Understanding Constipation

Constipation is a problem that most everyone suffers from at some time or another, whether they know it or not. Indeed, most of us are not as bowel-conscious as we ought to be. But how could we be constipated without knowing it? Well, the bowel is a tube that can stretch to many times its normal size. We can harbor old fecal matter, undigested foods, parasites, and other things that are compacted on the sides of the colon walls. I consider this condition of the bowel to be constipated because the feces is still compacted in the bowel, even though there may be a tunnel of space through the middle allowing the person to pass some waste material through. This means that a person can still be eliminating daily wastes through the bowel, however, not all the waste is being dislodged.
To illustrate, when a client comes to me and they don’t believe that they are constipated, although my assessment shows that they are, I will discuss with them a cleansing diet and herbs designed to eliminate the backed-up wastes. Some will even take colonics or enemas to speed the process. When they follow the program and see that they are actually eating less than normal, and evacuating up to six times their normal amount of waste, they are absolutely amazed. Not to mention, usually lighter! The point is that the bowel can store up material on the sides of the colon walls and in bowel pockets, although you might be eliminating daily. See Chapter 4 for information on bowel cleansing and Ivy’s daily cleansing drink recipe.
So what is the profile for the ideal bowel function? Ideally, you should eliminate once for every meal eaten. (That’s thrice daily for you three-meal-a-day people!) The stool should be approximately 2” in diameter, a light brown color, soft in consistency (but formed), usually remaining in one piece from 6”–12” in length, and should come out without strain. The total evacuation time should require no longer than one minute, and should not leave a foul odor (really!).
So how do you match up? If you are one of those who needs to take a novel to the pot with you, then you are probably constipated! (Note: As a general rule, while on a cleansing program, you will eliminate more than once for each meal eaten.)
Some factors that contribute to constipation include these:

• Lack of water
• Ignoring the call of nature (not going when you feel the need)
• Nervous tension that keeps the bowel tense
• Lack of exercise can help the bowel get lazy
• Side effects of many medications that make constipation a problem
• The five white enemies: white flour, sugar, milk, salt, and rice It’s best to learn the cause of your constipation and correct that first. For cleansing purposes and to stimulate things into action, though, herbs make a great remedy.