if you have family history of colon cancer, or bleeding, or any kind of pain in the abdomen. Guys, this is a life saving test. I can’t recommend it enough.