Natural Remedies for Constipation

It's important to understand what causes constipation in the first place. Read our recent blog post on IBS which breaks down the root cause of IBS-C and other types of IBS to know more.

IBS-C, or IBS characterized by frequent or chronic constipation, more often than not is linked to SIBO, small intestinal bacterial overgrowth. Overgrowth of bacteria in the small intestine is a bad thing because the small intestine is the area in the body where we break down and absorb our food; if this isn't happening properly, this points to insufficient digestion in the stomach and/or low pancreatic enzymes. Where we DO want bacteria (good bacteria of course!) is the large intestine and colon. In particular, archaea which produce methane are closely tied to chronic constipation, and we know that the more methane these bacteria are making in the small intestine, the slower the transit time of food passing through the intestines to the colon. 

So what can you do if you have chronic constipation?

First of all, we suggest going for a reset. At Atmosphere we guide you through a 3-week reset where you eliminate potential inflammatory food choices, figuring out which foods suit your body. Since IBS-C is more of a chronic condition, you'll want to look at more of a comprehensive plan which looks at all aspects of your health. Sign up for our email list to learn more about our next reset. 

Secondly, you can supplement your diet with the following foods:

• Add effective supplemental probiotics which will support overall gut health with beneficial bacteria. Always look for refrigerated probiotics as ones that haven't been stored properly are unlikely to include the concentrations of probiotics present at the time of packaging.
• Add in fiber from food sources such as flax seeds, apples, carrots, etc, or try supplementing with bowelcare, which soothes the bowels.
• Be sure to include a lot of ghee and/or coconut oil in the diet as this helps decrease transit time of the stools.
• Magnesium citrate taken to bowel tolerance is one of our favorite natural remedies as magnesium is a calming mineral and one of the most common deficiencies; a lesser known fact about magnesium is that it helps with cramping and muscle soreness, and aids in energy production! Take 1 tsp at bedtime and increase to bowel tolerance.
• And finally, aloe vera and peppermint oil are also very soothing for the digestive tract.

 

Thirdly, if your symptoms persist, try adding in antimicrobials such as quercetin, berberine, neem and/or oregano oil. After taking the antimicrobial of your choice for two weeks, follow by two weeks of saccharomyces boulardii, a powerful dose of probiotics which is resistant to anti-biotics or microbials. Be sure to be supplementing in your diet with fermented foods such as sauerkraut, kvass, kefir, kombucha, or yogurt.