Cures For Constipation?

[GlutenFreeNewB]

Prune juice every morning before a cup of coffee is the only thing that works for me. Still only works about 5 days out of 7. I eat plenty of vegetables and fruit and drink tons of water, but without the prune juice, I don't go at all!

[Eboronkay]

I agree. Low thyroid can cause it. Bad food combining can. Low magnesium was my problem this time. I'm so much better. Chia seeds have been great. I bake them into and sprinkle them onto all sorts of foods, both sweet and savory. Okra is also a great one for me. Salad of fresh greens twice daily. Starting the day with half a grapefruit although sometimes I eat the whole thing Grapefruit as a late night snack. Occasionally I use a supplement called Super Colon Cleanse step 1 from Health Plus. I think they sell it at Trader Joe's still and I know you can get it at Vitacost.com. Massage also helps. Start on right just above hip bone. Go up to just below waist. Spend some time massaging the turning point. Then move across from right to left. Again massage longer at the turning point. Then down on the left side. That is following the route the large colon empties.

Never forget the power of prayer. The One who made you knows your body best and will lead you to the best ways to heal or you may get a miracle. They still do happen.

God Bless you all on this journey.

[anti-soprano]

Hi Pondy-

So glad you're feeling better!  As you can see, everyone is different and what works for one person may not work for another.  So for you and the other in this post that are still battling C, I thought I would also add my own story.

 

 

I was gluten free for an entire year and still experienced bloating and C.  I took probiotics and that helped some, but not enough.  Finally, I figured out that both corn and dairy slowed me down and the corn caused significant bloating.  For the longest time, I didn't think dairy effected me at all and was taking the prescribed 1 yogurt (and unfortunately 2 if things were really bad) daily.  I haven't been as restrictive with dairy or corn as I have had to be for gluten.  I just make sure I don't have heaping amounts of it.  The bloating is gone and the C as well! If you are chronically plagued with this issue, I suggest looking into other foods that may be an issue.  

 

The Eat for Life diet that WhenDee mentioned seems to exclude dairy and most grains as well as meat.  A lot of others have tried exclusion diets or rotational diets with success.  For me, the exclusion of a food item wasn't evident and it was only when I ate a lot of the food in question that the effects registered.  That may not work for others 

 

Things aren't perfect for me, but I can certainly say that C is not as big an issue as it was in the past.  I think I have more problems with D lately.  Just proves that things can change drastically without medicines/laxatives.  Best of luck!!

[NoGlutenCooties]

I know this thread was started quite some time ago, but just wanted to add that a teaspoon of apple-cider vinegar in water can work wonders.  Start with just a teaspoon though - it actually tastes pretty good, but if you overdo it, it can work too well...

[tonalynn]

Here's a thing to try that hasn't been posted yet: Dark or Tart Cherry Juice. Not from concentrate, there is a brand that is just straight juice. It has a laxative effect if you drink too much. For me, too much is a regular size glass. Tastes a LOT better than apple cider vinegar (if you aren't a fan of bitter or sour tastes) and along with the magnesium, it seems to help. Besides, if you buy a bottle and it doesn't work, you haven't put anything bad or artificial in your body, so what could it hurt, right? :-)

[Sherri62]

I am having this same issue.  Bloating and stopped up.  Had colonoscopy week ago with lab.  Dx celiac disease and started gluten free diet.  (Difficult and expensive) I have not had a regular/normal bowel movement.  Doing miralax, fleets, etc. Finally called Dr as I'm so uncomfortable and feel like 9 months pregnant!  Her instructions continue miralax and do phillips mg.  Still no solid BM.  I am so uncomfortable.   Distended. All upper abdomen.   Don't know what to do from here. 

[tessa25]

Here's a list of things that get stuff moving for me. 400mg magnesium oxide per day, cooked zucchini (2 per day), 2 mile brisk walks, hot broth.

[cyclinglady]

45 minutes ago, Sherri62 said:

I am having this same issue.  Bloating and stopped up.  Had colonoscopy week ago with lab.  Dx celiac disease and started gluten free diet.  (Difficult and expensive) I have not had a regular/normal bowel movement.  Doing miralax, fleets, etc. Finally called Dr as I'm so uncomfortable and feel like 9 months pregnant!  Her instructions continue miralax and do phillips mg.  Still no solid BM.  I am so uncomfortable.   Distended. All upper abdomen.   Don't know what to do from here. 

Sherri, I am sorry that you are so uncomfortable.  Perhaps it is your new gluten free diet.  I saw that you mentioned that is is expensive which leads me to believe that you may have switched over to gluten free breads and other baked goods.  These contain flours, gums, and additives that your body might be used to.  Consider adding more fruit and veggies and eliminate the new grains and starches (e.g. corn, tapioca, etc.) until you get relief.   I know that in the beginning I was having issues which was odd because my hubby who had been gluten-free for 12 years was not. Turns out, I can not tolerate Xanthan Gum found in many commercial gluten-free products.  

[artistsl]

Garden of Life brand Dr. Formulated Organic Fiber. It's certified gluten free. Also free of psyllium husk, dairy and soy.

Also found that just simply increasing fiber intake works wonders. Perhaps try skipping a protein for at least one meal and fill up on veggies and fruits.

[artistsl]

On 1/31/2014 at 1:37 PM, tonalynn said:

Here's a thing to try that hasn't been posted yet: Dark or Tart Cherry Juice. Not from concentrate, there is a brand that is just straight juice. It has a laxative effect if you drink too much. For me, too much is a regular size glass. Tastes a LOT better than apple cider vinegar (if you aren't a fan of bitter or sour tastes) and along with the magnesium, it seems to help. Besides, if you buy a bottle and it doesn't work, you haven't put anything bad or artificial in your body, so what could it hurt, right? :-)

We use pure cherry juice with our snow cone machine. Makes for a nice dessert after dinner.

[Ennis-TX]

9 hours ago, Sherri62 said:

I am having this same issue.  Bloating and stopped up.  Had colonoscopy week ago with lab.  Dx celiac disease and started gluten free diet.  (Difficult and expensive) I have not had a regular/normal bowel movement.  Doing miralax, fleets, etc. Finally called Dr as I'm so uncomfortable and feel like 9 months pregnant!  Her instructions continue miralax and do phillips mg.  Still no solid BM.  I am so uncomfortable.   Distended. All upper abdomen.   Don't know what to do from here. 

LOL yeah miralax was a joke for me WHOLE BOTTLE NOTHING, doctors thought I was lying. I found the ONLY thing that works for me is Magnesium Citrate, the bottled fizzy stuff for colon preps. Daily maintenance requires me to take Natural Vitality Calm daily, you dose to tolerance start off at 1/4 tsp 1-2 times a day and up it to the full dose over a week. If you get loose stools cut it back. You dose to tolerance with magnesium and with this disease a issue with absorbing it is very common, causing chronic constipation in many and requiring supplementation.
Try going to a whole foods only diet for a while with soups and stews with veggies and meats also. Nut butters and avocados help lube up the system. I use some other seeds etc to add in bulk but I think we need to focus on clearing your out first before regulating.

[Victoria1234]

Miramar never did a thing for me. 1/2 a cup prune juice if I’m in bad shape or 1/4 cup every other day for maintenance. Nothing works better or as quickly for me. 

Colonoscopies are the worst for messing me up. Sorry.

[Stefani87]

I also have chronic constipation. I take fiber everyday, every couple days I’ll take Miralax and on most nights I drink Calm - magnesium. If I keep up with these things I am usually fine. Also we try to eat fiberous foods at home but we aren’t very good at this. lol This routine is the only thing that helps me.