Constipation

Constipation is a very common problem that most children and adults will face at some point.

How do you know if you are constipated? Here are a couple of signs to look for:

• Less than three bowel movements a week
• Hard, dry, difficult to pass stool

Constipation is a digestive issue. Our first step in treating constipation is to find out where exactly the problem lies.  

Stomach.

Your stomach is supposed to be full of acid. A constipation problem could be due to low acid or low enzymes. This acid is needed to break food, especially proteins, down. Low enzymes will cause the food to not get broken down right off the bat, which will lead to the unbroken down food going into the liver and the intestinal tract.

Liver.

Another possibility is that there may be a liver issue. More specifically a congested liver. A congested liver is when the liver itself becomes filled up with toxins.

Gallbladder.

Your gallbladder holds bile salts. These bile salts can be too thick at times or of poor quality. Not having a gallbladder can also lead to constipation problems. Without a gallbladder you do not create bile salts this causes the fats to not break down properly. The unbroken-down food then moves into the intestinal tract.

Intestinal tract.

The intestinal tract itself can be the source of a problem. There could be more poor bacteria in the intestinal tract than good bacteria. A high amount of yeast may also be the culprit. Peristalsis is the involuntary constriction and relaxation of the muscles of the intestine or another canal, creating wave-like movements that push the contents of the canal forward. With the standard American diet being high in sugar/carbs and low in fiber you tend to lose some of the peristalsis and begin to have a hard time moving the food down the intestinal tract.

Pancreas.

The pancreas is responsible for making a lot of enzymes that break down the food in the stomach area. If there’s a problem with constipation, the pancreas is also a place that we check into.

---

If you happen to be experiencing mild constipation there are two “quick fixes”.

• Drink plenty of waterTo increase softness in stool and stimulate bowel movements, DRINK MORE WATER. Ideally, start with aiming to drink half of your body weight in ounces.

• Intermittent fasting