Search

DG085: What to do in case of constipation?

[g_podcast id="13572491"]

This episode is all about constipation, specifically how to tell if you're constipated, why it's not good if you're constipated, and of course, what you can do about it.
The topic of constipation is actually very widespread.I get questions about it all the time. That's why I thought I'd dedicate a separate podcast episode to this topic.
Perhaps we should start by clarifying why it's not good to be constipated. What does it even mean to be constipated? How do you recognize that you are constipated?


Whenare you constipated?


You hear very different things. Some say you have to be able to go to the toilet every day, others say two or three times a week is also okay. I spoke about this with Dr. Adrian Schulte, among others. I recently held the Online Bowel Congress and had so many exciting discussions with experts. Dr. Schulte has written a book on the topic of the gut and is the medical director of a clinic that focuses ontheFX Mayr Cure. So I thought I'd ask him what he thinks. He now says, for example, that daily bowel movements are normal and would be correct. Inotherwords, if you can only go to the toilet two or three times a week, then that's a sign of constipation.
To me, I have to say, that sounds very plausible. If you eat every day and food goes into your bowel, then some of that food should come out every day. So, from a purely logical point of view, it definitely makes sense to me. Going to the toilet every day is certainly something that should work.
What is also importantis that the stool is soft. Not too hard, but not too soft either. The stool should be shaped, in the form of an elongated sausage. It shouldn't leave any marks and it shouldn't hurt. If you have to push, then this is already a sign of constipation. It should also not smell unpleasant, and you should need as little toilet paper as possible to clean your bottom afterwards. All of these would be signs that your bowel movements are normal. If this is not the case, for example, if you are in pain on the toiletuntil the stool finally comes out, then you shouldgo again. data-contrast="auto">ssen, then this is a sign of constipation.Of course, if it is too liquid, too thin, then we are talking about diarrhea. That's a topic for another episode.


Why is it not good to be constipated?


Why is it not good to be constipated?If the stool stays in the bowel for too long, toxins also stay in the body longer than they should. This can be reabsorbed - i.e. put back into circulation - and this is a kind of internal poisoning that happens. This is one reason why it is not good if the stool remains in the intestine for too long.
Another thing is, of course, if it's painful, if you have to push, then problems such as inflammation or small tears, injuries, things like that,even blood in the stoolcan occur.That's not good either, of course. It's actually clear that pain is not good.There are also people who develop hemorrhoids. This can also be a consequence of constipation. It can even lead to bowel cancer - if you want to paint the devil on the wall. Bowel cancer usually occurs in the last section of the bowel. That's why it's not good if the stool "lies around" in the bowel for too long and can cause damage.


What can you do about constipation?


Why I came up with this topic for this episode is because I keepreadingquestions- just now there was a free Facebook group to accompany the bowel congress. People were also exchanging ideas and asking what to do if you are constipated. People very often gave each other tips such as: "take psyllium husks, take magnesium, take this, take that. There were lots of tips about remedies to take."
I have to say that this is not actually the first choice tip. For many people, the problem lies elsewhere. It's not that they should take any medication to get the stool out of their body more quickly, but that they should first eat "sensibly". I'll come back to what I mean by that later.


Tip 1: Drink enough water


But it starts with the fact that many people drink too little. What do youmeanby not drinking enough? The rule of thumb is 30 to 35 ml per kilogram of body weight. Thatmeans data-contrast="auto">t, for example, if you weigh 60 kg times 30, that's 1.8 liters you should drink. Someone who is heavier,say 100 kg, should drink 3 liters. You can work this out as a rule of thumb. Drinking water is really important to ensure that you can go to the toilet properly, because if you don't drink enough water, you willnaturallybecomedry and it will be harder to get it out of your body.
If you are constipated, it is also very helpful if you oftenwarm water more often. I would drink a glass of warm water first thing in the morning. You can also boil water and pour it into a thermos flask, for example. This is also known from traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) or Ayurveda. Warm water is often drunk in Asia in particular. It also tastes quite good.
I keep hearing people say to me:"I don't really like water." I find that amazing. How can you not like water? We are made of water. Alarge partof our body is made of water, so it's amazing to me when people say:"But I don't like it." If you don't like water, maybe you need to checkthe water quality where you live. At best, you might have to think about something. Maybe buy a water treatment device?
The other thing is that many people also drink mineral water. You can drink mineral water, but then without carbon dioxide,as carbon dioxide - as the name suggests - is also acidic and canalso lead to flatulence.That's why it's actually better to drink still water. If you say that you don't like water,it may well be that the mineral water youare drinkingis not right for you. Then you can have a look around. Different brands of mineral water also taste different. Maybe you can choose onethat you like.
As I said, warm water tastes different again. It has a slightlysweettaste. If someone doesn't like cold water, they might like warm water. You can also try this out. Of course, you can also add something to the water, like a Peppermint leaf or similar. I wouldn't add too much and I wouldn't simply replace the water with tea, because on the one hand we need water to transport nutrients and on the other to remove toxins. If there is already something in the water, then it is already a saturated liquid. Then it can simply transport less. That's why I'm not a bigfan of drinking only tea, even if it's herbal tea. You can of course also drink some tea and coffee, but I would keep it to about three cups a day.
Tip number 1 was now: If you want to do something about constipation, first see if you're drinking enough in the first place.


Tip 2: Exercise


What is also very, very often the caseis that you may not be moving enough.Exercise is the be-all and end-allfor ensuring that your digestionand bowel movementsactually work. A small tip is to simply gooutsideevery dayand take a few steps, preferably half an hour, maybe even half an hour twice a day. Those of us who have dogs haveno problemwith this. If you don't have a dog, you should stillgooutsideregularly, especially to get some fresh air and breathe well into your belly. Breathing is very, very important.By breathing into your belly, you give an impulse for food to be transported further. This is something that many people don't do. We women in particular often breathe very superficially, only in the chest. It's important to breathe really deeply into the abdomen.
Incidentally, there was also a great interview with Dr.Mosetterat the intestinal congress about exercise. He talked aboutmyoreflex therapy and explained how the exercises he gives his patients help to counteract constipation. Something like this would be good in conjunction with exercise.
Yoga! There are special yoga exercises for the bowel. Perhaps find a yoga teacher and ask them to show you a few exercises that you can do to help support your bowels. These are a fewmeasures that you can easily incorporate into your day.


Tip 3: Gut-friendly diet


Then, of course, thediet, a gut-friendly diet,is particularly important.If you suffer from constipation, I would recommend that you eat warm and cooked food, so definitely vegetables - the fiber in them is super important.
While we're on the subject of fiber: If you suffer from constipation, it helps to eat good prebiotics. Prebiotics are the fibers that feed the probiotics - the bacteria. There are a few vegetables that are particularly rich in them, such as asparagus, onions, garlic,chicory, artichokes and mushrooms. I alsolearned aboutgreenbananasat the online congress.I didn'tknow thatbefore. These are a few things that you can perhaps incorporate into your diet. If you suffer a lot from bloating, I wouldn't necessarily choose garlic and onions. If you tolerate them well, you can of course include them.
It is also important not to eat any ready-made products or sugar.You should also be very cautious with alcohol if you suffer from intestinal problems. Don't eat too manywhite flour productseither, and perhaps even cut out cereals completely for a while.
It's also very important to take breaks between meals so that your gut has time to digest properly.
Another thing - because I just mentioned artichokes - arebitter substances. So feel free to eat bitter vegetables.Chicory also has bitter substances, thenartichokes, herbs also contain bitter substances, for example. These would also be things that I would include. That's the most important thing.

Tip 4: Chew well


When we talk about nutrition, whether it's about constipation or bowel problems in general, we have to talk aboutchewing. Many people chew far too little and eat far too quickly. You probably can't hear it anymore because you've heard so often that you should chew.This is actually extremely underestimated. I often notice that I'm the last one at the table to finish, that most people eat much faster than I do. This shows that many people tend to wolf down rather than eat and chew in peace.
Digestion starts in the mouth. We already have enzymes in our mouths that help to break down food. to get small. Chewing itself is a mechanical process in which the food is already broken down.If the food arrives smaller in the stomach and intestines, it is also better processed. I would definitely recommend this to you. Pay attention to how well you chew.


Tip 5: Eat in a relaxed manner


While you're observing your chewing, take a look at whatstate of mindyou're in whenyou eat. Are you relaxed or tense? Are you eating when you're stressed or in a good mood? Do you argue with people while eating? There are often arguments in the family - especially over dinner, for example. I would really recommend that you make sure that you are in a harmonious mood when you eat, that you eat slowly, eat consciously, are grateful for what you eat and chew well. This isvery, very beneficialagainst constipation.


Tip 6: Learn to let go


A somewhat abstract tip is, if you are constipated, to seeif there aren't things that you can't let go of, that you are clinging to.What about the issue of stress? What about stressful situations? These are all things that can also cause your body to be tense, unable to let go and keep your food waste inside you for longer than is actually good for you.
Iknow that's a bit abstract, but I actually heard this from a customer the other day. She said that she suddenly realized that her bowel movements were much, much better and that she was letting go of a lot at the moment.In particular, she has let go of people in her life who are not good for her. This has now had a positive effect on her digestion.
It's really not that far-fetched and it does have an impact. I'd be really interested to hear your feedback. Just write down the things that you can't let go of or find difficult to let go of, that perhaps also "weigh you down" and we often carry this burden around with us.


Tip 7: Fermented foods


What you can definitely do in terms of supplementing yourmassis of course to eat good bacteria. The first remedy of choice would then befermented foods.I wouldrecommendfermented vegetables in particular, such as sauerkraut, kimchifermented carrots, fermented beet... You can ferment so many vegetables. Of course, you should eat them raw, not pasteurized, because then the bacteria are dead. You can make it yourself, but nowadays you can also buy it in well-stocked health food stores, for example, or in organic food stores. You can order it online. You're sure to find a good source.
Of course, you can also make it yourself. It really isn'tdifficult. All you need is vegetables, salt and, depending on the situation, water. I've already made a podcast episode about this, episode 12,and there's alsoa blog article on the subject.
Now I hope you've seen that there are lots ofthings you can do if you're constipated or if you know someone who is constipated. Maybe have a look at your children. How do they go to the toilet? Ask them once in a while, especially small children. It happens so often that they are constipated because they don't want to go to the toilet at nursery or school or because they are under a lot of stress at school. Whether it's because they can't get on with the other children, or because they feel stressed by the lessons, whatever. Ask your children howregularlythey go to the toilet. As you have now seen, there are so manymeasures. Most of the things I've listed can also be done by children.


If nothing helps


If none of this really helps, then you can still think about certain supplements, for example taking probiotics, prebiotics, for example in the form of acacia fiber - we have had very good experiences with this. Probiotics also in the form of powder, for example. Bitter substances, there are bitter drops that you can take and theyoften help very well against constipation. There are some with alcohol and some without. There are bitter powders, for example "Heidelberger Kräuter", which you can take. This helps very, very well against constipation.
I amrather suspiciousof things like magnesium orlaxatives. That's something I wouldn't necessarily recommend. If you take it once or take a magnesium supplement to stimulate your digestion a little, or to stimulate the Bowel movements,okay.But basically I'm not a fan of taking those remedies if youhaven't doneall the otherthings I've listed today.
If you're not watching your diet, if you're not drinking enough, if you're not exercising and so on... Those are the most important things that should come first. If none of that helps, then you can always see if there's anything you want to take. But then I would really go to a doctor and get checked out.

A microbiome analysis can provide information


Another option is to have a microbiome analysis. We also offer this. You can also order amicrobiome analysis from us. You will then receive tubes at home into which you can fill stool and these are then sent in. Then you can have a look:What does your intestinal flora look like? Do you have enoughbutyrate formers, which are very, very important for proper digestion? Is there any inflammation? Is the pH value perhaps not right? Is the environment not right? Are there parasites? Are there fungi? And so on. You can really read a lot out of that and then reallyspecifically recommend the right pre- and probiotics. That would also be an option if you've been having problems for a long time, or if you say that you're already implementing all the tips I've given, butare stillconstipated.Then it would really be time to take a look at where something could be wrong.

I hope you enjoyed this episode.
If you have any questions about the episode, feel free to write them in the comments. You can write us an e-mail, you can leave us a voicemail (on the right-hand side of the screen) ... There are so many ways you can get in touch with us. I say"us" because my assistant Daniela also supports me. We'll get back to you as soon as possible.
I hopeit has come across that constipation is actually something that is not good. Many people come to me and say:"I've been constipated since I was a child. It's just the way I am." No, it's still not good, even if you've had it for a long time and you've gotten used to it. It's really important that you do something, see where it comes from, why the problems are there and that you can fix it.
I very much hope that this episode has helped you a little and that you might pass it on to someone who suffers from constipation. I would be delighted if you would join us again for the next episode.

The links to the episode are:
Podcast episode 12 - Fermenting:https://arktisbiopharma.ch/darmglueck-folge-012/

Now I recommend you subscribe to the podcast so you don't miss an episode, and if you like what you hear, I really appreciate a review on iTunes or Apple Podcast. Because these reviews also help other people find the podcast so we can spread the knowledge about gut and health more.




Subscribe on Android