Constipation x 25 years

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Re: Constipation x 25 years

Postby JeffN » Thu Jun 18, 2020 9:05 am

Ltldogg wrote:Correction, I checked with my GI yesterday and he said no to any Senna laxative as it can cause nerve damage in the colon with long term use. He wants me to instead take 500 mg of Magnesium Glycinate before bed each night to ask as a natural stool softener.


Good catch Scott.

Senna is what we call a "stimulating" laxative which actually stimulate the body to produce a movement. We do not recommend these at the program as they can cause problems over time, that makes things worse.

When needed, we recommend what are called "normalizing" laxatives which just help to restore normal function. The ones we may use are prune juice, psyllium, magnesium, Miralax, etc.

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Re: Constipation x 25 years

Postby Daydream » Thu Jun 18, 2020 9:26 am

Ltldogg wrote:Correction, I checked with my GI yesterday and he said no to any Senna laxative as it can cause nerve damage in the colon with long term use. He wants me to instead take 500 mg of Magnesium Glycinate before bed each night to ask as a natural stool softener.

He also said ingesting Aloe is bad, which I already knew. Look up studies on ingesting Aloe; it's very dangerous.

Cheers,
Scott


Yikes! Well, that's good to know. Shoot, I bought and started taking 1 capsule of the Aloe supplement. I will google about ingesting Aloe. Thanks for sharing!
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Re: Constipation x 25 years

Postby pinkrose » Thu Jun 18, 2020 8:48 pm

Sorry about your discomfort, dear Erin. After reading several of the replies here, I am surprised that several suffer with this lack of gut motility.

When I have traveled long distances and when I have had surgery, my gut has slowed down and I hate to miss sitting on the throne for two days. So it is hard for me to imagine the degree of your discomfort. However, during my regular days (not traveling and not in the hospital) my gut works perfectly almost 100% of the time. This may not help you but I will share my regular diet with you:

Breakfast: one or two chopped sweet potatoes covered with about a pound of leafy greens and a crucifer (broccoli, cauliflower or cabbage) —microwave steamed—topped with three English walnuts
Lunch: microwaved oats with blueberries or raisins and salt
Dinner: brown rice, black beans, peppers, salt

I drink a liter of water soon after I rise in the AM and have a perfect movement within two hours after I rise. I also drink another two or three liters of water daily. This varies with the heat and my activities.

I do not snack and I fast for 13 hours between dinner and breakfast. I know you are exercising a lot but simply walking a few miles after breakfast and dinner seems to help my gut perform well.

I hope you will soon find the right "formula" and feel much better. Please keep us posted on your progress.
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Re: Constipation x 25 years

Postby calvin » Thu Jun 18, 2020 9:24 pm

In my youth, I remember my father occasionally disappearing into the bathroom with an enema bag. On the rare occasions over roughly 6 years of McDougalling when a rock is reluctant to leave the premises, I decline to wait hours for some "normalizing" (or any other) laxative to make its leisurely way through some 27 odd feet of digestive track - No Thanks! Instead, keep it simple. Fill an ear syringe (available at many drug stores) with luke warm water (have 2 cups worth within arms reach), lubricate the tip with soap, apply one or more syringe-fulls gently, hold it as long as you comfortably can (urgency will make itself known), and relax. Never fail to be able to get comfortably on with the rest of my day. Thinking about foods as possible culprits, I've found that beets (the root, not the greens) need to be cooked until easily penetrated with a fork, else they cause symptoms. And of course not consuming enough water throughout the day is a mistake. One of the first things I realized on this WOE was that I had been unknowingly mildly constipated all my life and had hemorhoids to show for it - which thankfully have healed. I also have a 2cm hiatal hernia from all the straining which will not likely ever heal and which I treat by not eating after ~4pm. Delaying breakfast until 8am gives me a daily 16hr fast. McDougalls-Digestive-Tune-Up is a must-read.
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Re: Constipation x 25 years

Postby viv » Thu Jun 18, 2020 11:09 pm

Homeopathic remedies have been very successful for me over the years. I like the Boiron and Hylands brands.

https://www.boironusa.com/mf/?category= ... nstipation
5'8", Started March 2013
Starting weight: 217
Current weight: 157
60lbs gone--for good!
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