Institute for the Protection of Natural Health Chronic constipation, 5 ideas to get out of it or avoid it

Dear friend, dear friend,

A person suffers from chronic constipation if he has less than three bowel movements per week.⁽¹⁾ This scourge affects 3 to 5% of the population in France.⁽²⁾

Including occasional constipation, this figure rises to 30%.⁽²⁾ This translates into the purchase of 50 million boxes of laxatives per year in France!⁽²⁾

Is it possible to bring down these purchases? Is it possible to adopt a way of life which makes it possible not to resort to chemical drugs whose action on the body remains violent?

Not to mention that constipation can lead to other much more serious ailments. Thus, chronic or regular constipation causes the accumulation of toxins in the digestive tract.⁽¹⁾

These toxins can be carcinogenic and can, if not eliminated in time, be absorbed by the body.⁽¹⁾

Constipation also causes acne, anxiety, or even depression.⁽³⁾ It also increases the risk of heart disease.

People who are constipated are more likely to have hemorrhoids, anal fissures, urinary incontinence, diverticulitis and other miseries.⁽¹⁾

Diverticula are small pockets that form outside the large intestine or colon. They are formed by the pushing of the inner layer of the intestine. These are small hernias.^(4,5)

And they can ignite. This then causes unusual and intense pain and sometimes fever as well as a transit disorder.⁽⁵⁾ In some cases it can even cause a generalized infection called sepsis.⁽⁶⁾

Why are you constipated?

The first reason is mechanical. In some people, the food bolus simply takes time to come down. This is called slow peristalsis.⁽⁷⁾

This word “barbaric” refers to the movement of the food bolus along the digestive tract.

The latter is activated by a muscular tunic which contracts and helps the food to always go in the same direction: from the mouth to the anus.⁽⁷⁾

The reasons for this slow mechanical movement are numerous:

• age is the most common and shared reason. As the years pass, the digestive tract becomes less active.

• The problem may be hormonal. Thus pregnancy, menopause or taking the pill can create or accentuate constipation.^(1,9)

• Also, the problem may be related to the the nervous system.

Indeed, if the sympathetic nervous system – the one that gives the alert – is solicited, this has a direct effect on the proper functioning of the intestine.

Conversely, if the parasympathetic system is in control of the situation, you are relaxed and digestion goes better.

Thus, the anxieties, depression or stress that activate the alert system slow down digestion.

People who have nervous system disorders have a higher risk than others of suffering from severe constipation.⁽⁹⁾

• Finally, the way of life is also decisive. What you eat and what you drink has, unsurprisingly, an effect on the functioning of the digestive tract

• The sedentary lifestyle or on the contrary the stress of a trip also play on the lazy intestine.

The question, therefore, is how to revitalize all this, knowing that constipation often affects naturally energetic people.⁽¹⁾

These are people who have a certain anger or an emotional knot in them that is struggling to unravel.⁽¹⁾

Here are some ideas for speed up your peristalsis without taking medication.

Indeed, the use of laxatives is often violent for the digestive tract. Frequent use can even accentuate the problem, the body no longer taking the trouble to act since the drug has taken its place.

1/ Stay hydrated!

Drinking enough can increase fecal matter and facilitate transit. This is not an absolute guarantee once morest constipation.⁽⁸⁾

However, not drinking enough is, conversely, a real risk.

The ideal is to drink regarding 8 glasses of water a day, varying a little according to your weight, the seasons and what your body tells you.

Some nutritionists recommend drinking between meals, others, on the contrary, advise once morest it.

It depends a bit on you and what you eat.^(10,11)

If you eat meals that are too sweet, drinking water may increase your blood sugar.

Indeed, water facilitates the absorption of sugar.⁽¹¹⁾

2/ Avoid alcoholic beverages

Alcohol strongly stimulates the acid secretion of the stomach. A drunken evening burns the stomach. This acidity also irritates the mucous membranes. They then undergo a strong inflammation.⁽¹²⁾

Because alcohol has an effect on the nervous system. This effect varies between individuals but creates constipation in some or the opposite effect in others.⁽¹³⁾

Strong alcohols above 15° might also have an effect on peristalsis or movement of the digestive tract.⁽¹³⁾

Having a glass of red wine from time to time, once or twice a week, and during meals does not pose any particular problem, except for people who are very sensitive to alcohol.⁽¹³⁾

3/ Avoid foods that constipate

Some foods constipate because they prevent emptying of the stomach. Others simply lack fiber.⁽⁷⁾

Generally, all processed or refined products are to be avoided. White flour, white rice, white bread, breakfast cerealscookies and pastries promote constipation.

The potatoes don’t really help with digestion. The starch in these tubers slows transit.

They also contain saponins which are plant defense molecules. These molecules can be difficult to digest.

Finally, products that are too sweet or chocolate, especially milk, have a deleterious effect on digestion.

Beware, finally, of milk, whose sugars do not generally facilitate good digestion.

4/ Consume fiber

Fibers are complex sugars. But unlike starch for example, it is not digested or absorbed by the body. They do not provide nutrients but facilitate digestion.

The fibers soluble melt in the water. They form a viscous gel that helps food glide.

The fibers insoluble absorb water. They promote satiety and accelerate transit.⁽¹⁵⁾ They are useful in controlling weight and appetite and facilitate the elimination of carcinogenic toxins.

As a result, they help you stay healthy and prevent cardiovascular disease.

You will find them in all plants. Do not hesitate to insist on vegetables: spinach, artichokes, cabbage of all kinds, salads and young shoots throughout the year, broccoli, chard, etc.

You will also find plenty of it in chia, barley or flax seeds or in psyllium which is taken with water. Quality oats and whole grains also provide fiber.⁽¹⁵⁾

Legumes also contain it and deserve to be included in your diet, even if to digest them well, it is good to let them soak overnight or for several hours.

Eat fruit, but rather outside meals

5/ Herbal teas that help

There are a number of herbs that help your digestive tract work well.

Chicory roots are renowned for their detoxifying action. They are also useful to facilitate evacuation.⁽¹⁶⁾

Michel Pierre, herbalist, suggests the following mixture: chicory roots, buckthorn bark, juniper berries, senna leaflets and marshmallow roots.

The mixture includes 50g of each plant must boil 10 minutes and infuse 3 minutes.⁽¹⁶⁾

Finally, don’t forget to walk every day!

Naturally yours,

Augustine of Livois