Anyone Else Have A Problem With Constipation?

[mftnchn]

looks like I may be having improvement with: no grains, no legumes, plus high magnesium (1600mg) plus high vitamin C (4000+ mg). I'll post again after I see if this is consistent.

[burdee]

I'm sorry you're so isolated and must order everything online. The combination of Vitamin C and magnesium oxide helped me for awhile, but I didn't like the gas and bloating. You can improve digestion (increase your stomach acid levels ) with apple cider vinegar or lemon juice. Try swallowing 1-2 tablespoons of cider vinegar or lemon juice in as little water as possible during the early part of a meal. If this lessens or eliminates indigestion and/or heartburn, you may have insufficient stomach acid. Posts in this thread already mentioned tumeric which stimulates the secretion of digestive juices. Bitters can also stimulate digestion. However, the longer you abstain from gluten, the more your digestion should improve, unless you have other undiagnosed allergies, depleted stomach acid or depleted probiotics. Good luck!

BURDEE

[mftnchn]

Thanks Burdee. I will try this in a week or two. Currently I am testing whether grain-free and legume free makes any difference. I don't want to try everything at once!

[burdee]

Good point. If you try everything at once, you won't know what worked and what didn't. Good luck!

BURDEE

[mftnchn]

Looks like I am settling in at 1250 mg magnesium oxide, plus 1 scoop Vit C powder that contains 2,350 mg Vit C, 350 mg calcium, 350 magnesium (ascorbate) and 99 mg potassium. I take this all in the evening. So far I don't notice gas and bloating. Also I have gone soy free, which may be helping.

I wonder if anyone has had any luck with abdominal massage?

[Karen B.]

I saw this yesterday and thought it might be good to post it here..

Magnesium has long been used to counter constipation. Milk of magnesia, for example, is a well-known laxative. Too much of this mineral can cause diarrhea, though. Most people tolerate 300 mg with no problems, but those with kidney problems must avoid extra magnesium.

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So I started wondering what a magnesium overdose would look like and some of the symptoms are things I hear Celiacs post about all the time (because of Celiac). So I thought I'd list it just so anyone taking over 300 mg of Magnesium could know what to watch for.

The list of signs and symptoms mentioned in various sources for Magnesium Overdose includes the 9 symptoms listed below:

Muscle and generalised weakness

Decreased reflexes (Neuromuscular depression)

Hypotension Disordered cardiac rhythm (cardiac arrhythmias)

Drowsiness

Decreased alertness and concentration

Decreased rate of breathing/respiratory paralysis

CNS depression

Coma

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[BRUMI1968]

I've been taking one 500 mg. tablet of Turmeric each morning and night (2/day) for several months now and I can promise you I haven't turned orange (my hubby would have said something, I'm sure of it :-)

Sorry, I meant eating the actual spice, not pills. I wasn't very clear. I eat turmeric pills as well.

[mftnchn]

Thanks Karen. I should say that I am taking the magnesium with the knowledge of my doctor and am staying in touch with him.

[Di-gfree]

This is long, I know; but I thought it was important to talk about what I did to turn my constipation around (knock on wood). I

[BRUMI1968]

Ditto on the raised feet. Squatting is the natural posture for pooping. i sometimes move our magazine rack to in front of the toilet and put my feet on it. Not only does it help with C, it also helps get all the poop out, instead of leaving some in there for next time.

[7-cody]

I don't know if anyone mentioned this already, but you should try Colosan for your constipation.

It cleans out your intestines and basically makes you use the bathroom a lot. But it also oxygenates it and heals it at the same time.

Try googling "colosan", it works wonders.

[mftnchn]

I forgot to say that along with the magnesium and vit C powder which I take in the late evening, in the morning I drink a couple of tall glasses of warm water. The last few days, it doesn't take long after that to be able to have a good soft results. Hopefully after establishing a pattern and continued healing after gluten-free, I'll be able to eventually cut some of the magnesium.

Thanks for all the continued ideas.

[Karen B.]

Frequently nutritional sources from food are absorbed more easily than supplements. Check out this list:

Food Sources of Magnesium

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Maybe working more of these foods into your diet could help?

[burdee]

Frequently nutritional sources from food are absorbed more easily than supplements. Check out this list:

Food Sources of Magnesium

Open Original Shared Link

Maybe working more of these foods into your diet could help?

If you've ever taken antacids (like Tums or Maalox) or acid-blockers (like pepsid, nexium or zantac) you probably don't have enough acid in your stomach to absorb the magnesium from food you eat. Many celiacs are misdiagnosed with 'gerd' or acid reflux, which is often caused by too little stomach acid to shut the lower esophageal valve to prevent reflux. Of course, docs will readily prescribe acid blockers to patients who mention reflux, but how many docs actually TEST stomach acid levels? So patients take the acid blockers and lower their stomach acid even more, rather than resolving the original problem. So they end up taking magnesium supplements or laxatives for constipation.

BURDEE