Constipation is Corrected by Using Natural Methods
How is Constipation Defined by the Medical Community in the Adult Population?
I found Rome IV diagnostic criteria on the internet. Essentially, if you have less than 3 poops per week, strain, have lumpy or hard stools, have the sensation of incomplete evacuations, have the sensation of obstruction or blockage at least 25% of defecations OR use your fingers, suppositories or support the pelvic floor during defecations, you are constipated. This criterion does not cover IBS or other issues.
Constipation has been a constant companion of mine, especially over the last 15 years since I stopped smoking. My early morning cigarette usually triggered a bowel movement. Since I quit smoking, I managed my constipation most times by consuming fiber products or taking magnesium/calcium supplements to bowel tolerance. I could actually poop this way but by definition, I was managing my constipation through the use of supplementation.
In my work with children constipation is also a big issue. Constipation criteria in babies and children are less than 3 poops per week and extreme difficulty and or pain passing the stool. I also note that children will stop eating and maybe even drinking. Some children may have hard stools one time and runny stools another time and really never fully evacuate. This can and often does require imaging like an x-ray to see what is happening in the bowels. Sometimes hospitalization is involved if the situation is unable to be resolved with over-the-counter remedies.
Less than 3 poops per week makes for a cranky person, let me tell you. That is why I went to the magnesium/calcium supplements and sometimes used suppositories.
I don’t know if you have ever heard of the Bristol Stool Chart, which is a diagnostic tool created by a team of doctors at the British Royal Infirmary in Bristol, England in 1997. Your stool sample is evaluated by descriptions on the consistency of your stool on a scale of 1-7. I used this information frequently when working with infants and children, in an effort to provide accurate information to the doctor when the child went in for this issue.
According to the scale Stool types 3 and 4 are the ideal. They should be well formed and easy to pass. Types 1 and 2 are in the constipation range. This is a hard stool, difficult to pass and most people are straining to get the stool out. Often people report incomplete bowel movements, bloating and abdominal pain. Constipation leads to straining and then to inflammation in your hemorrhoids.
Type 5, 6 or 7 stools contain excess liquid or might be entirely liquid. This is an indication of diarrhea. Prolonged diarrhea may lead to dehydration and malnourishment.
Click on the link here for a description of this useful tool. https://www.verywellhealth.com/bristol-stool-chart-4174964
There can be other medical issues that cause constipation such as decreased motility in the gut or pelvic floor weakness or a physical obstruction somewhere in the large intestine or colon among other things. I have had plenty of children who had heart surgery with constipation. Surgery of any type in the middle of the body can affect strength in the core muscles, leading to pelvic floor dysfunction, and two of the symptoms of pelvic floor dysfunction are difficulty with defecation and constipation. More on pelvic floor weakness.
Other issues leading to constipation can be a poor diet—one high in processed foods with little nutritional value. I see plenty of children who eat only two or three foods, period. Most of the children I work with have a poor diet—are considered “picky eaters” and have a host of issues related to their “picky” eating, including constipation. This includes most children, however, those with autism, cerebral palsy, low muscle tone and general developmental delays are typically “picky” eaters and usually have constipation. I rarely see children eating vegetables.
Perhaps you are simply dehydrated, most of us are. As an adult, you should be drinking at least three quarts of mineralized water, preferably natural spring water, per day. Most adults I speak with don’t drink enough water, or are drinking the wrong type of water which is not correctly hydrating their body. The adults I talk to and observe drink a lot of other beverages—coffee, soda, alcohol and very little water.
Eating cooked, not raw, vegetables provides plenty of fiber and allows the valuable minerals that are within the vegetables to be assimilated in our gut and sent on to where they need to go. Following a nutritional balancing program will lead you down the path of eating a lot of cooked vegetables.
When I began nutritional balancing in 2015, I was eating raw vegetables in smoothies by the quarts per day. I was still constipated and my “fix” was to use calcium and magnesium supplements to bowel tolerance. Now my constipation has significantly improved and yet there are still occasions it happens. I have been doing coffee enema’s (really implants) and that has kept me regulated but the true test for me was when I went on a vacation for 9 days without the benefit of my morning routine which includes a coffee implant.
For me, drinking good quality spring water is paramount to manage my constipation and drinking enough of it is crucial. I drink a variety of bottled mineral waters in addition to the water I already drink. I drink the 3 quarts daily recommended. I also add an additional GB-3 (a digestive enzyme sold by Endomet Labs) to my supplements. I have not had any issues since then! Problem solved for me. I was not hydrating my body correctly.
Here are some tips for you:
- Begin a Mineral-Nutritional Balancing program as soon as possible, you can learn more about it on this site
- Consume enough vegetable fiber from cooked vegetables
- Drink at least 3 quarts of mineralized water daily and drink your first quart when you get up in the morning
- Ditch consuming wheat products. Today’s wheat is toxic and makes your colon sluggish among other things
- Don’t consume sugar, it is dehydrating and creates sugar imbalances
- Consume caffeine in extreme moderation—it is dehydrating
If you have tried some of my tips and still have constipation, or already meet the Rome IV criteria outlined above, I urge you to seek a medical professional to rule out any other medical issues (typically the specialty is gastroenterologist).
Rosemary Slade, PLLC, OTR, NC is a practicing occupational therapist and mineral-nutritional balancing practitioner. She can be reached on this website. This article is not in any manner, shape or form intended to be considered or construed as medical advice or providing a medical diagnosis. This article is for entertainment purposes only. If you wish to obtain an official diagnosis of constipation, please see your medical doctor.