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The Gut Flush Plan, Ann Louise Gittleman, Ph.D., C.N.S. February 5, 2009

Constipation

Widespread constipation is one of the surest signs that America’s colons are malfunctioning. Today, two out of three people over age sixty-five use laxatives. We spend upward of $1.2 billion a year on laxatives. Can you imagine? What a tremendous amount of money spent on a symptom that can often be easily remedied with changes in diet and exercise habits.

The trouble is, constipation goes beyond being uncomfortable—it can spell danger. Your bowel movements don’t just relieve you of harmless waste—they rid your body of potentially harmful toxins, too.

At the risk of sounding anal, let’s get specific: if your colon functioned at optimal capacity, you would have an easy bowel movement three times a day, about an hour or two after every meal. The color would be medium brown with the consistency of toothpaste. The stool would be approximately eight to twelve inches long with little or no odor. There would be little residue on the toilet paper, and this ideal bowel movement would leave your body effortlessly, without straining.

To put this more scientifically, you would experience the gastrocolic reflex that almost effortlessly empties the bowel. Nerves in the stomach would recognize the ingestion of food; the colon muscles would tighten and expel waste. You would let it happen, not force it, and you wouldn’t have to push to make it happen.

If this doesn’t sound like you, and you have fewer than two or three bowel movements a day, you may be constipated. In today’s world, many things interfere with your normal, natural digestion and cause constipation:

• Nearly 50 percent of chronic constipation is caused or made worse by medications. The most common offenders are antidepressants, pain meds, and iron supplements.
• A sedentary lifestyle contributes to flaccid colon contractions. Couch potatoes have recalcitrant colons.
• Laxatives, tobacco, and caffeine (especially from coffee) irritate the colon and leave the muscles unresponsive and weak. Caffeine, a kind of stimulant laxative, eventually leads to the atrophy of the colon’s muscles and nerves.
• Stress impairs digestion, creating nervous system responses that inhibit reflexes that facilitate bowel movements.
• Low stomach acid interrupts digestion and allows blocks of food to linger in the intestines.
• Lack of fiber inhibits colonic contractions.
• Food intolerances to items like gluten and dairy products irritate the intestines and interfere with colon function.