What Can You Do About Constipation?

Dr. Vic Shayne

Millions of people suffer from not being able to move their bowels. The problems range from mild discomfort to days without going to the bathroom to hemmorhoids to very hard, dry stools. Only a small percentage of sufferers go to see their doctor, so we don’t even know how huge this problem really is, statistically speaking. BUT, the biggest cause of the problem is your diet; the foods you eat plus the foods you don’t eat, wreak havoc on your bowels and your entire digestive system. Is a trip to the doctor necessary? Why not err on the side of caution and go? If it’s nothing serious, then at least you can work out the problem on your own.

What to do?
Change your diet immediately and avoid those substances that contribute to constipation:

• alcohol (alcohol is a drying agent)
• processed foods (these are dry and soak up moisture)
• breads: doughnuts, cake, bagels, danish, rolls, sandwiches
• spicy foods
• beef

Add these to your diet

• raw fruits: especially apples
• raw vegetables: a big salad every day as well as a variety of vegetables
• lots of water
• oil and fats of the good kind: coconut butter, wheat germ oil, flaxseed oil

Supplements that may help

• SuperGreens PhytoFood: 2 Tablespoons a day mixed in water
• BFood Complex: 8 tablets a day
• DigestPlex: 2 with every meal
• Plus the oils listed above

The supplements mentioned contain fiber, the vitamin B foods that help with the muscular contraction of the bowel and digestive enzymes to break down foods.

And while we’re at it, let’s not forget the old remedy of using a series of enemas to provide relief!

TECHNICAL DIFFERENCES:
Constipation vs. Costiveness

Technically, there is a difference between constipation and costiveness, described herein. However, a patient complaining of constipation is usually referring to problems with bowel movements. Here are some common causes and solutions:

• Dehydration from weather (dryness)
• Dehydration from prescription drugs (consult the PDR for specific drug)
• Dehydration due to specific foods such as alcohol, tea, spices
• Dehydration due to insufficient intake of water
• Lack of dietary fiber (use SuperGreens PhytoFood, NutriPlex Formulas and a Psyllium seed powder)
• Lack of dietary mineral intake (use SuperGreens PhytoFood, NutriPlex Formulas)
• Lack of dietary vitamin intake (especially vitamin B; use B Food Powder, NutriPlex Formlas)
• Insufficiency of specific foods such as fruits and vegetables
• Excessive meat consumption
• Insufficient water in the bowel from a combination of non-fiber, “drying” foods (including bread, crackers and other flour products) plus a lack of dietary water intake

On Constipation & Costiveness
Dr. Richard P. Murray, a biochemical researcher in the 1970s, wrote:
?From a textbook and/or dictionary definition, constipation and costiveness are essentially synonymous. A good number of modern gastroenterologists, however, prefer to elucidate the two terms as:

1. Constipation: a lack or absence of physical stimulus for natural evacuation of the lower colon.
2. Costiveness: delayed and/or painful colonic evacuation because of dry, hard stool.”

In turn, CONSTIPATION is characterized by a lack or absence of desire to evacuate the lower bowel. Fluctuations of autonomic, neurological stimulation result in normal, natural rhythmic contractions of the large intestine or colon, called PERISTALSIS. It is good to remember here that it is well established that if a person fails to respond to the immediate urge to defecate — ignoring the exciting defecation reflexes which are neurogenic, the reflexes themselves become diminished to absent over a period of time. Therefore, one should establish regular bowel habits early in life responding to the defecatory reflex when feasible.

Peristalsis comes about by the proper function of the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system. Together, the sympathetic and parasympathetic nerves are known as the AUTONOMIC nervous system. Proper function, called autonomic balance, intelligently innervates the longitudinal and circular smooth muscle fibers of the gastrointestinal tract — particularly of the small and large intestines, causing the peristaltic waves that propel the intestinal contents toward the rectum. Impulses traveling to the intestinal smooth muscle fibers via the SYMPATHETIC nerves cause the muscle fibers to RELAX, whereas nerve impulses traveling to the said muscle fibers over

PARASYMPATHETIC nerves cause muscular CONTRACTION. Too much sympathetic excitement results in a loss of muscle tone or segmental atonicity. Conversely, too much parasympathetic stimulus begets spasticity of segments of the gastrointestinal tract.

A prolonged history of:

• intermittent bouts of constipation;
• abdominal distress which is relieved by passage of dry, hard and small caliber stools, along with
• some mucus (with or without blood) can suggest the diagnosis of IRRITABLE BOWEL SYNDROME.

A lifelong history of constipation relieved by laxatives or enemas can result in dilatation of the lower bowel which is called ACQUIRED MEGACOLON. This distended, enlarged lower bowel is sometimes called Hirshsprung’s disease. However, the original meaning of this disease entity named after the Danish physician (1830-1916), actually meant congenital megacolon.

According to Guyton, Harrison, Spies and others, one of the symptoms of vitamin B1 deficiency is severe constipation. Concomitant problems from B1 deficit include: indigestion, loss of appetite for natural foods, gastric atony, hypochlorhydria and smooth muscle failure of the overall gastrointestinal tract. As mentioned in an earlier article, B1 deficit causes decreased utilization (from glycolysis) of pyruvic acid which would deprive the G.I. muscles and glands of energy derived from carbohydrate metabolism.

Another B complex factor — found only in cereal germ (removed by milling) is called vitamin B4. B4 is known as the antiparalysis vitamin and is required biochemically to maintain the transmission of nerve impulses over nerve filaments. Its function was discovered back in the 1930s in relation to heart-block pigeons. Today, its action can be demonstrated with the phonocardiograph. Ingested B complex from cereal germ, with its B4 component biologically intact, will change toward normal a bradycardia pattern within 20 minutes. This could only take place as a result of B4 support nerve impulse transmission. It then becomes obvious that a principal cause of constipation could well be a deficiency of vitamin B complex.

Costiveness
Considering COSTIVENESS, we are no doubt looking at a problem resulting from a lack of fluidity of the lower bowel contents with a dry, hard stool leading to deferred and/or painful evacuation of the colon. Costiveness can be caused by:

1. inadequate water intake,
2. dehydration or fever or physical activity,
3. aberrations of electrolyte and water balance, and
4. inadequate dietary fiber ingestion.

The electrolytes primarily involved are: K+, Mg++, Cl-, and HCO-3. Naturally, electrolyte balance helps maintain water balance and this is so very important since the human body is comprised of more than 70% water.