Understanding Constipation and Natural Remedies - Part I

In today?s world many people suffer from constipation. We seek relief through medications, laxatives and natural remedies. Some work and some don?t. Unfortunately, many of those that do work only give temporary relief so the remedy is repeated time and again. This can worsen the underlying problem and cause new issues of physical reliance on the remedy.

One problem is that constipation is merely a symptom of a larger issue. Constipation can arise from stress or poor eating habits. In either case, if you are consuming more than one meal a day and having less than one bowel movement a day, you are constipated.

Think about it, if you eat 3 meals a day and have a bowel movement only one time during these three days, are 9 meals leaving your body? The nutrients that are absorbed by your body are microscopic so there should be quite a bit of waste leaving.

The small intestine can be anywhere from 18-25 feet. The colon is approximately 5 feet long. Combined, there is about 23-30 feet of tubes winding through your midsection from the bottom of your ribcage to about your hipbones, front to back. If you take a tube and laid it out, you will see there is plenty of room for storage along the walls. Stuffed inside of you, this doesn?t leave much room for storage.

Peristalsis must happen to move used food (or waste) through this ?tube.? Peristalsis is the muscular contraction of the small intestine and colon (large intestine) and it must happen all along your large and small intestine to create a bowel movement. If it slows down or if there is blockage, you become constipated. Most people have both problems, each contributing to worsening the other.

Your intestine is supposed to be a flexible tube and peristalsis is a wave-like motion. When this long and flexible organ gets lined with a buildup, the hardened plaque will slow or even stop the wave-like motions. As these muscles are inhibited, they also become weakened. Just as with any muscle, if you can?t use it, you lose it. As time goes on, instead of having a diameter of about 1 1/2 inches for waste to move through, there may be areas of your intestine that have only 1/4 inch diameter because of the buildup!

Most constipation remedies will give temporary relief as they attempt to either force extreme contractions or soften and turn the matter that isn?t yet hardened to liquid, making it easier to move through the smaller, weaker part of your tubing.

What is needed is a comprehensive approach along with the immediate relief. A colon cleanse fits both the short term remedy and, when done properly, will help create the long-term lifestyle changes needed.

When doing a colon cleanse, the healthier diet and herbs move through your digestive tract easier than processed foods. Over time, the type of fiber used during a cleanse will soften the buildup of older matter helping this buildup to be removed, also.

A longer and more permanent solution can work when given a chance. However, we must be cautious of choosing the correct colon cleansing program. Be sure that more helpful herbs are used. Laxatives, natural and pharmaceutical, should at a minimum (or even non-existent) and temporary. Gather your information from a few sources. Don?t rely on the propaganda or sales pitch from a supplement company.

Incorporate a healthy diet and possibly bodywork such as acupuncture or colon hydrotherapy with your colon cleanse to ensure success. You can learn more about the right way to cleanse and easing constipation at Springclean-cleanse.com.

Cindy Papp was diagnosed with Hepatitis C in 1992. She learned how to cleanse in 1994 which lead to total recovery from Hep C in 1998. She is free of the disease to date. Her experiences led her to manage a holisitic health center where she became a Ceritified Nutritional Counselor, trained in massage therapy and a Certified Colon Therapist. She then owned and operated her own health center in the San Fernando Valley of California, specializing in total body cleansing, until she sold it 2004.

Cindy has put much of her expertise on cleansing on her website http://www.springclean-cleanse.com where you can learn more about the right way to cleanse, and how to choose the best cleanse for you.

Fiber and How it Eliminate Constipation

A diet with 40 grams of fiber provides protection and prevention against diseases such as kidney stones, varicose veins, obesity, heart disease, appendicitis, colon disease, diabetes, appendicitis, diverticulitis, and constipation.

When you eat fiber, it passes into your colon without getting digested in the small intestine. The good bacteria will use some of it as food, which makes them stronger, able to multiply, and keep bad bacteria in check.

Eating fiber reduces your fecal matter transit time from 3 days to 1 1/ 2 - 2days.

All processed foods, such as white flour products, have little or no fiber. Fiber is removed when various natural flours or grains are processed to make junk food. During this processing, nutrients, vitamins, and minerals are also removed. Only plant foods and lightly processed grains have fiber of varying amounts

Foods that are "fortified" with vitamins and minerals are unbalance and unhealthy since manufacturers cannot replace all the nutrients the food once had.

Fiber, bulk, or roughage, is one of the main nutrients you need to eat daily to relieve and prevent constipation and prevent many other diseases. Most fiber is fermented in your colon and provides some energy for the body. Fiber has two forms - soluble and insoluble.

Soluble Fiber

Soluble Fiber become gummy and viscous after it dissolves in water.

Soluble fiber has the ability to slow down digestion in the small intestine and prevent simple sugars from entering the bloodstream right away.

Because it absorbs water, soluble fiber softens and gives weight to fecal matter, and this makes fecal matter easier to pass through your colon.

Soluble fiber consists of pectin, gum, and mucilage. Pectin is found in carrots, apples, beets, cabbage, citrus fruits, and
bananas. Gums and mucilage are found in oat bran, sesame seeds, oats, oatmeal, legumes, guar gum, and gum arabic

Besides helping prevent constipation, soluble fiber provides the following benefits.

? reduces the risk of heart disease
? reduces the risk of gallstones
? helps to remove toxic heavy metals and toxins from your colon
? helps to prevent the toxic condition call appendicitis
? regulates movement of sugar into the bloodstream
? helps to prevent hemorrhoids and fissures
? lowers cholesterol
? lowers absorption of fats in the intestines
? and most importantly, help prevent the overgrowth of bad bacteria in your colon.

Insoluble Fiber

Insoluble fiber does not dissolve in water and consists of cellulose, hemi cellulose, and lignin. This type of fiber is extremely beneficial to your health. Because your body's enzymes cannot break down this fiber, like it does food, it remains in tack as it travels through your intestines and colon.

Insoluble fiber helps fecal matter travel faster through the small intestine and your colon and thereby prevents constipation.

It provides bulk to your fecal matter. It makes your stools larger, softer, and stimulates peristaltic movement as it touches your colon walls.

Insoluble fiber, like soluble fiber, slows down digestion. It also slows down absorption of protein, starch and fat and has the ability to inhibit the action of digestive enzymes.

Insoluble fibers are found in vegetables, wheat, and wheat bran. This type of fiber is considered an anti-carcinogen and a digestive aid. It is credited with preventing colon cancer and many other colon diseases.

You body needs soluble and insoluble fiber to help relieve and prevent constipation. It also helps to prevent many other diseases. Start adding more fiber to your diet and gain the benefits of better health.


Rudy Silva is a nutritionist that writes on constipation. To get more free tips on how to get rid of constipation go to: http://www.constipationcured.info and if you want to get a free report on "Eliminating Constipation" sign up for his newsletter at: http://www.natural-remedies-thatwork.com

Wonder Remedies For Curing Constipation At Home

Constipation does not come of its own. You extend the cordial invitation to it by your wrong life style habits. It is more about wrong intake of food without understanding how the human mechanism functions.

Fortunately though there are many time tested home remedies to treat constipation. But before you begin with these remedies, you are required to learn to identify the symptoms of constipation on time.

Well, constipation makes its presence felt in many parts of your body. You may feel heaviness and pain in the stomach, tongue mucus coat accompanied with loss of appetite, wind formation, fever and hypertension, drowsiness and palpitation.

"Your food is your grave," goes the wise saying. Eating at all the times without rhyme or reason leads to constipation. So you are always advised to add lots of vegetables and salads in your diet as it is easy to digest and prevents constipation.

The other mind level causes are late night sleeping, emotional disturbance due to worry, fear and stress. Such disturbances in your lifestyle will only hamper the inner mechanism of the body and hamper the easy passage of stools. They may stimulate the nervous system in excess and result in concentration of toxins within the body. Next, consuming excess of tea, coffee, cigarettes and alcohol, you will only add fuel to the fire. These elements worsen the situation.

The home remedies for constipation are simple and direct. Mix 2 tspns of caster oil in the warm milk and take it before going to bed. This will help easy evacuation in the morning. This works wondrous in the severe cases.

Immediately after waking up, eat one liter of warm water and walk around. Or, alternatively drink warm water mixed with lemon juice. You can also take two spoonfuls of aloe gel twice a day. The good results will be seen soon.

The master remedy for constipation is the Ayurvedic one. It is known as Trifala Churna. It is the mixture of powders of three types of herbs in specified proportions. You need to take it along with warm water or milk at the time of going to bed.

The home remedy that you will take will lose much of its effectiveness unless you take certain preventive measures. Pay special attention to your diet. It should be easily digestible.

The emphasis is again on fruits, vegetables and salads. Don't take stale food. Chew the food thoroughly. Unless you are hungry don't eat. Maintain a gap of at least 4 hours between the meals. Also, it is proper time for you to consider about certain physical exercises. See that you get sound sleep and this is possible by the overall discipline that you are going to implement in your lifestyle.

Many Home Remedies articles are available at Disease Remedies & http://www.newhomeremedies.com/

Many Home Remedies articles are available at http://www.newhomeremedies.com/ for Home Remedies.

How to Use Apples to Clear Constipation

Apple can be used to clear constipation and they can help to keep you free of constipation. There are so many variations that it does not matter which one you use. But there are some apples that are more frequently used for baking than others.

Apples are high in vitamin C but don?t have a lot of vitamins or minerals. They are high in soluble fiber, which is a gummy type fiber. This soluble fiber, called pectin, absorbs water in the colon allowing you to clear your constipation. It keeps your stool soft and prevents them from getting hard

Apples have additional health benefits in that they control how you absorb sugar during your digestion. This has tremendous benefits for diabetics. Also pectin fiber can lower your cholesterol levels. It has the ability to trap cholesterol in its gummy consistency and rout it out of your body.

Eat raw apple in the morning. If you eat only fruits in the morning and not egg, bacon, cereal, or any thing heavy until noon time, you stand a better chance of clearing your constipation and keeping regular.

You can combine apples with other fruits like oranges, peaches, or apricots. But it is best to eat 2-3 apples during the morning.

Baked Apples

Now you can also use baked apples to get constipation relief. Eat one baked apple at night, right before bedtime, and one just upon rising. Do this until you constipation is cleared.

In his book, John Heinerman, Heinerman?s Encyclopedia of Fruits, Vegetables and Herbs, describes how to bake apples:

Cut apples in half and clear out the centers. Add chopped dates to the center. Pour some cranberry juice over the dates and apples. Then sprinkle cinnamon and nutmeg on the top. You can pour cranberry juice on some of the apples and see if you like the taste after they are cooked. Cook apples for 46-60 min at 375-400 C.

Dried Apples

Dried apple slices are also a good source of fiber. However, when the slices are dehydrated most nutrients are lost but fiber is retained. Sulfur dioxide is typically used to dry apple slices and this can cause allergic or asthmatic reactions in some people. I do not recommend using dried apple slices in place of fresh organic apples. But use dried apples if you do not have raw apples.

Just Apples and Mineral Water

Just after waking, eat two unpeeled apples, chew well, and then drink 8 oz of water that has 4 drops of Alkalife, which is an alkalizing liquid supplement. Or, you can use any other mineral additive or supplement you use.

This combination of apples and activated mineral water will stimulate your colon to become less sluggish and to move fecal matter out of the rectum.

Now you know how and why to use apples to clear your constipation. Apples can also help your diabetes and lower your cholesterol. Use them raw, baked, or dried. When used as breakfast, in a fruit salad, you can eliminate constipation and improve you colon function.


Rudy Silva is a Natural Nutritionist. For more excellent tips and information on constipation go to: http://www.stop-constipation.com or at http://www.constipationcured.info

Enema Or Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Constipation Managed With Intestinal Cleansing

Ever had an enema? Do you suffer from constipation? If you suffer from abdominal cramps, bloating and some diarrhea then you might be a sufferer of irritable bowel syndrome. If you are looking for relief, good news?

The subtle symptoms creep into our life one at a time until we find a barrage of complications we never had before. Constipation is the most obvious difference, then pain, abdominal cramps and bloating followed with occasional diarrhea, all add up to irritable bowel syndrome.

Our lifestyles have shaped our habits to fit an unnatural pattern of elimination. We eat and rush to work or school, suppressing the natural elimination that should occur within 20 minutes after eating.

Some individuals may wait as long as a week between bowel movements. This only complicates the impaction, toxic build up in the bowel, which comes back into the blood stream as toxic waste, and creates a need for laxatives or enemas.

Enema can be a natural remedy for irritable bowel syndrome and constipation. The early 1900?s medical practice was that when a patient was admitted to the hospital for any ailment, the patient first received an enema. A bit messy and inconvenient, enema is usually a last resort. Diet and intestinal cleanse using all natural herbs has become more popular and healthy.

Colon cleanse has become a buzzword as it has been determined that the origin of most disease starts in the colon. The impaction of fecal matter that lines the walls of the colon without being eliminated can easily be 15 pounds. Decay and putrefaction in the bowl throws the immune system in extreme overload, ridding the body of toxins and trying to fight off disease. If the immune system fails, disease grows in the body.

Irritable bowel syndrome can be controlled before permanent damage is done to the colon. Herbal colon cleanse is the most effective on a long-term use. Herbal colon detoxification is also called colon cleanse. High fiber foods in the diet are natural scrubbing agents for the colon to cleanse the cilia that absorb nutrients.

Constipation is not all corrected with a laxative. Drink 5 glasses of water a day. Avoid excess bread and pastry. Augment your diet with foods high in fiber. Choose an intestinal formula supplement that will stimulate the peristaltic action in your bowel and strengthens the colon muscles.

Avoid harsh laxatives that are not all natural. Dependence on over the counter laxatives can lead to weakened elimination muscles and loss of natural body function.

It is claimed that all habits can be learned in 21 days. In the next three weeks try an intestinal herbal formula and make time to eliminate within 30 minutes of eating. Your body is designed to heal itself if you do not override the master plan.

James Zeller is the new "Euell Gibbons" for natural supplements. For more information about Intestinal Supplements or help for "50 and Over" Baby Boomers.

How to use senna for constipation relief

It is known that Egyptians used senna tea to relieve constipation. This tea is used for medium conditions of constipation. It is the chemicals anthraquinones that provide its strong action on your colon walls. It is readily available in health food stores or on the Internet.

Only use senna for a short time, 1- 1 week. It is not healthy to use it for a long time, since its action moves fecal matter through your colon quickly. This quick action prevents absorption of nutrients by your colon depriving you of necessary minerals and vitamins.

Use senna only in amounts that produce the required bowel movement and stool softness to relieve your constipation. Start with small amounts and increase your amount slowly.

Senna is sold Over-the-Counter under the name Correctol, ExLax, Senokot, and Smooth Move. Senokot also contain docusate sodium - a stool softener - an added benefit when hard, dry stools may cause discomfort.

Senna Tea with Potato peels

You can also prepare senna tea as follows:

Buy some senna tea at a health food. Place a tea bag into 1 cups of distilled water and steep. Then, add the peel of a whole red potato. Also, add a couple slices of potato meat. Add to this, a teaspoon of wheat or oat bran and flax seed.

Simmer this combination, strain it and drink the liquid. This will give constipation relief for some of the more difficult cases of constipation. Remember the longer you simmer this combination the stronger the tea will be. Start with a 5-10 minutes and then work up to 15-20 minutes but you need to experiment with the time.

When you drink senna tea, drink only 2-3 oz. at a time and drink it only after it has cooled down. It has less of a cramping action when you drink it cool.

Senna Tea with Peppermint

Here is another senna tea you can prepare.

1 teaspoon of senna tea leaves teaspoon of peppermint leaves.

Boil 8 oz of distilled water, turn the heat off, stir in the herbs. Turn the heat off and cover the glass container. Let tea simmer for 3-10 minutes.

Add honey to improve taste and some powered vitamin C if you have it.

Look for formulas that have a small amount, 1/10 of a part, of fennel, anise, or ginger to reduce any cramping that might occur with senna.

Do not drink seena tea or capsule if you have any type of colon disease, stomach pain, diarrhea, or are pregnant.

Senna Pod Tea with Prunes.

Senna Pods are milder than the leaves since the do not contain the resin. It is the resin in the senna leaves that causes griping in your colon.

If available, use around 8 pods. Heat some distilled water. Place the pods into the water for 5-10 minutes. Strain the tea and add 3-4 dried prunes or chopped prunes. Let cool and eat the prunes during the day or drink and eat a few prunes just before you go to bed. Drink only a couple ounces of the senna liquid at one time. If cramping or griping occurs, reduce the amount of tea you drink.

There you have it. You can get constipation relief with senna herb by using it in different ways.


Rudy Silva has a degree in Physics and is a Natural Nutritionist. He is the author of Constipation, Acne, Hemorrhoid, and Fatty Acid e-books. He writes a newsletter called natural-remedies-thatwork.com and his information on other topics can be seen at http://www.stop-constipation.comor at http://www.constipation-remedies.for--you.info