How do you fix constipation?

How do you fix constipation?

Constipation (less than 1 bowel movement a day) can be uncomfortable and downright painful.

While it may seem like a good idea to reach for something to fix it, instead, I would encourage you to take a bigger picture look to what’s causing it.

Constipation is usually due to 3 main causes.

But before I share these 3 main causes, we need to know what a healthy stool actually looks like, right?

Look below and compare your current stool to the Bristol Stool Chart.

The Bristol Stool Chart

You want Type 3 and Type 4 – These are healthy stools

3 Often Overlooked Causes of Constipation

1) Low Hydrochloric Acid (HCL)

When your body isn’t producing enough hydrochloric acid, it can cause serious and chronic constipation.

The importance of hydrochloric acid

Think of hydrochloric acid as the ‘started kit’ to proper digestion.

Your stomach acid is involved in many critical roles, including:

Digestion of proteins necessary for 50,000 functions in the body, including mood enhancing neurotransmitters.
Absorption of KEY minerals, including bone building calcium, magnesium, and phosphorus, boron, iron, and zinc.
Ensuring proper B12 absorption, critical for neurological health. B12 is a methyl donor, which is necessary for cardiovascular and brain health.
Helping to kill unwanted parasites, viruses, and pathogenic bacteria to keep your immune system humming.
Triggering the rest of the digestive system to work (pancreas, intestines), otherwise the contents of the stomach rots causing fermentation resulting in acid reflux, gas, bloating and stomach pain.

Causes of low hydrochloric acid

A diet history of too many carbohydrates and sugars and not enough protein and fat
Aging (it is estimated that those over 40 have half the HCL as those that are 18 yrs)
Chronic stress
Low zinc, thiamine, and vitamin C
H. Pylori (in excess)
Antacids – they impair normal HCL production which in time, a chronic lowering of overall production

How to test for low hydrochloric acid at home

There are 3 easy ways to test for low hydrochloric acid production.

These tests are a simple way to see if low HCL are the cause of your constipation

Self Exam

Take both your hands and find your xiphoid process – the bottom of the sternum where it meets the ribs (located in the #3 spot in the above diagram).

Using both hands, slide along the rib cage in both directions while pushing in and up into your ribs.

Is your left side more tender than your right? It occurs when you have low hydrochloric acid production.

Apple Cider Vinegar Test

When you do experience digestive upset after eating, take 1 tsp of apple cider vinegar. Do your symptoms dissappear? It could be a sign of low hydrochloric acid production.

Betain HCL Tablet Test

Just before you finish your meal containing a good amount of protein and fat, pop 1 tablet of betain HCL. If you experience a slight burning sensation in your stomach, you have plenty of hydrochloric acid production. If you have no burning, this could be a sign of not enough HCL production.

How to fix constipation caused by low HCL

Include 1 tsp of fermented foods to your evening meal or take a good quality probiotic.
Take a digestive enzyme that contains enough betain HCL
Take 25 – 30 mg of zinc, 1 cap, 2 X per day of B complex (methylated form), and 1-3 gramx of Vitamin C per day.
Have 1 tsp of apple cider vinegar in a little water just before meals
Be calm just before you eat
Chew, chew, chew your foods

If you suspect low stomach acid as the cause of your constipation, there are many ways to fix it naturally.

To get started or for more information, contact me here

2) Low Bile Flow

Bile is a digestive fluid made by your liver and stored in your gall bladder.

Bile is important for the break down of dietary fats.

When your liver isn’t producing enough bile or it’s too thick to flow freely (peanut butter vs water like), fat can build up in the intestinal wall and slow down the digestive tract causing constipation.

The importance of bile flow

Think of bile flow as the ‘fat emulsifier’.

Proper bile flow is involved in many critical roles, including:

emulsifies fat (de-greases with a detergent-like action) so the rest of the fat breakdown can happen in your intestines.
Critical to the absorption of health building vitamins A, D, E, and K
Sterilizes the gut of unwanted pathogenic invaders
Helps your body rid excess cholesterol and waste products

Causes of Low Bile Flow

Since bile is made by the liver, a sluggish liver will cause an impairment to proper bile flow.

Signs of sluggish liver include:

nausea following a meal containing fat.
bad breath, excessive body odour, bad taste in mouth
pain on inside of right shoulder blade
high AST, ALT, and GGT on blood tests

Additionally, because bile is stored in the gallbladder, a sluggish gallbladder will reduce healthy bile flow

Gall stones
Abcesses
Cholecystitis

Other causes of low bile flow include:

obesity
diabetes
old age

How to fix constipation caused by low bile flow

Squeeze 1 full lemon into your water daily.
Add 1 to 2 tsp of Celtic or Himalayian salt into your daily water amounts or add to meals
Make sure to add 1 to 2 Tbsp of healthy, raw oils to each of your meals, daily (olive oil, flax seed oil, pumpkin seed oil, avocado oil), nuts, seeds, olives and avocados are a good choice too.
Add bitter foods to your daily diet: radicchio, kale, arugula, dandelion leaves, and radish.
Additional foods to stimulate healthy bile production: beets, garlic, and celery.

If you’ve had your gall bladder removed, it is important to take a good quality digestive aid that contains HCL and ox bile just before you eat.

The one I use in my clinic is Pan Ox 5 by Douglas Labs. Available upon request by contacting me here

3) Lack of movement

Sitting for too long can also lead to constipation issues.

Our bodies are meant to move to be healthy.

Physical activity increases muscle activity in your intestines.

Exercise can especially be helpful in the morning for getting the digestive system “fired up,”. Not to mention soothing stress and putting you a positive mindset.

How to fix constipation from lack of movement

Best exercise for best ‘poops’ would have to be something where you jump up and down.

For that reason, I recommend rebounding.

Jumping on a mini-trampoline stimulates the bowels and lymphatic system, using gravity to get the waste products out and you clean and lean.

Even light exercise can support bowel function. Movements like stretching, walking, jogging, yoga, swimming or dancing. The key is just to get moving!

Make it a goal to fit in more movement and formal exercise most days of the week. If you sit at work, set your timer and get up every hour for about 10 minutes. That can be all you need to ‘get things moving’.

Well, that’s it!

How to fix constipation starts with finding the underlying cause. As with many conditions, just treating the symptoms ignores the real problem. Additionally, waiting to see your Doctor about your constipation can make the treatment options limited to strictly medications.

If you experience constipation for more than a couple weeks, and looking for someone to help find the underlying cause and constipation remedies I am available to help relieve your constipation for good.

Simply contact me by clicking here. Contact me

If you have a question and need an answer, Just Ask Michale by going here Askmichale.com

Want your own Personalized Diet plan? I currently have space for one on one consults. To learn more or to get started, simply go to Get one on one help

Tired all the Time? Try this Energy Boosting Tip!

by hartteuser Leave a Comment

Dark winter days getting you down? Tired all the time? It’s not all in your head.

Winter is the season when your body naturally slows down.

Harsh, cold weather, post holidays and darkness can particularly exhaust your kidneys and adrenals.

Ann Louise Gittleman, in her book, ‘Fat Flush For Life’ lists symptoms of kidney and adrenal weakness to include:

An inability to deal with stress
Low stamina
Frequent pain or weakness in the knees or lower back
A craving for salt or addiction to sweets
Difficulty waking up and getting going in the morning

If this sounds like you and you’re tired all the time, then try this tip to boost your energy!

Have Twice as Much Energy With This Energy Boosting Tip

A simple daily practice can help to restore your kidneys and adrenals. Start your day by doing this:

First, upon awakening, drink 1 litre of filtered water towards your required amount for the day.

A good rule of thumb is 1 litre for every 50 lbs of body weight.

Your body is at it’s cleanest first thing in the morning. It;s worked hard for you overnight and used a lot of energy to ‘clean house’ while you were sleeping. To help it along a good practice is to drink water.

Drinking water, first thing in the morning, helps your kidneys flush out the accumulated toxins build up from the previous day. These are things like uric acid, discarded cellular toxins, and other metabolic waste products.

If you skip this step, your body will retain what fluids and toxins it does have and you feel it as plain sluggish.

Next, be sure to include a good source of salt in your daily diet.

There is so much misunderstanding about salt that I want to clear some things up.

Salt supports healthy adrenal function. Healthy adrenal function not only equates to a day full of natural energy, it also is important for balancing hormones. Something many are striving for these days.

Those embarking on a ketogenic style diet or low carb diet needs to pay particular close attention to the importance of salt. Mark Sisson, in his most recent book, ‘The Keto Reset Diet’, recommends, about 2 teaspoons of fine salt or a little under 3 teaspoons of kosher salt). Along with 300-400 mg magnesium, and 1-2 grams of potassium each day on top of your normal food. He explains, going keto really flushes out water weight, and tons of electrolytes leave with it.

Additionally, Dr. James Wilson believes that increasing intake would benefit people with adrenal fatigue. The physician, who wrote “Adrenal Fatigue: 21st Century Stress Syndrome,” points out that salt cravings remain common among his patients and recommends they respond to them with a greater salt intake.

Not only that, salt (sodium chloride) is essential to proper digestion. Your body needs chloride to make hydrochloric acid to properly break down your proteins and absorb the minerals from your food. Proteins are the building blocks of good health and minerals are what the body uses for proper function.

Not all salt is created equal. Turn to Celtic or Himalayan Salt (or a combination of both). These special salts are known to contain over 84 trace minerals including selenium, calcium, magnesium, and zinc. These minerals have the property to induce better sleep, promote healthy body functions, restore sodium level in blood, flush out body toxins and relieve inflammation. Multiple studies have reported mineral deficiencies with being tired all the time.

Lastly, eat parsley. This natural diuretic contains apiole, an organic compound that stimulates the kidneys to release its accumulated fluids. With it’s high content of vitamins and minerals, parsley makes it ideal for combating weakness, fatigue, mental and physical fatigue.

A good way to eat parsley is to chop up a handful and add it at the end to your salads and veggie stir fries. I make this a common practice and combine other warming herbs and spices like garlic, cayenne, and turmeric. These are equally beneficial to boosting metabolism too! Always an added bonus!

In summary to help you stop feeling tired all the time and start getting some energy back, support your kidneys and adrenals with this energy boosting tip.

Your simple daily practice.

First: Begin your day with 1 litre of filtered water,

Next: Incorporate 2 tsp of salt (Celtic or Himalayian or both),

Finally: Add parsley into your meals.

Think you can do it? I know you can!

Let me know how it goes by writing a comment below or sending an email to me here contact us

Busy parent with extra ‘winter’ weight looking for quick meals that also feed your family well?

DOWNLOAD MICHALE’S FREE RECIPE EBOOK: For 30 Slimming and Filling Dishes Your Family Will Love!

Still holding onto 15+ Pounds? Want a more Personalized Nutritional Plan? Get one on one help here