Bowel Irregularity

While much well-deserved attention is paid to soluble fiber foods, it is insoluble fiber that provides roughage and improves bowel regularity. This natural bulk also gives feelings of fullness and satisfaction, resulting in less food intake.

In the 1980s, there was a huge push promoting the benefits of fiber in the diet, particularly its ability to prevent colon cancer. Since that time, there have been conflicting studies, and, for some reason, fiber has fallen out of favor. I predict (something I do very rarely) that you will soon begin to see a dramatic increase in the ill effects of decreasing the amount of fiber in our diets. We’re already seeing an increase in many of these problems, such as widespread obesity, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and numerous bowel problems.

Fiber has decreased dramatically as our food supply has become more and more processed. To make matters worse, low-carb diets like Atkins and South Beach often shun the complex carbohydrates that contain insoluble fiber or roughage. The most commonly consumed “vegetable” in this country is now French fries. Food manufacturers have increasingly removed insoluble fiber from processed foods, to both lessen the gritty texture and make ingredients easier to combine.

Insoluble fiber, the portion of the plant that can’t be broken down by your digestive system, provides a valuable service. The fiber absorbs water and swells, making the stool bulky, soft, and easy to pass. (This is why you always need to increase your water intake when you increase the fiber in your diet.) Without adequate fiber, bowel movements slow and toxic material remains in contact with the intestinal walls longer. The foreign material causes inflammation, and additional toxins are reabsorbed into your bloodstream. These additional toxins increase the workload of both your liver and kidneys. The slow-moving stools also lead to a condition called diverticulitis.

Diverticulum: Latin for “You Don’t Want to Know”

In the early stages of the disease, as your intestines struggle to remove toxins and waste material, small, pea-sized, irreversible pockets called diverticula develop. Waste material becomes trapped in these pockets, which often expand and become inflamed, resulting in diverticulitis. If the pockets rupture, the resulting infection and inflammation in the abdominal cavity can prove fatal.

Not surprisingly, the treatment for diverticulosis (the condition before inflammation sets in) is to increase fiber and promote bowel regularity. At the same time, I would also highly recommend the use of probiotics and fermented foods like sauerkraut and others to help re-establish good bacterial flora in the lower bowel at the same time. I don’t recommend the long-term use of over-the-counter fiber products like those mentioned earlier. It is my experience that long-term use of these products seems to deplete various minerals, which can lead to all kinds of seemingly unrelated problems. This just doesn’t happen when the fiber comes from a wide variety of foods such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, seeds, dried beans, popcorn, brown rice, and bran.

For more information on common digestive problems, bowel irregularity, or a list of the highest fiber foods, visit Dr. Williams’ Web site.

As I was sitting eating my crunchy, delicious 15 day–fermented sauerkraut recently, I ran across a study showing that infectious digestive disorders are among the biggest risks to our military troops who are deployed overseas. Every month, about 30 percent get infectious diarrhea. Those who had experienced even just one incident had six times the risk for subsequent functional diarrhea and four times the risk of developing irritable bowel syndrome.

The medical records of personnel deployed in Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom indicate the fourth leading cause of their visits to Veterans Affairs medical centers was chronic gastrointestinal disorders. As many as 20 percent of these patients have conditions that have persisted for five years or longer after returning home.

It’s not hard to understand the high incidence of this problem, considering the stress these soldiers are under and the less-than-sanitary conditions they’re exposed to. What is hard to understand is the way these men and women are being treated.

Typical treatment focuses on the use of antibiotics to wipe out the offending bacteria. Patients are then switched to over-the-counter diarrhea treatments and bulking agents when the problem persists. Knowing what we know today, I’m amazed that probiotics aren’t being used to correct and ultimately prevent diarrhea symptoms.

I don’t have cost figures, but I’m certain that adding a daily probiotic supplement to their regimen would be an extremely cost-effective method to prevent many of these problems. And the fact that probiotics aren’t used following every round of antibiotics is absurd.

For more information on diarrhea treatments, body digestion, or bowel regularity in general, visit Dr. Williams’ Web site. While there, you can also sign up for Dr. Williams’ FREE eLetter or subscribe to his monthly newsletter.

IBS is a digestive disorder marked by cramping, constipation and diarrhea.

It’s estimated that condition called irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Unfortunately, an estimated 70 percent of the people with IBS don’t seek any medical attention.

On top of that, being able to diagnose IBS still seems to be a problem for most doctors. The medical profession is more comfortable with diseases that present a consistent set of symptoms. However, roughly a third of those who suffer from IBS experience diarrhea, another third have constipation problems, and the remaining third alternate between the two.

If you have the problem, you likely experience abdominal pain or discomfort that is:

• relieved with defecation,
• associated with a change in frequency of stool, or
• associated with a change in the form or appearance of the stool.

Other symptoms also support a diagnosis of IBS:

• abnormal stool formation—either hard and lumpy or loose and watery,
• abnormal stool frequency—either more than three bowel movements a day or fewer than three a week,
• abnormal stool passage—straining, extreme urgency (in the case of diarrhea), or the feeling of not being able to completely evacuate,
• passage of mucus in the stool, or
• bloating or the feeling of bloating.

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)—also known as spastic colon, nervous indigestion, mucous colitis, and inflammatory bowel disease—is the most common gastrointestinal complaint reported to physicians, and it accounts for as many as 50 percent of all referrals to gastroenterologists (physicians who specialize in problems of the GI tract).

If you happen to be part of the estimated 15 percent of the population who needs help for IBS, you undoubtedly know how debilitating the disease can be. Women seem to need help for IBS more than men, but this is probably because men, for some reason, are less likely to seek help for the complaint.

IBS is a complex problem with numerous causative factors and a wide variety of changing symptoms. The following is a list of some of the more common symptoms.

• Spastic constipation and diarrhea
• Pain and distention of the abdomen
• Frequent bowel movements associated with pain
• Colicky pain often relieved by a bowel movement
• Indigestion
• Nausea
• Anorexia
• Intestinal bloating and gas
• Depression
• Fatigue
• Bowel incontinence
• Excess mucus production in the colon

The good news is that there are inexpensive and natural IBS treatments that I will discuss over the next few weeks. So be sure to check in on my blog.

Probiotic benefits vary depending on the bacteria in question. If you're looking for a probiotic digestive supplement, be sure to choose one that does what you have in mind. If you're interested in addressing a specific health area, then a single species of bacteria, or even a specific strain, might be up to the job.

Here are some of my recommendations:

• Lactobacillus acidophilus--for the relief of occasional diarrhea symptoms.
• Bifidobacterium longum--for improvement in bowel regularity.
• Bifidobacterium lactis--for improved immune function and a reduction of H. pylori, the bacteria thought to be responsible for digestive ulcers.
• Lactobacillus plantarum--also for improved immune function.
• Lactobacillus rhamnosus--for a reduction in the diarrhea symptoms known as "traveler's diarrhea."
• Lactobacillus paracasei--also for improved immune function.
• Lactobacillus salivarius--also for improved immune function.
• Lactobacillus gasseri--for the relief of occasional diarrhea symptoms.
• Bifidobacterium longum --for the relief of occasional diarrhea symptoms, particularly the condition known as "traveler's diarrhea."
• Bifidobacterium infantis--for the relief of bowel irregularity and the abdominal pain associated with bloating and gas.

If you're looking for overall digestive health benefits, including improved bowel regularity and relief from bloating and gas, you'll want a product that contains a variety of species.

Probiotic benefits of a digestive health supplement containing Bifidobacterium infantis  include the relief of bowel irregularity and the abdominal pain associated with bloating and gas--making it among the few effective IBS treatments.

As you might imagine from the name, B. infantis is one of the dominant digestive bacteria in children, in whom it helps support immune health. The population of B. infantis declines with age, but it still remains an important part of your digestive flora. As a side benefit, the bacteria can help improve bowel regularity in children.

Look for a digestive health supplement that contains B. infantis, along with a variety of other bacteria species, to get the full range of probiotic benefits.

You can improve your bowel regularity by using biofeedback, according to a recent study out of the University of Iowa.

As many as 10 million people who experience chronic bowel irregularity have a condition known as "dyssynergic defecation," in which the muscles of the bowel aren't working together as they should to push stool out of the digestive tract. Patients who have this condition find that their bowel problems aren't relieved by conventional treatments for bowel irregularity.

A course of biofeedback training provided at least some relief from bowel problems in every patient in a small study. Thirty percent of the participants were able to stop using laxatives after a three-month course of biofeedback training. At one-year followup, the benefits remained, with continued improvement in bowel regularity for those who had the training.

This training isn't for everyone, certainly. The procedure sounds uncomfortable, to say the least--it involves a probe inserted in the rectum to measure muscle contractions in the lower bowel. But if you're not experiencing relief from bowel irregularity with your current program, then it might be worth investigating.

Bowel regularity requires two kinds of fiber, not just one. Fiber can be either soluble or insoluble.

Soluble fiber dissolves in your gut, and acts as a natural stool thickener. You might not think that would be a good thing for someone who's experiencing constipation, but in fact the soluble fiber absorbs a lot of water--which helps keep things moving along smoothly. Foods high in soluble fiber are just about the perfect natural laxatives.

Insoluble fiber doesn't dissolve. Instead, it provides bulk for your gut muscles to push against as they move stool through your system.

Traditionally recommended sources of fiber are mostly high in insoluble fiber. While they are helpful in relieving bowel irregularity, remember that you need sources of soluble fiber, too. So when you're going for the crunchy vegetables and whole grains, don't forget fruits and oats as well--excellent sources of soluble fiber.

Bowel problems can be directly connected to working shift work. A study published in the American Journal of Gastroenterology showed that nurses who worked either night shifts or rotating shifts were significantly more likely to experience bowel problems such as abdominal pains, constipation, and diarrhea--essentially IBS symptoms (irritable bowel syndrome).

In the study, 399 nurses were asked about their digestive health, including constipation and diarrhea symptoms. Those who worked rotating shifts reported similar risk for constipation and diarrhea, but a significantly higher risk for abdominal pain and other IBS symptoms.

Certainly the high stress involved in nursing increases ones risk of bowel problems overall. What made those bowel problems worse in the shift workers is that their daily rhythms have been disrupted. I've reported before about how daily rhythm is connected to heartburn. Now it appears that other areas of digestive health, including bowel regularity, are also driven by the clock.

Diarrhea symptoms are more likely to appear in women travelers than in men. Women seek diarrhea treatment about 25% more often for the "traveler's diarrhea" that's so dreaded by vacationers, according to a report in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases.

The researchers aren't sure why women seek diarrhea treatment more often. It could be because women are more willing to ask for help when they need it, or they may be more susceptible to diarrhea symptoms in the first place. According to the study, women were also more likely to seek help for the bowel problems of irritable bowel syndrome, which include abdominal pain, constipation and diarrhea.

Men were more likely to come down with fever-related diseases, including malaria and bacterial infections.

Whenever you're traveling to a new place, it's a good idea to keep a diarrhea treatment available, whether you're a man or a woman. Black tea and digestive health supplements such as probiotics can help promote bowel regularity while you're on the road.

Constipation and bloating wouldn't seem connected to your glands, but in fact thyroid malfunction can easily result in bowel irregularity.

Your thyroid interacts with nearly every body system, including your intestines. An underperforming thyroid can result in poor bowel motility, meaning that the muscles that move stool along aren't doing their job properly.

Using natural laxatives from time to time will help, but to head off bowel irregularity you need to get your thyroid under control. I recommend the natural thyroid supplement Thytrophin, made by Standard Process. You can find it in several places over the Internet; take three tablets daily, one with each meal.

Bowel regularity isn't exactly a dinner party topic, but for many people it's among the most common digestive problems, and it's right at the top of their list of health concerns. Fortunately, it's relatively easy to address.

Unfortunately, our society's concept of "bowel irregularity" is very much skewed. In truth, if you're eating three meals a day, you should be "going" three times a day.

I realize that three-a-day isn't a realistic goal for many people. Nevertheless, you should be going at least once a day. Any less isn't just "normal for you," it's constipated.

Over the next few weeks I'll review some very effective remedies for constipation. Some will be natural laxatives, and some will be simple dietary changes. Regardless of which one you prefer, you'll be able to experience bowel changes that will make you more comfortable, and improve your health at the same time.

Dealing with sudden bowel changes can create an embarrassing situation. Particularly for those individuals dealing with conditions such as Crohn's or irritable bowel syndrome, the urgent need to "go" can arise in a moment.

An article in the Des Moines Register writes about public access to employee-only bathrooms. Apparently a constituent had experienced a sudden need while out shopping, and was denied access to an employee bathroom. She then went to her state senator, looking to get legislation passed requiring stores to allow the public to use their restrooms.

I'm not sure that this is exactly the best use of the Iowa legislature's time, but it is one way to address the problem. A more effective way, though, would be to address the bowel changes that create such sudden urges. Diarrhea symptoms can arise from contaminated food, but more often they arise from a disturbed environment in the digestive tract.

Preventing diarrhea isn't that hard if you know ahead of time that it may be a problem for you. Dr. Williams has numerous diarrhea treatments and suggestions for dealing with diarrhea causes and preventing the problem from appearing in the first place.

Even beyond improving bowel irregularity, adding fiber to your diet supports your health in several ways. Good sources of fiber include fresh fruits and vegetables and whole grains. The benefits of fiber include:

• slowing the absorption of fat from your digestive tract, which can help reduce levels of LDL cholesterol
• slowing the absorption of carbohydrates, which may help you reduce your risk of type 2 diabetes.
• promoting bowel regularity by helping digestive product move more quickly.
• limiting the amount you can eat at one sitting, by filling your stomach.

It's not every day that you run across one item that can provide so many benefits, but fiber is the gift that keeps on giving.

One thing I do have to mention, however, is that adding too much fiber too fast can create a short period of bloating and gas as your body adjusts. You can help ease this transition by taking a good probiotic digestive supplement (which I recommend for everyone anyway).

Many common bowel problems can be cured with kiwifruit. Studies from Hong Kong and elsewhere show that eating kiwifruit decreases constipation and laxative use in constipated patients by improving bowel transit time.

Some of the benefit of kiwifruit comes from the fiber contained in each piece. The fruit also contains enzymes that aid in digestion and improve bowel motility, the pulsations that help move food through your GI tract.

I know that kiwifruit isn’t the cheapest variety of fruit available in your grocery, and it’s a very seasonal item in most parts of the country. In addition, the participants in the studies I mentioned were eating around three pieces of the fruit a day. That much added fiber can cause bloating and gas in people who aren't used to it. 

Nevertheless, kiwifruit looks like a fine addition to your diet, to help clear up bowel irregularity.

Bowel irregularity is the most common digestive complaint, according to the American Gastroenterological Association. While constipation means different things to different people, if you're going less than once a day, or your stool is hard to pass, then you're constipated. 

Sometimes, relieving constipation can be as easy as increasing the amount of fiber in your diet. As I wrote in yesterday's post, dried plums ("prunes" to you and me) are just one way to increase the amount of fiber in your diet.

Digestive supplements can also help, particularly probiotics that support the bacterial environment in your gut.

If you find that neither of these is giving you the results you want, then look to any medications you might be taking. Some are well-known for causing unpleasant bowel changes such as constipation and bloating. High on the list are opioid pain relievers and antihistamines. Ask your pharmacist for specific guidance if you think a medication might be causing your constipation.

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), also known as spastic colon, nervous stomach/indigestion, mucous colitis, and intestinal neurosis, is the most common gastrointestinal (GI) complaint reported to physicians. IBS accounts for as many as 50 percent of all referrals to gastroenterologists (physicians who specialize in problems of the GI tract). If you happen to be part of the estimated 15 percent of the population who could use some help for IBS, you undoubtedly know how debilitating this condition can be.

Irritable bowel syndrome is a complex problem with numerous causative factors and a wide variety of changing symptoms. Some of the more common unpleasant bowel changes are: both constipation and diarrhea; pain and distention of the abdomen; frequent bowel movements associated with pain; colicky pain often relieved by a bowel movement; indigestion; nausea; intestinal bloating and gas; and bowel incontinence.

Fortunately, there are some easy, inexpensive ways to help resolve the discomforts of irritable bowel syndrome.

One of these is peppermint oil. Peppermint is an underutilized herbal remedy that can treat and heal a variety of gastrointestinal disorders. To reduce the contractions associated with IBS, help comes from enteric-coated peppermint oil capsules. European studies show that they're quite effective.

For general digestive discomfort, you can simply make peppermint tea. Peppermint tea bags are readily available in both supermarkets and health food stores. The tea can also be made from fresh leaves. Simply add 1 or 2 teaspoons to a cup of hot, not boiling, water and let it stand covered for 10 to 15 minutes. I would recommend keeping a supply of peppermint tea around the house; however, it shouldn’t be used on a casual, regular basis. Use it only during periods of stomach, liver, gallbladder or pancreatic upset. Regular habitual use will lessen its effect.

Most physicians and herbalists don’t realize that the active menthol ingredients in peppermint are rapidly absorbed in the stomach and upper GI tract. Taking peppermint in the form of tea, oil, or tinctures will have little, if any, effect on bowel problems further down the line. To provide proper IBS support, enteric-coated peppermint oil capsules must be used to deliver the active ingredients to the colon. European studies have found that these enteric-coated capsules are very effective in treating the disease (Br Med J 79;835-6). Doctors in this country who scoff at the use of peppermint as help for IBS are undoubtedly unfamiliar with the European use of enteric-coated products.

The dosage generally recommended for IBS support has been 2 to 3 capsules a day taken between meals. The only side effect noted has been a temporary burning sensation in the rectal area after a bowel movement. This comes from excess, unabsorbed menthol. It poses no danger and can be alleviated by simply reducing the dosage.

Leave it to the Brits to devote an entire week to digestive health. Their "National Gut Week" runs August 24 to 30 this year. It's no wonder there's an emphasis on digestive health there; estimates are that as many as a third of all Britons suffer from digestive symptoms such as Crohn's disease, irritable bowel syndrome, and celiac disease.

I have no doubt that the incidence is just as high here in this country. You name it, people suffer from it. Constipation and diarrhea, bloating and gas, heartburn (or "GERD" these days), nausea, the whole gamut. And it all comes down to one thing: people abusing their insides.

We put so much junk into our bodies (my personal weakness is peanut M&Ms) that we need all the digestive help we can get. That's not to say that taking digestive supplements such as digestive enzymes or probiotics is an excuse to overindulge constantly, but they can help during those times of occasional excess.

Maybe we need a "National Gut Week" of our own to remind some people of what they're doing to themselves.

One of the most basic steps you can take in a full body cleansing and detoxification program is a colon cleansing. You'll notice that nearly every natural detox program focuses on bowel regularity. There's a reason for this: Your gut receives all manner of body toxins as they're cleaned from the blood in the liver, then dumped into the gut through the bile. Any measures you can take to help remove toxins from your intestines lessens the risk that they'll be reabsorbed before they've had a chance to be eliminated.

A thorough digestive cleansing also requires a little maintenance afterward so you can keep up the benefits. Even so, an effective program is remarkably simple.

• Add more fiber (of course). No matter how healthy your gut is, if it doesn't have something to push against, you're headed for bowel irregularity. Don't bother counting fiber grams; just add more fruits and vegetables to your diet, and replace any "white" foods (bread, pasta, etc.) with whole-grain versions.
• Try a natural laxative. If you find that adding fiber isn't enough to produce the bowel changes you want, then add a laxative to your regimen for up to two weeks. Avoid the chemical-based products (which tend to be hard on your digestive tract) and look for ones that contain herbs such as senna or cascara sagrada.
• Heal your gut with glutamine. The amino acid glutamine is a basic food for the cells that line your gut wall. Glutamine is found in most high-protein foods such as meat and beans, but for focused gut healing take an additional 5 grams a day.
• Take a daily probiotic. Benefits of probiotic supplementation come from normalizing the bacterial balance in your gut. Healthy gut flora promote a healthy gut wall, which means that you're not reabsorbing all the environmental toxins that have just been cleaned by the liver.

That's the basics. You should begin to see the benefits of a colon cleanse almost immediately, as you just feel lighter and more refreshed. The benefits will continue long after, as other organs have their loads lightened (because they're not trying to get rid of everything that wasn't leaving through your colon.)

• Your skin will be clearer.
• You'll breathe more easily.
• You'll think more clearly.

All in all, a regular colon cleansing is well worth the effort.

As I scan blogs and news sources on the Web, I see consistent questions about the use of laxatives. Everyone needs a little help from time to time. But if you're relying on chemical help most days, even a natural laxative, then there's something more fundamentally wrong.

If you find that you're having difficulty "going," then you could likely use a good shot of bacteria. As revolting as it may sound to some people, you're taking in bacteria all the time, in your food and drink. Most of them are harmless. A few cause serious problems, such as botulism. But some are actively beneficial, bacteria known as probiotic--"for life"

Our ancestors got these bacteria from fermented foods such as yogurt and sauerkraut. Now days, for most people it's more convenient to get them in the form of digestive supplements. Probiotic benefits include improved bowel regularity: less constipation (and less diarrhea, too, if that happens to be your concern).

The bacteria work to convert the food you ate into waste to be expelled. The right balance of bacteria will go a long way toward eliminating any bowel irregularity you may be experiencing.