Let’s Talk About It: Constipation

In my series ‘Let’s Talk About It’ I’m delving into areas of health which my clients are often embarrassed or shy to discuss but have been suffering with symptoms of for years. I’m starting with one of the most common complaints: constipation.

‘Too much information’ ‘sorry if this is gross’ ‘I hope this isn’t too much detail’ – these are all things my clients say to me when I ask them about their bowel movements. But guess what – none of it is too much information! Your digestive system can a great deal about what else is going on with your body as one big system.

What’s Normal and Why Do I Care About My Client’s Bowel Movements?

In functional medicine the ideal number of bowel moments is one or two per day. A ‘perfect’ bowel movement should be as simple as passing urine – quick, easy and painless without any cramping or nausea before/after/during the movement.

Bowel movements have a lot of important jobs. They help to remove toxins and importantly they physically remove estrogen! This mean that when you don’t get to have a regular bowel movement, the estrogen your body has put in the stool to leave gets ‘uncoupled’ and essentially processed again through the liver which can contribute to estrogen dominance or imbalances.

Sort of like when you do a load of washing and forget to put it out to dry so you end up washing the same load of clothing over and over again, meanwhile there’s more clothing piling up on the side waiting to be washed.

Constipation and Other Areas Of The Body

There’s so much that the stool can tell us, for example a floating stool is often high in fat which can indicate poor absorption or low stomach acid.

 When it comes to constipation there are a few threads I’d follow in my investigating:

·      Thyroid – I often see constipation with an underactive or sub clinically underactive thyroid

·      Poor Sleep Quality – During very deep sleep the digestive system is super active, so with constipation I often see poor sleep quality and need to turn my attention to this area to help with constipation

·      Stress/HPA – When we spend time in sympathetic mode otherwise known as ‘fight or flight’ the digestive system takes a back seat. Your body even diverts blood flow away from the gut. Again, when working on constipation we need to consider stress levels and how the body is responding to stress. In some cases, the sex hormones can be part of this picture due to the close relationship between estrogen, progesterone, and cortisol

Other Possible Causes of Constipation:

·      Allergies

·      Poor Absorption

·      Slow Transit Time

How To Reduce Constipation

Aside from working on the individual differences such as thyroid, stress etc. there are some broad stroke changes which can be implemented to support constipation.

·      2 litres of water drunk throughout the day

·      Incorporate flaxseeds and chia seeds (1 to 2 tablespoons daily) to help bulk the stool and increase transit time

·      Reduce gluten

·      Incorporate walking and/or yoga after meals

·      2 kiwis per day

·      Ginger tea

·      Magnesium citrate*

·      Digestive enzymes*

Final Thoughts

Constipation is very common – you’re not alone! There are many possible reasons behind constipation and you can positive influence your body with dietary and lifestyle changes.

Learn what your unique drivers are along with trying some of the suggestions above to support a healthy digestive system.

*if you are taking medication or have a medical condition check with your GP before starting any new supplements)