If there is one health problem all Americans have in common, it would undoubtedly have to be constipation. Yes, constipation! More than 90% of Americans are constipated. Constipation plays a major role in obesity which is an American epidemic these days.
The English medical term "constipation" derives from a Latin word constipare which means "to crowd together". Mosby's Medical Dictionary, 3rd edition, p. 298.
Constipation occurs when the stools are "crowded together" in the colon. Medically speaking, constipation is defined as: Difficulty in passing stools or an incomplete or infrequent passage of hard stools. There are many causes, both organic and functional. Among the organic causes are intestinal obstruction, diverticulitis, and tumors. Functional impairment of the colon may occur in elderly or bedridden patients (persons) who fail to respond to the urge to defecate. Ibid.
The thing that should mentally stick out pertaining to constipation is "hard stools". Question: what would make the stools hard? Evidently, the stools are supposed to be soft. Soft is the opposite of the word "hard". The opposite of hard stools is soft stools. Since hard stools causes constipation, then soft stools reverses constipation. Basic mathematics (common sense)!
Now what causes the stools to become hard or hardened? Answer: diet in general and the Standard American Diet in particular which contains excessive meat (slaughtered animal flesh/carcass), dairy products (cow snot/pus/mucus), and starches (stiffening agent, glue). And not only is meat, dairy and starches the problem, but cooking and processing them (in addition to fruit and vegetables) poses the biggest problem, because cooking (killing, altering) destroys enzymes (life), especially in plant-based foods such as fruits, vegetables, seeds, nuts, and grains.
It is the enzymatic activity of living (raw) foods that causes peristalsis. Peristalsis is the wavelike muscular contractions of the alimentary canal or other tubular structures by which contents are forced onward toward the opening (rectum).
When you cook (kill, alter) food, you are killing the enzymes with heat. Enzymes are destroyed at temperatures above 118°. Cooked food is DEAD FOOD! It is void of life (enzymes). If the colon is dependent upon enzymes or enzymatic activity for peristalsis, how can you expect to have a bowel movement from things lacking enzymes or enzymatic activity?
So not only is cooked food void of enzymes, it is also void of nutrition (which is the real purpose for eating food). Cooked, processed, and refined food is what makes the stools hard. Meat by far is the number one culprit causing hardening of the stools. And for my vegan and vegetarian brethren out there, cooked, processed non-meat substances also make the stools hard. Of course vegan and vegetarian products are softer on the digestive system compared to meat, but nevertheless, a cooked thing is a cooked thing, regardless of what is. It is cooking alone that does the major damage (causing constipation).
The opposite of cooked food is raw food. Actually, raw foods too are cooked, but they are cooked by the Sun (solar heat) and not synthetic heat (stoves, microwave ovens, electric ovens, etc.). Raw foods are solarized foods and therefore will transmit energy to your body, unlike cooked food which makes you tired and fatigued and weighs you down.
Raw fruits and vegetables provide natural fiber, which is greatly missing from the Standard American Diet. Fiber is great for colon health and counteracting constipation because fiber bulks up in the colon and becomes mucilaginous and sweeps the walls of the colon which is a very beneficial activity in the colon. It should be elementary that raw fruits and vegetables are the natural healing for constipation.
Meats, dairy, and starches (refined grains, i.e. pasta [paste], bread, spaghetti, cakes, cookies, donuts, etc.) sit in the colon and rot and putrefy. The worst thing you could put in your colon is meat (cooked or raw) followed by dairy products, refined grains, and complex starches. It takes 96 hours or four days for the body to partially digest meat whereas fruits and vegetables only take 4 hours to digest. Clearly the human body (after being genetically engineered by the Gods of Eden and even after the Fall of Man) was designed to consume fruits and vegetables. However, most Americans eat meat (slaughtered animal flesh) due to the taste (chemicals, salt, blood, and urine) and texture of meat and for purposes of so-called protein (although cooked meat provides 0% protein). We eat for taste today predicated upon eye appeal and addiction and not for nutritional purposes. I must state that taste is not the criterion for what is healthy, but nutritional content is. Americans are "tasting" themselves to death in order to satiate their corrupted and polluted taste buds.
I would be remiss not to mention that lack of drinking water plays a role in constipation. Water helps to soften the stools and also to keep the colon lubricated. Because water is electrical, it also stimulates peristalsis just like raw fruits and vegetables. Also, water and enzymes work together! A lot of Americans don't like drinking water. They unwisely drink more soda pop, beer, milk and artificially flavored beverages than water which their body is dependent upon for optimal health.
Constipation is characterized by hard dry stools, straining at stool, painful defecation, abdominal distention, and hemorrhoids. And obviously enough, a protruding pot belly physically denotes constipation.
If you eat three meals a day and are not defecating three times a day - you're constipated! If you are sitting on the toilet for many minutes and straining while defecating and after defecating you only see a pea or pebble sized stool at the bottom of the toilet, you're constipated.
Many infants and babies are sadly constipated today. It hurts my heart to see little babies and children constipated because they don't know how to convey this feeling/problem to the parents, usually the mother. It is such an uncomfortable feeling for them. Chemically processed baby milk formulas and cereal products are nemesis in infant and childhood constipation. Because of this sad fact, I concocted a very effective herbal extract called Children & Infant's Laxative that really gets the job done and brings relief to babies and little children. It is very gentle on the digestive system yet very effective. However, you may go through a lot of diapers after giving a baby or young child this formula (Smile).
I admonish parents (mainly mothers) to not give your baby grain (cereal) products for the first two years of life. Grains are too heavy on the digestive tract of babies. And it is my position that no sane and loving parent should or would give their precious baby synthetic formula baby milk formula. Breastfeed while you can and then prepare your own milk from water, seeds/nuts/oats/fruit (banana, coconut), maple syrup (Grade B or C) and Irish Moss or Iceland Moss or any other seaweed because seaweed is a complete food containing 100% minerals, vitamins, trace elements, and 60-70% bio-protein and is also very oxygenating.
And nowadays pregnancy and constipation goes hand in hand, but it is not natural for a pregnant woman to be constipated. The two greatest reasons for pregnancy-related constipation are poor diet and consuming pharmaceutical-grade Iron tablets or pills. I am working on a booklet/article at present (and taking my own sweet time) entitled The Perfect Pregnancy that is based upon the experiences of my ex-wife's first pregnancy with our daughter Layla and my herbal prenatal regimen I utilized.
It will address birthing positions, home birth, legal issues, diet and nutrition, constipation, exercises (breathing/stretching/Yoga), aromatherapy, eclampsia (toxicity), prevention of headaches, sciatica prevention with chiropractic help, classical music therapy, massage and reflexology, prayer and meditation and affirmations (for a safe delivery and healthy baby) and the booklet will also address counteracting infertility and impotence in addition to covering profound exercises and techniques utilizing certain sexual positions, gemstones and elixirs, magnetic pads, essential oils, Eastern mystic/spiritual music, and prayer and meditation for conceiving a Star or Stellar Child (God or Goddess) on the Fourth Density or Dimensional level upon physical arrival.
Moving on,
Constipation can be reversed or eradicated by changing or modifying your diet by cutting out or cutting back on meats, dairy products and cooked starches and eating more raw fruits and vegetables and drinking more water. Movement (physical exercise) can and will also help.
Professional colonics and/or enemas (performed at home by your self) can also help to eradicate constipation.
Prune juice and plum juice are ideal in battling constipation. When the colon is constipated, it's the equivalent of a clogging/stoppage in your sink. When your sink is clogged, you call a plumber. A plumber unclogs a drain just like plum juice unclogs your colon. In the word "plumber" we find the word "plum." Here is wisdom!
And by far, the best help and remedy for constipation is herbs. Cathartic and laxative herbs will greatly help to eradicate constipation. Herbs such as Senna (leaves/pods), Cascara Sagrada, Aloe Vera resin, Rhubarb, Mandrake, Bilwa, Glucomannan, Bibitaki, Buckthorn, and Jalap Root will stimulate and enhance peristalsis. Senna is a very powerful African herb that will greatly unclog the colon and reverse constipation. In fact, pharmaceutical-grade Ex Lax laxative now contains Senna.
Along with the herbs supra, fiber and mucilaginous herbs such as Psyllium Husks, Pamita, Fennel, Guar Gum, Acacia Gum, Oats, Irish Moss, Slippery Elm bark, and Kelp will help to eradicate constipation by constantly bulking up and sweeping the walls of the colon. Irish Moss is a very invaluable herb (sea weed, ocean herb) as it aids in the formation of stools. And unlike pharmaceutical-grade laxatives, you can't become addicted to using an herb as a laxative or for laxative purposes.
In regards to Psyllium Husks, I don't recommend taking a lot of Psyllium Husk by itself because many people have become clogged due to taking too much of it. I had this experience myself back in the late 1990s. Psyllium has a profound bulking activity and can bulk up too much in the colon making you feel constipated for hours. Therefore, I recommend taking Psylium Husk in conjunction with a seaweed (i.e. Irish Moss, Bladderwrack) and a laxative herb (i.e. Senna, Cascara Sagrada, Rhubarb).
DHERBS offers four wonderful and powerful formulas for the colon that will remedy or prevent constipation - Bowel Mover, Colon Conditioner, Sen-Fen, and Intestinal Janitor.
Bowel Mover is ideal for chronic constipation. It is a cathartic (powerful laxative). Colon Condition is a laxative. It too will help in cases of constipation but it is not as powerful as Bowel Mover. It is mainly a maintenance formula that will stimulate peristalsis, keep the colon clean, and bring out large, bulky stools (log jammers). It is also safe to take in pregnancy to rectify or prevent constipation. Sen-Fen is for immediate relief in constipation. It also brings out bulky stools and a lot of them too. Sen-Fen is compounded with Fennel seed and Psyllium Husk to prevent or balance out the natural gripping effect of Senna. Senna is so powerful that it even makes dead people's bowels move. This experiment has been tested and verified. Intestinal janitor is a fiber formula that provides natural fiber. Because it contains bulk-forming herbs, it will bulk up and keep the walls of the colon clean.
Constipation is 100% reversible/healable and there is a plethora of natural remedies and tools to assist you in overcoming the American epidemic of constipation.
Thank you for reading.
This article is compliments of http://www.DHERBS.Com and Djehuty Ma'at-Ra, the People's Herbalist.
Herbal Laxatives:
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