It has been our experience that people pay very close attention to what happens when they sit on the throne in their bathrooms. We frequently get questions about the color, texture and frequency of bowel movements. Many people, like this reader, worry about constipation:
Q. Most people don’t take constipation seriously. I can assure you it is no laughing matter.
I almost ended up with an impacted bowel because I was taking calcium carbonate without realizing it could cause severe constipation. Daily bran cereal didn’t make a difference. Besides avoiding calcium, what else can I do to stay regular?
A. People may not realize that some supplements or medications can cause overwhelming constipation. Calcium carbonate is notorious for this side effect. Some blood pressure pills, pain relievers and even cholesterol-lowering drugs can lead to constipation.
Should You Worry About Constipation?
Any significant change in bowel habits requires medical consultation. If a medication is to blame, then it is important for the prescriber to consider other options. If it is caused by dietary supplements, like calcium carbonate, then a change is called for. If there is no obvious reason, a gastroenterologist may need to be consulted to rule out something more serious.
Readers Who Worry About Constipation Weigh In:
Many visitors to this website and readers of our syndicated newspaper column have offered suggestions about constipation. Here are just a few:
Terry in Welland, Ontario offers a fiber solution:
“Nothing is more natural and safe than 100% Wheat Bran (not Wheat Germ) for solving a problem of constipation. You only need to eat about a coffee cup of wheat bran every two days, or half a cup every day.
“Since it is like eating sawdust in milk, you need to sweeten it with brown sugar or syrup to make it palatable. Wheat bran is very healthy for the bowels, and it completely cures the problem of donstipation for me. Keep in mind that for some people the normal bowel movement is only every two days — not daily.”
Anonymous in the U.S. has an “odious” remedy:
“Cut magnesium pills in half and try that. If that’s still too aggressive, try 1/4. Try 1/4 every other day if need be.
“I have been plagued with constipation all my life, or all my life where I was old enough to have a memory. The magnesium worked magic for me.
“But so does Vitamix. I hate fruit, but I know it’s good for me so now, every single day I take my ‘medicine’: I quarter an apple and add whatever else I can talk myself into (cherries, carrots, frozen berries from the dollar store, pineapple, celery – whatever! Hazelnut almond milk gives it a hint of chocolate) … and I have had ZERO constipation. Regular as clockwork.
“50+ years of constipation, GONE. Odious, but healthful (I really don’t like fruit).
In other words: eat fruit and vegetables. No matter how you have to force yourself to do it.”
Pam stays hydrated:
“Constipation causes much misery, especially when a person has hemorrhoids.
“Drinking at least 8-10 glasses of water/day helps keep stools soft and keeps your insides moving. Magnesium helps prevent hard stools.
“In locations where the four seasons each year occur, whenever there was a change from one season to another the little buggers act up. I keep applying Tronolane ointment. I don’t do any heavy lifting anytime.
“Exercise also helps the digestive keep tract flowing along freely”
Sylvia says magnesium works for her:
“Magnesium citrate works for me. High doses of magnesium oxide will give you diarrhea. Other forms of magnesium are not much help. There is also a magnesium ascorbate powder for occasions when nothing else works.
People who take magnesium regularly should ask a health professional to order a kidney function test. If kidneys are not working well, magnesium can become problematic.
Tom in North Carolina says coffee is the answer:
“JAVA! JAVA! JAVA! :)”
More information So You Won’t Worry About Constipation:
We are sending you our Guides to Digestive Disorders and Constipation for a more complete list and recommendations on combating constipation. Anyone who would like copies, please send $4 in check or money order with a long (no. 10) stamped (70 cents), self-addressed envelope:
- Graedons’ People’s Pharmacy, No. GG-33
- P. O. Box 52027
- Durham, NC 27717-2027
Guides can also be downloaded from the website: www.peoplespharmacy.com.
Many readers report that Uncle Sam cereal with flaxseed can be helpful. Others have found that sugarless gum with sweeteners such as sorbitol, mannitol or xylitol can loosen things up. Take a look at the video at the top of this page to see the recipe for Power Pudding!
What’s your favorite constipation remedy. Share your secret with those who worry about constipation.
