Catherine Stack, ND, CNM

  CONSTIPATION:  Reasons & Remedies Catherine Stack 2022 Last month I discussed the top 10 side effects of being constipated that you many have not been aware of.  Because so many individuals are constipated for different reasons, the answers on how to turn this uncomfortable situation around are not a one size fits all solution. Many individuals suffer from acute constipation, or rather, infrequent episodes that occur when they get out of their normal routine.  Travel is a common cause of this, as are surgical procedures and pain medications.  The acutely constipated individual will typically respond well to the very infrequent use of an over-the-counter laxative, stool softener, or enema.  This very infrequent use will have no untoward effect.  Being constipated is far more problematic.   Now for the rest of you.  I assume many of the acutely constipated people described above are more chronically constipated than they think.  So listen up as you probably have much to gain from w

  TOP 10 Side Effects of Constipation CatherineStack2022 Constipation affects more than 25% of the world's population and most suffer silently or worse, do not realize that they are constipated.  By definition, constipation is defined as having less than three bowel movements weekly (Mayo Clinic, 2018).  As someone who has been working with constipated individuals for more than 15 years, I find that definition to be horrifying.  How do you eat two, three, or even four times a day and poop maybe 3 times per week?  Ouch!  I cringe at the thought of this. Constipation can wreak havoc on your overall health and can actually be the root cause of other disease processes.  Constipated individuals are lacking when it comes to toxin removal.  This may lead to a variety of toxic build-up as well as hormone imbalance as excess hormones are excreted in the stool.  Unhealthy bacteria, fungus, and parasites tend to thrive in a constipated colon.  This makes it hard for beneficial bacteria to dom