CONNECTIONS to HEALTH

The Age of Constipation This is the latest installment in our detoxification series.  If you've missed the previous parts you can get them here.   Part 1  Part2  Part 3.   The Age of Constipation This month we are looking at how to clean or scour out the large bowel (colon) in order to improve absorption and elimination. Constipation has become so common among people of 'civilized' countries that this has been described as "the age of constipation". Many have not had a natural bowel movement for years. While itself a form of disease, constipation becomes one of the main causes of other constitutional diseases. Inactivity of the eliminating organs, the bowels, skin, and kidneys causes the retention of waste and morbid matter that results in autointoxication of the body, or systemic poisoning. Causes of constipation. In adults often there is no identified cause of constipation, but it may be due to one or a number of the following factors: Not enough fluid (water) in the diet. Not enough fibre (fruit, vegetables, cereals) in the diet. Too much wheat, especially white, when mixed with fluids, makes a paste. Not being active enough this could be due to a long-term condition or as a result of getting older. Drugs such as painkillers, antidepressants, and antacids because they contain calcium or aluminium. Too much calcium in the diet. Too much iron in the diet. Pregnancy. Drinking an excessive amount of strong tea or coffee (this increases urine production and so decreases the amount of fluid in the bowel). Slimming. The bowel muscles not being strong enough to push. This is a common complaint in older people as their bowel muscles become weaker and they take a range of medication that affects the bowels. Recent abdominal surgery, haemorrhoids, or anal fissure can make it painful to defecate and lead to constipation. Anxiety some people can become anxious that they are not passing stools once a day, but this should not be a problem as long as when you do go, your stools are soft and easy to pass. The following conditions may also lead to constipation: Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), Kidney failure, Colon/rectal cancer, Multiple Sclerosis (MS), Spinal injury, or Under-active thyroid gland. In babies and children constipation can be due to not enough fibre in a child's diet, or they are not getting enough fluids. Any illness with high fever and vomiting, can cause dehydration and lead to constipation. An allergy to cow's milk or medicine may also be a cause. Very rarely, in babies, constipation may be a sign of a disorder, such as hypothyroidism (under active thyroid gland), Hirschsprung's disease (a disorder of the colon), or anal stenosis (narrowing of the anus) which means that the bowel muscles are unable to relax. Constipation is also more common in children with Down's syndrome, cerebral palsy and spina bifida. Constipation when travelling Constipation is often experienced by people when they are travelling or on holiday. This is because their normal routine is interrupted and the biological clock is disrupted. Unfamiliar surroundings, different toilets and change of diet are all contributing factors. Prevention You can take a number of measures to avoid constipation: Eat plenty of fibre such as bran, wholemeal bread, cereals, fruit, leafy vegetables, potato skins, beans, dried peas. Have a regular routine in the morning and allow your bowels time to work. The best time to go is in the hour after breakfast. Reduce your intake of processed foods such as cheese and white bread. Drink more water and avoid caffeine, alcohol and fizzy drinks. Eat breakfast. Never ignore the urge to go to the toilet or the stools will just get drier and harder. Keep active by exercising regularly. When travelling, consider taking some bran supplements, only drink bottled water and avoid sitting still for too long. Let's have a closer look at what constitutes the bowel. The bowel is part of our digestive system. It is divided into two parts, the small bowel and the large bowel. The large bowel is made up of the colon and rectum. Once food has been swallowed, it passes down the gullet (oesophagus) to the stomach, where digestion begins. It then passes through the small bowel, where essential nutrients are taken into the body. The digested food then moves into the large bowel, and water is absorbed by the colon. The colon starts at the bottom, right hand side of the abdomen. The first part goes up and is known as the ascending colon. It then goes across to the left side of the abdomen. This part is called the transverse colon. It then goes down to the bottom of the abdomen: this part is called the descending colon, and ends in the sigmoid colon, rectum and anus. The average passage time of undigested food residues (transit time) through the human gut is about 50 hours in men and 57 hours in women, but ranges from well under 20 to over 100 hours. It also changes from one day to the next. Most of this time (80 to 90 per cent) is spent in the colon. Between the muscular wall and the interior of the bowel (the lumen) there is an all-important lining. In the anal canal this lining is simply skin but under it are clumps of soft, spongy material called the anal cushions. In the rest of the bowel the lining is a delicate mucous membrane or mucosa. This fragile lining has the difficult task of being a barrier to dangerous things like bacteria and viruses, while at the same time letting through into the bloodstream the good things like water and salts which we cannot afford to lose in the stools. It is a balancing act. If the mucosa absorbs too much water, the stools become hard and difficult to pass; if it absorbs too little, they are liquid and copious and the anal muscles have difficulty keeping them in. What is the problem with a little constipation? With our western and modern diets our bowels rarely work properly and with time this leads to a build up of matter on the lining which, if not eliminated, becomes hardened and black, it begins to look like chopped up old tyres! This build up of mucoidal plaque, as it is termed, prevents the absorption of vital nutrients and salts and leads to constipation and eventually toxicity of the person. If that wasn't enough, the accumulation of old faeces in the colon can stretch it and related body structures out of shape until it becomes three or four times as wide and twice as long as it should be, with only a small channel through which material may pass. This can create hernias, collapsed colon, spastic colon, prolapsed colon, redundant colon, diverticulitis and haemorrhoids. In order to further make the point, here are some articles written by some medical people about their findings:- An extract from "The Definitive Cure of Chronic Constipation", by Prof. A. Ehret: "A physician of Berlin, whose life work was the performing of autopsies, stated that 60 per cent of all the corpses contained in the alimentary canal various foreign matter - worms and petrified faeces - and he further stated that in nearly all cases the walls of the intestines and colon were lined with a crust of hardened faeces, making it evident that these organs had degenerated to a state of utter inefficiency. Progressive American physicians are rapidly awakening to the fact that retained faecal matter is one of the chief causes of disease. Autopsies are constantly revealing indescribable filthy conditions. One physician publishes the following: "I have found a prototype of the cause of all diseases of the human body, the foundation of premature old age and death. Surprising as it may seem, out of two hundred and eighty-four cases of autopsy held, but twenty-eight colons were found to be free from hardened faeces and in a normal and healthy state. The others, as described above, were to a more or less extent encrusted with hardened, rotten, rejected food material. Many were distended to twice their natural size throughout their whole length with a small hole through the centre and almost universally these last cases mentioned had regular bowel evacuations daily. Some of them contained large worms from four to six inches in length." Lets have a look at mucoid plaque in greater detail. The term was coined by a naturopath, Richard Anderson, N.D., N.M.D. This is what he has to say about mucoid plaque:-   "Mucoid plaque is a term meaning a film of mucus, to describe the unhealthy accumulation of abnormal mucous matter on the walls of the intestines. Conventional medicine knows this as a layering of mucin or glycoproteins (made up of 20 amino acids and 50% carbohydrates) which are naturally and appropriately secreted by intestines as protection from acids and toxins. However, mucoid plaque is different from the mucosal lining (mucosa) of the gastrointestinal tract. The latter acts as a necessary buffer to the gastrointestinal wall and as a lubricant for peristalsis; it is also responsible for the secretion of mucins which comprise mucoid plaque. The cells of the outermost layer of the mucosa (the epithelium) stay fresh and vital, renewing themselves every four to seven days. It sounds paradoxical, but medical research indicates that mucoid plaque is a normal self-defence measure-natural protection from unnatural toxins. Evidence indicates that mucoid plaque, with the possible exception of that found in the stomach, is unnatural to the healthy body and is found only after the body has moved away from perfect health and into a diseased state. The theory goes that if you were completely healthy, your system would produce no mucoid plaque because it wouldn't need to. When the body has been chronically subjected to (or put under attack by) drugs (such as aspirin or alcohol), salt, heavy metals (including dental mercury), toxic chemicals, parasites, harmful microbes and their toxins, and circulating immune complexes (immune cells locked onto undigested particles or foreign substances in the bloodstream), it produces mucoid plaque to protect itself. The trouble is once the mucoid plaque is created, for whatever biologically important reason, it is not routinely excreted from the intestines. Instead it lodges in the numerous folds and crevices of this large organ and can remain there for many years. Over time, the mucoid plaque grows thicker, firmer, and more widespread-colonizing, as it were, the tennis court-sized interior of the intestines. Old faeces adhere to the plaque and are not removed during a normal bowel motion. The plaque slows down intestinal action, both waste excretion and nutrient absorption. It can harbor pathogens, including bacteria and parasites, which actually hide underneath the plaque; it may block the normal outflow of lymph and mucin drainage. It binds toxins to itself and contributes to bowel toxicity, slowly emitting toxins into the bloodstream. Finally, plaque creates a friendly environment for disease, in some cases for colon cancer and gastric carcinomas. Gradually your immune system is weakened as the chronically toxic bowel environment destroys useful bacteria. Your liver becomes overburdened by the unprocessed intestinal toxins, and nerve meridian points in the intestines related to hundreds of other parts of the body are compromised. A toxic bowel results in toxic blood and lymph, toxic organs and cells, and toxic function. The bowel "feeds" every organ, tissue, and cell in our bodies, so when the quality of feeding from the digestive system is contaminated or of poor quality, the cells and organs elsewhere in the body will be compromised and grow sluggish and inefficient. So while mucoid plaque is "natural" in that the intestines produce it, it is most unnatural in that the presence of a large amount of it indicates a high degree of intestinal ill health. When the intestines are ill, you will be ill. " If you want to be amazed if not shocked by some pictures of mucoid plaque you could have a look at the web site of blessed herbs, www.blessedherbs.com. Be warned it's not pleasant! How can we improve the health of our bowels? By simply cleansing the colon. The primary objective of colon cleansing is to remove stagnant material from the colon and the entire alimentary tract. There are many colon cleansing programmes and books available. Care must be taken if you have not undergone a colon cleanse before as it needs preparation before and after care. A simple cleanse can be performed with some herbs known as Puri-Tea. As the name implies this is a drink that is designed to effectively cleanse and clear the digestive tract. You take 1 to 3 cups per day for 7 days only. Be sure to stay near to the toilet. For a more intensive cleanse Blessed Herbs do various programmes from an 8 day programme to a 21 day whole body cleanse. Please take note of their cautionary advice. Cleansing can be powerful routine and demand a lot of your body's resources, if you are in any doubt please seek suitable advice. This can be followed by taking extra fibre in your diet which will stimulate the guts into a more normal peristaltic movement and more regular elimination and improved absorption of nutrients from your food. A combination of fibres including psyllium husks is a good place to start. Although if you have any gut disorders you would be wise to consult a health care practitioner before embarking on any of these suggestions. Including a probiotic supplement can dramatically improve the working of the gut, see last months article on Probiotics. Again we can supply with an excellent probiotic formula which has helped loads of people. A simple thing you can do for yourself to improve the efficiency of the gut and cut down on transit time is to put 1 tablespoon of linseeds in a mug and fill up with filtered water and soak overnight. In the morning just glug the gelatinous mass back, it also help to soothe an irritated gut. Above all improve your diet to include much more raw food (60%) which contains the necessary fibres. For more information about any of the mentioned products, please contact Sue at the Centre on 01785 616010 or email sue@ishtacentre.co.uk.

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