No one wants to talk about colon health. Poop! There, I said it!

Most people have at one time or another had an occasional bout of constipation and/or diarrhea. But for some of us, including myself, it’s more than that. It can be something we struggle with daily.

For me it was constant cramping and diarrhea. I called it “dumping”. I would eat, then 20 minutes. Later, the dreaded cramping and cold sweats would start. If I was in the car, I would get panicky starting to look for a washroom. In the past, I have resorted to using highway restrooms that I would never have used if they had not been my only choice.

I ended up going so much in those days that over the years I had some very painful attacks with thrombosed hemorrhoids that looked like a bunch of grapes growing out of my nether parts. That finally ended up in a terrible operation to repair me “down there” because the pressure had split me open and left part of my bowel hanging out.

For my clients, it may be going too much or, the other side of the coin, going too little and the pain and hours spent just trying to go. They wonder what it would be like to have a body that just went every day like what we think most people do.

The sad fact is that because it’s a taboo subject, we don’t know how many people suffer with bowel issues. In my practice, I see it daily. Now, here is the kicker…even one bowel movement a day is not enough!

Think about a train.  If three trains (meals) pull into the station every day but only one train pulls out every day, shortly you will have a train wreck. If you eat three meals (trains) in three days, plus snacks and liquids, you are retaining six meals (trains backing up in your station (your colon)).  In no time, you have an overcrowded and poorly running station.

So, how often is healthy? A healthy person has no more than three meals in her system at once and each one is in a different state of being eliminated (moving constantly toward the exit!). A meal should have an exit (transit) time of 12-16 hours after it has been eaten.

Eliminating a meal starts with peristalsis, the wave-like contractions that move the food to the exit. This process is stimulated when you eat and the oldest meal gets moved out first. Water is needed in this process (about ½ your body weight is recommended. So if you weigh150 lbs.  (68 Kg), you need to drink 75 ounces (2218 ml or just over 2 liters) of water daily.

Herbal supplements that cause Lower Bowel Stimulation can help by increasing peristalsis movement through the system-helps to move the trains to the exit).

You should also consume 35-40 grams of fiber each day. One of the fibers that I prefer is psyllium hulls.  It binds toxins in the bowel and acts as a broom that sweeps the colon and keeps it clean.

• Natural laxatives can help and are not addicting.
• cascara sagrada stimulates peristalsis naturally and it encourages a normal flow of bile and secretions (digesting enzymes of the stomach, pancreas and liver.
• ginger helps digestion and soothes nausea and increases circulation
• capsicum, turkey rhubarb, couchgrass , red clover, buckthorn and licorice are all important herbs that provide a synergistic (each herb helps boost the action of the other) effect and also support the intestinal and urinary tract while purifying the blood.

If your bowels have not been regular, there will be a buildup of toxins and you may consider a gentle cleanse or daily detox for your bowel.

So… how is your bowel health?

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