One Cause Of Constipation - Bad Bacteria

Bad bacteria in the colon are one of the worst conditions that could exist in your body. Yet few people are aware that this is something to be concern about. Not only is bad bacteria one cause of constipation, it is also a source of toxic matter that filters into your body where it creates many familiar diseases.

When bad bacteria takes over your colon and if remains in control of your colon over a long period of your life, expect to have serious diseases as you age. You may or may not wonder why practically every older person you know has many health issues to deal with. Most likely it is the neglect of the colon and the constipation that they have lived with during their lifetime.

When bad bacteria control the colon, they live on undigested food and cause this food to rot and become putrid. This condition causes your colon to become slight alkaline making it difficult for the good bacteria to thrive. As more toxic matter accumulated in the colon, it attracts other pathogens and yeast.

When the colon is weak, it is unable to quickly move fecal matter through its long intestine. It weakens when it continual tries to move fecal matter along the colon and is unable. After while it just quits trying and constipation sets in.

Bad bacteria are but one cause of constipation. There are others but it is always best to work on one cause of constipation before going to another.

So what can you do when you have an excess of bad bacteria in the colon? The first step is to increasing the amount of good bacteria in colon, since these bacteria can fight and destroy the bad ones.

So, how do you help the good bacteria to multiple? You do it by,

* Feeding the good bacteria

* Eating the right foods so that the colon environment can changed from alkaline to slightly acid

* Taking supplements that can kill bad bacteria and not good bacteria

* Taking supplements that increase the good bacteria

* Doing a colon cleanse to sweep out some of the bad bacteria and their source of food - decaying, rotting fecal matter.

Good bacteria are available in various forms. The most familiar source is liquid milk like solution call acidophilus. You can also get multiple forms of good bacteria in capsules. It is best to choose a form call enteric capsules. These capsules move pass the stomach acids where they could be destroyed and open up in the more friendly area of the small intestines. The good bacteria can then move into the colon where they will do battle with bad bacteria, one cause of constipation. When the colon is overwhelmed with bad bacteria you need to supplement your diet with a good amount of good bacteria, so don't hold when taking this supplement.

There you have it. It is not easy to get rid of bad bacteria quickly. You have to work at it and you have to know what you are doing. But when you realize that one way to do it is to build up the good bacteria and let them take care of your fight. So go out and buy some good bacteria.

As a Natural Nutritionist, Rudy Silva researches and writes on natural remedies for various body conditions. He has written and accumulated a lot of information on constipation. To get free tips on how to get constipation relief, sign up for his 10 week e-lesson series called "10 Constipation Secrets Revealed" at http://www.remedies-for-constipation.com/constipation_relief.html

Treating Infant Constipation Gently And Safely

In this article we will look at infant constipation treatment and how best to deal with constipation when an infant is suffering from it.

The best way in which any parent could treat an infant who is suffering from constipation is by changing the child?s diet. The constipation will not improve without a change of diet and they will also probably be using stool softeners as well.

The goal of any infant constipation treatment is so that the child has 1 or 2 soft stools each day. So why not give them 2 to 4 ounces of water or diluted fruit juice once or twice a day. Or you may want to swap the formula they are drinking at the moment for a soy formula instead.

If however your infant is older than 4 months and suffering from constipation then you may want to try feeding them lots of fiber which are contained in cereals, strained prunes, apricots or spinach.

A great way of helping an infant suffering from constipation is by massaging their stomach. Begin at the belly button and then massage outwards in circles in a clockwise direction. Put some baby oil or cream on your fingers as this will help with the massage. However if your child becomes upset or uncomfortable with the massage then stop it.

Or you try moving your infant?s legs in a cycling motion whilst they are laid on their backs. Just hold their legs and then gently move them in a quick cycling motion. This will cause the stomach muscles to move and this in turn will put gentle pressure on the infant?s intestines and make them move.

Another great way of helping an infant suffering from constipation is to give them a warm bath which will help them to relax and thus their stools will be passed more easily. After the bath and when your infant is more relaxed you could try massaging their stomach again. Also after a bath apply some cream or Vaseline to the area around the infant?s anus. It is important that you do not put a thermometer or anything inside your infant?s anus to stimulate bowel movement as this will only cause damage to your child.

There are a number of different ways as shown above which can be used for infant constipation treatment and as long as you watch what they eat and ensure that they have plenty of fluids they should not suffer with this problem too much.

Lee Dobbins writes for Colon Articles where you can learn more about keeping your colon healthy and ways to deal with constipation.

Avoid These Foods That Cause Constipation And Really Get Things Moving Again

 

There are quite a few foods that cause constipation and eliminating this problem from your life may require a bit of a change in the way you eat as you will have to add in more fiber as well as avoid the foods that content to bind you up.

The biggest cause of constipation is a lack of fiber in the diet. That combined with eating high-fat foods, not getting enough exercise and dehydration from not drinking enough water all contribute to lack of movement in your bowels. So if you really want to get things moving again you?ll need to take some action.

Eating more fresh fruits and vegetables and especially those high in fiber such as pears, peas, broccoli and apples with the skin on will certainly help as they will add fiber to your diet. This fiber turns into a gel like substance when combined with water in your body and passes through the intestines adding bulk which helps make stools softer and easier to pass.

But how much fiber is enough?

The recommended daily amount Is 25 to 35 grams and I think if you do the math and look at all the food you eat during the day you?ll probably see that you are getting somewhere between only five and 14 g which is what the average American gets each day. No wonder there is such a problem with constipation in America in such a glut of laxatives and fiber products on the market!

Now if you can?t fit 35 grams of fiber and via fruits vegetables and whole grains you can try a fiber supplement. If you do, however, be sure that you drink enough water along with the supplement in during the day so that It can do Its thing. of course, it?s best to get your fiber the natural way into either way you want to make sure to drink plenty of water as this will help to make softer stools.

In addition to adding fiber to your diet there are some foods which can contribute to constipation and if you have a problem in this area you should probably avoid them. These foods include:

Meats
Ice Cream
Cheese
Snacks like pizza and chips
Processed foods (most anything that comes in a package!)

In today?s fast-paced society, everyone in adults and children included even way too many refined and over processed foods. these foods have had not only all the nutrients stripped out but the fiber stripped as well.
You go to the grocery store take a look at a few of the packages and see what the fiber content on some of these foods is - how much of these foods we do have to eat to get your 35 g of fiber a day? So you can see why constipation is such a problem today.

So if you want to get things moving again and have a satisfying bowel movement every day ( or two or three times a day) then you want to avoid the above foods that cause constipation, stop eating processed foods and start eating more fresh fruits and vegetables which will give you the necessary fiber as well as nutrients that are vital to your overall health.

Lee Dobbins writes for Colon Articles where you can learn more about how to take good care of your colon and never suffer from constipation again.

Treatment of Constipation

 

People who tend to ignore their body signals over time have lost the ability to recognize when it's time to move their bowels. This is common in constipation. In this situation, it may help to go to the bathroom at the same time every day when a bowel movement is most likely to occur, usually about thirty minutes after breakfast or after a cup of caffeinated coffee (caffeine is a stimulant of the gastrointestinal tract). Remember, however, that caffeine is a Flag Food for heartburn - again what helps an gastrointestinal problem may exacerbate another. Nicotine, while a recognized stimulant of the intestines, is not recommended as a treatment for constipation.

When you attempt to "retrain" your bowel, remember to take your time. Your mother may have told you to "do your business" quickly and get off the toilet, possibly to avoid hemorrhoids but probably because most of us grew up in a house with one bathroom. Today, even small houses usually have at least two bathrooms, so take your time. If breakfast time finds you at work, any large meal will do for bowel retraining. When food enters your stomach, it encourages the colon to contract. This impulse is transmitted by nerves that innervate the colon; certain hormones may also be involved. Some people, especially those with inflammatory bowel disease, have an exaggerated gastrocolic reflex - soon after they eat, they have to run to the bathroom. In bowel retraining for constipation, the gastrocolic reflex works in your favor in moving your bowels.

Drugs may also be used to treat constipation. Scores of laxatives on the market can provide a quick fix to relieve constipation. They fall into several different categories according to their mechanism of action. Bulk laxatives add volume and fluid to the stool. Metamucil, Efferyllium and Perdiem are psyllium seed laxatives that add non-irritating bulk and promote normal elimination. FiberCon, which has a similar bulking action, contains the fiber calcium polycarbophil. You may notice an increase in wind (flatulence) and stomach bloating when you are taking fiber supplements. This is normal and tends to settle down after a few months after the gut becomes used to the increase in fiber. Stool softeners are not laxatives but contain surface-active ingredients that keep soft for easy, natural passage. Magnesium salts like Milk of Magnesia work by increasing the fluid of the gastrointestinal tract. Dolculax is a stimulant laxative that acts directly on the colon to make it contract. Miralax is a prescription drug that works very well for some constipated individuals. Zelnorm can be used to treat garden variety constipation not related to irritable bowel disease. Lactulose is another prescription drug to treat constipation.

In general, it is always best to try the gentlest agents first. Over time, harsh laxatives can damage the bowel and ultimately make you dependent on laxatives to move your bowel. For most people, it is recommended to start with a bulk laxative or stool softener and, if necessary, adding Milk of Magnesia. Only in very difficult cases would a stimulant laxative or prescription drug be the treatment of choice for constipation.

Michael Russell

Your Independent guide to Constipation

 

 

Information Constipation

If you've been in the process of starting a business (or
thinking about starting a business) for more than 6 months,
but you haven't made any progress, you may be suffering from
Information Constipation.

Information Constipation is a dreadful disease that strikes
over analytical people, procrastinators, and the fearful.
People have so much information that they are paralyzed and
unable to act. The condition is generally marked by an
elongated period called "research". Some people refer to
this period as "getting ready", "information gathering", or
"preparation". The main symptom is several months
(or years) spent checking out a business opportunity in
lieu of actually pursuing it. People generally suffer from
a feeling that they don't have enough information or they
aren't very knowledgeable about the subject and hence they
are unable to move forward. This is quite often to the
contrary because they have spent so much time gathering
information that they are now more "book smart" about their
potential business than many people who have a successful
business up and running.

There is really only one known cure for Information
Constipation and that is (in the famous words of Nike):
Just Do it! You will never have all of the information you
need. You will never know everything there is to know .
Not to mention, a little fear and apprehension is normal
and healthy.

So if you or someone you know is suffering from Information
Constipation get them to the nearest coach, friend or
motivator so that they can get a much needed push to make
their idea a reality.

 Myrtis Smith is a
personal coach. She gets people to stop hating thier jobs.
To see how she might be able to help you, sign up for
her free newsletter (Change Now!) or visit her on the web
at www.premeditatedlife.com
.......because life doesn't just happen!

Are You Suffering From Chronic Constipation?

Embarrassing as it may be, we have all suffered from constipation at one time in our life or another. According to the National Health Interview Survey as many as 3 million Americans suffer from frequent if not chronic constipation. While constipation is not recognized as a degenerative disease or serious disorder, people who are constipated often feel bloated, uncomfortable and even sluggish. Constipation by itself is miserable enough, but sufferers often experience painful bowel movements that can become compounded by hemorrhoids that form due to straining.

To understand constipation, it is important to understand how our digestive system works. When we eat, food is ground up in our stomachs so it can be digested. This liquid food passes into the small intestine where nutrients are extracted. It then moves on to the colon, where water is removed, allowing a stool to form. If too much water is extracted from the stool as it passes through the colon, it can become hard and difficult to pass leaving you constipated.

There are a number of reasons why people get constipated. These include not eating enough dietary fiber, not drinking enough liquids (water), lack of exercise, ignoring the urge to have a bowel movement and plain old stress. Other causes can include having a lazy colon that does not contract properly, causing waste materials to pass through the colon slowly, food allergies that can cause the colon to contract, or mechanical obstructions that inhibit the movement of waste materials. Many prescription drugs and certain neurological disorders can also slow down the movement of waste materials through the colon. Constipation can also be brought on by an abuse of laxatives that over time can damage the nerve cells in the colon and interfere with its ability to contract properly.

Fortunately, there are a number of things you can do to relieve chronic constipation naturally.

Recommendations For Wellness

Consume a high fiber diet made up of lots of fruits, vegetables and whole grains. If that is not possible, incorporate a dietary fiber supplement such as psyllium hulls, Natures Sunshines Natures Three or their Irritable Bowel Fiber into your daily health routine. Dietary fiber holds water and help to keep the stool soft, while added bulk help to move the stool through the colon.

If other fiber supplements fail in your attempt to become regular, try taking Chitosan (a form of dietary fiber) along with vitamin C. The chitosan binds to fats from the foods we eat making the stool soft and smooth. The vitamin C helps to activate the chitosan in the stomach.

Drink plenty of water, especially if you are taking supplemental fiber.

Try eating a few dried prunes or drinking some prune juice. In addition to adding fiber, prunes have a mild laxative effect.

Avoid sugar and other processed foods.

Begin a regular exercise program to help promote normal bowel movements.

If you think allergies are the cause of your constipation, try an elimination diet to help you to identify what may be triggering your body and causing your colon to contract.

Meditate, do yoga, go for a walk. Do things that will allow you to reduce your stress levels and help your body to relax. This can help relax your colon.

Get a colonic to flush out any old fecal matter that may be trapped within the colon or try a colon cleanse.

Take a good probiotic such as acidopholis or bifidophilus to help promote a healthy environment within the colon.

Peppermint (3910-9) has a long history of helping relax the smooth muscles of the gastrointestinal tract.

Supplementation with magnesium and large doses of vitamin C, have a mild laxative effect on the body.

If all else fails, herbs such as casgara segrada, turkey rhubarb or herbal combinations such as Natures Sunshines LBS II and LB-X can be used to evacuate the colon. While these should be used with caution, they are less aggressive than many commercial laxatives that are available at the supermarket.

About The Author

© Copyright Body, Mind & SoulHealer 2005. All rights reserved.

Dr. Rita Louise, PhD is a Naturopathic Physician and it is her unique gift as a medical intuitive that enlivens her work. Author of the books Avoiding the Cosmic 2x4 and The Power Within, Dr. Rita Louise, Ph.D. a can help you identify what is really going on and provide you with straightforward guidance and advice. She can be reached by calling 972-475-3393 or visiting her website at http://www.soulhealer.com.

rita@soulhealer.com