You'd think that once you've heard something several hundred times, you'd get used to it, but that's not always the case. One question I used to ask of my clients and patients is "How regular are you?" Even though more than a few women thought I was inquiring into their menstrual cycles, I still preferred asking the question this way instead of a more direct question like "How often do you poop?"
To provide health advice knowing the answer to the second question is important, but knowing the answer to the first question is even more important, as it provides a window into the mindset of the person with health issues.
It seems many people have no idea what "regular" should be, so they think that whatever is currently normal to them is "regular." I haven't had many people, even those who knew they were chronicly constipated, say there weren't "regular." They would answer the question with, "Oh, I go every other day," or "Once a week."
Usually I'd pry just a little bit further, and discover that their infrequent eliminations were indeed "regular" for not only them, but their entire household. Each time I talk to someone who thinks having a bowel movement every three to five days is "normal," I'm amazed, no matter how many times I hear it.
I know... modern medical authorities play down the need for regular, consistant bowel movements, and instead offer the "warm fuzzy" advice that "Whatever is regular with you is okay — if you feel you need help, try [insert name of over-the-counter laxative] for a few days."
But that's just not right. One early mentor of mine put it this way: "Three trains in... three trains out." If you eat a meal, you need to elimate the remains of a previous one. Otherwise, eventually, you're gonna have a back-up in the "train yard." When those trains get backed up, the toxic load that they're packing spills over, back into the bloodstream. Those food remnants that your body needs to eliminate end up poisoning you, over and over again. It's no wonder cancer is rampant, and colorectal cancer is the third-leading cancer-killer of women in the U.S.
Just think of all the chemicals, preservatives, artificial sweeteners, colors, etc., that most people consume each day. Soft drinks, doughnuts, coffee, hormone-saturated meats and milk... each item carries not only a "food value" (if it has any value at all), but also a toxic factor that your body was never meant to have to deal with.
Simply put, if you don't move that toxic sludge out of your system quickly, it is reintroduced through the colon wall back into your bloodstream, where the toxins are then carried throughout your body to lay seige against your organs and tissues, before finding their way back to the colon via the liver, your body's now-overworked poison-processor.
As you can imagine, it doesn't take long for constipation to cause your body to go into toxic overload.
Diets high in fiber and increased water consumption are the keys to avoiding constipation and toxic overload. If you're already constipated, you can begin to reverse the damage by using herbs for detoxification and by increasing your fiber and water intake. Avoid toxic foods, which, for starters, you should consider anything you can buy through a drive-through window.
Changing your lifestyle will change your bowel habits, which in turn will change your life for the better.
— David Ross, ND, CNHP
This article appeared in the May, 2006 In Touch newsletter
Dr. David Ross, ND, CNHP, AHG