Problem with Chronic constipation

Please try Magnesium Serene which you can buy from Amazon. It's a powder...most tasty is BERRY. You mix it with hot water.
Just be careful not to take too much ..... start with 1 teaspoon daily, no more than that.
Works for my wife and I. Blessings to you!

The problem with some of us that suffer from CIC (Chronic Idiopathic Constipation)--and this is a fairly new theory in the GI world I heard about here on this site--is that some people appear to be born with a condition that causes their body to not correctly process much of the water that they drink with most of the water they drink going directly into the bladder. Some of it's processed correctly or they'd be dead; but with some of us--I really think I have this--nowhere near enough water goes into my intestinal tract (or other places it should), and since not only will fiber not work correctly, it will even be constipating if not enough water makes it into the intestinal tract, the amount of water you drink doesn't make much difference.

It was on here that I read about a doctor telling his patient that unfortunately he'd be constipated until the day he died because he had this condition.

Disclaimer: This is only my experience going natural. I have used organic, integrative, functional, holistic Naturopathic doctor's advice along with my MD’s since the early 1980's. There is science in alternatives too. Because I work closely with my ND, he told me to study the Migrating Motor Complex and Osmotic Gradient and he bet that I would find what worked for me. How to keep a longer than normal pipe with consistent moisture…. My ND also said because my condition was physical, attention would be needed from now.
I tried laxatives and they are not consistent and have side effects like bloating, etc. All say for occasional use. They disrupt the system if take continuously. I liked a response from a co-redundant colon person: “It’s physical” so regular constipation suggestions may not work. Don’t give up because it took me 4 months to feel I could depend on being regular. It is worth going natural.
Last Dec the doc had me do non sedated colonoscopy. He could get through my colon as I watched on TV. I had had a baby years ago (natural and could stand pain) so figured I could stand it – it was no big deal. Most people in world don't get put out. Very interesting and it helped allow the scope to get through because I relaxed. No wonder I had been constipation on and off starting in my teens. I’m now in my early 70’s.
OptiMag and K2+ Potassium are great supps. I take them when I go to bed and once when I get up to pee. I include prunes/prune juice, winter squash, sweet potatoes, rhubarb etc in my diet. I eat cups of steamed vegetables each day. I like to grind 2T chia, 1 T sesame seeds and 2 T flax seeds, then soak in prune juice overnight. I add a T of carob now since it can help regularity. Take half in the morning and half at night. Throw sugar out along with processed and refined foods. Look up foods and drinks that constipate and give them up. Drink lot of water starting with a quart of hot water in the morning - boyscouts. I use warmed up diluted chicken broth at times too. It is soothing to my stomach. Coffee and Smooth Move are my back ups. I don't like coffee and never have drunk it much but it usually works for me in a pinch. Thankfully I only need coffee a few times a month.
Check out helpful research of biological processes that take place in our gut:
- Migrating Motor complex which is the electroactivity in the GI tract during meals and fasting
- Osmotic gradient. If too much water is pulled into the colon, diarrhea results. If not enough water is pulled into the colon constipation results. Balance of minerals is important. Magnesium, potassium and sodium brings water into the colon. I have found balancing these help prevent constipation. I have to watch my calcium intake because it tends to encourage constipation. Calcium carbonate seems to be the most constipating. I depend on blood work from time to time to make sure my minerals are balanced. Good luck, @farmersmith

TCM has been around for something like 4000 years. So, you know, they have worked out the kinks, by now.

I have used TCM for various things..it helps. And that can be some symptom reduction or more.

For constipation the basics are very key. TCM can be part of the solution, but if we don't hit the basic keys, it's not going to over ride various basic bad decisions we are making.

#1 - Hydrate optimally. If you have constipation, you absolutely have to drink those 8 glasses of water daily. No exceptions. Make a chart, check each glass off. If your body does not have enough water to process digestion, you can forget about solving that problem.

I did prune juice and senna, daily, for years. And that solved my constipation problem.

And then, I hit a wall and it was no longer enough.

What changed and solved my issues was Miralax, a stool softener.

Now, if I am regular with my prune juice and senna and add in Miralax, the problem goes away.

I also do other things - ground whole flax seed, ginger, bran. A typical breakfast for me is a bran muffin, a yogurt and a banana.

I stay away from nuts and other things that are hard to digest. Certain things...like peanut butter and tahini, just completely block me up. I probably have not had a steak in 15 years. I can do some ground beef, but not steak.

To be clear, I was in the ER with a diverticulitis attack, on Cipro, Flagyl and Dilaudid. They were thinking of cutting out some of my intestines. But solved with the basic prune juice, senna and Miralax.

And, of course...exercises. constipation and being sedentary go hand in hand. And definitely include abdominal exercises. Very very key.

Now, if you do all those things...and add a TCM formula into that mix...great. Will help more. But without a key foundation of basics, the constipation is probably not going to surrender.

I can understand. I have been in same place. I finally found GI specialist, she suggested I could have a (rectocele) I am looking for Dr to treat this. If anyone has had this I would appreciate your help.

mikaylar,
Oh, how I long for the days when these worked for me. The mag citrate, 2 bottles, will move some 💩💩 but it is SO explosive that it can cause more damage and bleeding to my lovely hemorrhoids
ShelleyW

That's really interesting that your acupuncturist said that because my acupuncturist has always said that it can take at least a few weeks to notice a change because it can take time to re-balance your energy, as in 6-8 weeks, not just a few sessions. This sounded fair to me, but I suppose there can be different approaches.

My doctor shared with me studies that have captured clinically significant improvement in response to acupuncture. There seems to be less research on the herbs the original poster was referencing. It's notoriously difficult to capture "high quality" clinical trials for integrative treatments since it's hard to to do "sham acupuncture," so I'm comfortable with the risk, because even if it might not work, it's unlikely to harm me. I'm more comfortable with the risk that something might not work as long as it's unlikely to harm me (like acupuncture), as opposed to trying a medication or other intervention that might be more likely to make me feel worse. But that's a "me" thing. I have functional dyspepsia and a condition called abdomino-phrenic dyssynergia. Both can occur with constipation. There aren't many great options for treatment and the non-prescription treatments that are out there are difficult to access =/.

I'm sorry it didn't work out for you, but it's good that you tried.

I have struggled with CC for many years due to an unusually long (redundant) colon discovered on colonoscopy. It’s even worse now that I have to take pain meds daily. I have not tried any Chinese remedies but will share what has worked best for me. I mix 3/4 generic Miralax with 1/4 generic Metamucil and take it daily. There’s also a tea at grocery stores called Smooth Move that tastes good and works! I love the cute name!

@xnkpr1 try Beano for flatulence. Two tablets before eating.

I’ll be following what your doctor advises since I seem to be having the same issue. Was doing fine with Miralax and Metamucil for almost a year, and suddenly the flatulence came on with no change in diet or lifestyle. It’s frustrating.