Tuesday, December 23, 2008

The Hidden Dangers of Constipation

By Sue Thompson

Are your bowel movements regular? Do you often strain when you eliminate but to no avail?

Good digestive health is basically characterized by regular elimination. Constipation usually indicates that there is a more serious medical condition involved. Over 95% of health problems begin in the digestive system and in many cases the cause is often traced to constipation.

In a 24-four period, the number of meals you take should be the same as the number of times you have your bowel movements. If you take frequent meals, then you should also take frequent trips to the john. Not being able to do this means you are constipated. Among Americans, 65% are suffering from this condition.

Traditional Medicine and Holistic Medicine have different theories regarding constipation.

Traditional Medicine describes constipation as the passage of hard and dry stools. It believes that frequency of waste elimination depends on each person's level of metabolism. Thus, a person with a high metabolism moves his bowels more often than a person with a slow metabolism. And since we all have different levels of metabolism, our frequency of elimination also differ from each other.

In contrast, Holistic Medicine says that frequency of elimination is determined by the number of meals taken. A healthy digestive system efficiently absorbs food and nutrients during intake and expels the toxic matter 12 - 18 hours later. Food that stays in the body for longer than 18 hours rots and develops toxins that are absorbed in the bloodstream which then leads to different sorts of health problems.

If you are constipated, the following tips will help you normalize elimination.

1) Drink a lot of water to rehydrate your digestive system. The ideal daily water intake is one ounce for every pound of your body weight. Try to choose water over any other kind of drink.

2) Exercise regularly. Normal elimination results with the increased blood flow which happens when you exercise.

3) Take a good daily fiber supplement that consists of ground flax.

4) Make sure your digestive system is well lubricated with Essential Fatty Acids like Flax, Borage and Fish Oils.

The hard fact is -- constipation is a serious health matter. The digestive system absorbs whatever is put into it. Waste that is not been expelled from your body will clog it and result in the accumulation of toxins. When this happens your liver, lungs, lymphatic system, blood, skin, colon, and kidneys have to work overtime to clean up the poisonous matter from your body. This is a situation that you wouldn't want to happen as it may spell more trouble.

If you have constipation, why not visit a naturopathic medical practitioner? He can offer you healthy alternatives, give you good advice regarding supplements and even share reading materials to help you deal with conditions caused by poor digestive health.

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