Why You Should Worry About Chronic Constipation

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Having healthy digestion and eliminating waste every day (ideally twice or three times a day!) is critical to your overall health. Constipation can be common and there are many causes of constipation. But you need to worry about chronic constipation.

Your liver flushes out toxins and dumps them into your intestines. However, if your digestive system isn’t working optimally, then all those toxins and waste can get reabsorbed into your body. 

Constipation has been linked to multiple diseases, including cancer and even Parkinson’s disease.  Researchers find that roughly 12 to 19 percent of the US population (about 63 million people) suffer from constipation. Constipation is often uncomfortable and can lead to symptoms including bloating, irritability, lack of appetite and vomiting. 

Most people move their bowels on average once daily which many consider to be normal, but normal doesn’t mean optimal. We want to have 2-3 bowel movements per day. We now know so much about the gut microbiota and how to have a healthy gut. The majority of Americans maintain a poor git microbiome by eating  a SAD (Standard American Diet) diet. 

Consequences of Chronic Constipation

Hemorrhoids

When you’re constipated, you’re more likely to push hard to try to go. That can make the veins around your rectum and anus swell. These swollen veins are called hemorrhoids, or piles. They’re like varicose veins around your anus. They can be external, which means they’re under the skin around the anus, or internal, which means they’re in the lining of your anus or rectum.

Hemorrhoids can itch and be painful. They can cause bleeding when you have a bowel movement. Sometimes blood can pool inside a hemorrhoid, which can cause a painful, hard lump. You may also get skin tags, blood clots, or infections from your hemorrhoids.

Anal Fissures

Passing hard stools or straining to pass stools can tear the tissue around your anus. These tears are anal fissures. They cause itching, pain, and bleeding. Because the symptoms of anal fissures make going to the bathroom more difficult, they can make constipation worse. 

Impaction

When you can’t get stool out of your body, it can start to stick together in your intestines. The hardened mass gets stuck and causes a blockage. The squeezing your colon normally uses to push stool out of your body can’t move it because it’s too large and hard. It can cause pain and vomiting. You may even have to go to the emergency room for treatment. 

Rectal Prolapse

When you’re constantly straining to pass stools, the rectum can stretch and slip outside your body. Sometimes just part of the rectum comes out, but sometimes the whole thing does.

It can be painful and may cause bleeding. It can sometimes be hard to tell if you have rectal prolapse or hemorrhoids, since both cause bulging out of the anus, but they’re two different conditions that need to be treated differently.

Diverticulitis 

When stool becomes trapped in the intestine, it can trigger inflammation in tiny pouches that form off of the colon wall. This is called diverticulitis, and it can result in abdominal pain, fever, and nausea.

Symptoms caused by Constipation

Constipation itself can also be the root cause of other symptoms and conditions:

Toxin reabsorption in the colon, including excess hormones, that would normally be excreted in the stool

Imbalance of intestinal flora, including a reduction in healthy species and overgrowths of unwanted bacteria or pathogens.

Structural and physical effects of large hard stools and the straining that commonly accompanies them

SIDE EFFECTS OF CONSTIPATION

1. Effects of constipation on FATIGUE

Constipation and fatigue go hand-in-hand, with strong evidence for a connection between the two. A dysbiosis caused by constipation can increase the fermentation of carbohydrates and the production of various gasses, including super smelly hydrogen sulfide thought to cause dysfunction of the mitochondria – the energy producers within our cells. A lack of healthy flora in the gut can also decrease the absorption of nutrients required for energy and normal physiological function. Impaired detoxification of toxic substances that can enter the bloodstream may also impact energy levels and cause fatigue.

2. Effects of constipation on WEIGHT GAIN

Dysbiosis of intestinal flora can cause weight gain and obesity. Hormone imbalances, particularly those relating to estrogen have also been linked with obesity. Excess estrogens and having them reabsorbed back into your system might not be so good for your waistline.

3. Effects of constipation on the SKIN

Another side-effect of toxicity associated with constipation is acne and skin breakouts. This happens when toxins and waste are reabsorbed back into the bloodstream via the colon, rather than being eliminated. From the bloodstream, these toxins can exit the body by its largest detoxification organ – the skin. The other mechanism by which constipation can impact skin is through the alteration of gut bacteria. This study showed that 54% of acne patients have significantly altered gut flora while probiotics (beneficial bacteria) have also been shown to reduce symptoms. 

4. Effects of constipation on SIBO

Constipation is one of the highest risk-factors and most common causes of small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO). This recently discovered condition, where bacteria from the large intestine end up in the small intestine where they don’t belong, is thought to be responsible for up to 80% of IBS cases. While the most common symptoms associated with SIBO are constipation, diarrhea and extreme bloating.

5. Effects of constipation on BRITTLE NAILS and THINNING HAIR

Nutritional deficiencies can affect the growth of both hair and nails. And as we know, a lack of healthy flora in the gut can also decrease the absorption of many nutrients essential for energy and growth. 

6. Effects of constipation on POOR IMMUNITY

Our intestinal flora is responsible for much of the body’s immune response, including the removal of cell debris, viruses, bacteria, and cancerous cells. As constipation is often associated with missing or damaged bacteria (intestinal flora), the impact on your immune system can be significant. 

7. Effects of constipation on ESTROGEN DOMINANCE

Constipation can inhibit the excretion of unwanted estrogen from the body and promote its reabsorption. We are exposed to a lot of environmental sources of estrogens through toxins such as plastics, medications and hormones in the animal proteins we consume. This means that most people have excess estrogen coming into the body that needs to be excreted each day. If we are constipated, these excess estrogens can be reabsorbed in the colon and cause elevated estrogen levels, a condition also associated with estrogen dominated cancers like breast cancer, allergies, weight gain and fatigue.

8. Effects of constipation on ANXIETY and DEPRESSION

Mood and anxiety disorders have long been scientific bedfellows with constipation and other gastrointestinal disorders. And while constipation is often thought to be the symptom, recent neuroscientific research has begun to show the importance of intestinal flora in the development of brain symptoms. 

Treatments

The first most important thing to get things moving consistently is addressing your diet, which causes most constipation.  While chronic stress and antibiotic overuse can mess up your gut, a diet that is high in processed foods and sugars does great harm and promotes constipation. 

Incorporating the following simple hacks will help most people get things moving:

  • Eat whole, real foods in their unprocessed forms. This is the first and easiest and healthiest first step to healing: You need lots of fiber.  Fiber comes from plant foods. 
    • Besides eating lots of colorful fruits and vegetables, I like “super fibers” like ground flax seed.  Try adding 2 tablespoons a day to your smoothies or salads for an easy fiber boost.  
    • Nuts, seeds and beans also contain high amounts of quality fiber; however, remember that beans can cause insulin spikes – so go easy if you are prone to blood sugar imbalances. 
  • You’ll also want to avoid foods that cause constipation.  
    • Dairy tops this list, and gluten is a close second. I challenge you to give those up for at least three weeks and see how your digestion and overall health improve.
  • Low-fat diets can contribute greatly to constipation, despite still being touted as healthy.
    • A clinical study published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition put 11 men on a high-fat diet for two weeks and found that, when compared to a low-fat diet, a high-fat diet accelerated gastric emptying.  You’ll want to incorporate lots of smart healthy fat sources including wild fatty fish like sardines and salmon, olive oil (which lubricates the digestive system) and avocados.
  • One of the best “laxatives” is MCT oil, which you can put in your coffee (which, by the way, also helps you go) or use it in your smoothies and salad dressings.
  • Another BIG constipation culprit is magnesium deficiency. We don’t eat enough of this underrated mineral (magnesium-rich foods include nuts, beans and greens), plus things like chronic stress, too much caffeine and sugar and toxic overload often deplete magnesium levels.
    • Even if you eat plenty of magnesium-rich foods, you probably need to supplement to get optimal levels.  Use 200 mg to 1,000 mg of magnesium citrate daily. Gradually increase the dose until you go once or twice a day.  If you take too much, you will get loose stools. If that happens, back off a bit.
  • Vitamin C is another great poop inducer. You can take 2,000 to 4,000 mg or more a day, along with magnesium supplementation. The same principle applies here: If you begin to get loose stools, just back off a bit.
  • Many patients are often deficient in healthy gut bugs, which is why I also recommend adding probiotics.
  • Exercise is a great laxative.  So move your body everyday to help move those bowels. 
  • Hydration is critical, so drink at least 6 to 8 glasses of water each day.

Simply put, to optimize bowel function:

  • Eat a whole foods, high-fiber diet 
  • Add 2 tablespoons of ground flax seeds to your daily diet
  • Eat more good fats and try MCT oil
  • Supplement with magnesium, vitamin C and probiotics
  • Drink 6 to 8 glasses of water a day
  • Exercise daily

If you’re still struggling after using the above tips, then consider having your thyroid looked at.  An often-overlooked culprit is a sluggish thyroid, which affects 1 in 5 women (about half of whom are not diagnosed or not treated properly). 

Take away: optimize your Gut health to optimize your overall health. If you have chronic constipation, start making your gut health a priority and try the suggestions above.


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