Janet Martin is an avid health and fitness enthusiast and published author. Many of her insightful articles can be found at the premier online news magazine. http://www.thearticleinsiders.com.
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Get a Clue About Your Health From Your Stool
Have you ever wondered why your poop looks like the way it does? If your answer is no, then you are one of the millions of people who do not know that the bowel is a very good indication of a person’s general well-being and the health of the gastrointestinal tract. Even doctors sometimes use the color, consistency, frequency and general appearance of a poop to have a better understanding of the medical condition of their patients.
Soft And Long
If you have a soft and torpedo-like stool then you should not worry. This is the normal and ideal-looking stool. This just means that you are eating enough fiber and drinking the right amounts of water to assist a hustle-free bowel movement.
Stinking Floaters
Stool that is soft and long but is floating and stinky might indicate an absorption problem. People who take certain types of weight loss pills usually have this kind of stool because the drug inhibits the absorption of fat. If you like fatty and fried foods that contain some types of fat substitutes, then you are also a candidate for having this kind of poop. However, if you have a poop like this even though you don’t take any weight loss pill or you are not fond of eating fatty snack foods, then you should visit your doctor and seek advice regarding your absorption woes.
Thin Stool
One indication that there is a tumor or some kind of growth inside your intestine is thin pencil-like stool. This growth can be a precursor to serious diseases, particularly colon cancer. If you see that your bowel movement is consistently thin, then you should seek medical help. It is always better to be sure than sorry.
Red Stains
If you see bright red stains in your bowel movement; do not panic immediately. Think about the things you have eaten within 40 hours. If you consumed red popsicles, beet or foods with red coloring, then these might be the reasons for the color. However, if you think that the red stains are blood, then you have to ask your doctor for advice. Something inside you might be bleeding, such as hemorrhoids or fissures from passing big and hard stools.
Pale Or Grey
Poop comes in different colors – yellow, brown, and green. Usually, these colors come from enzymes in your pancreas or liver, or these could be affected by the food that you eat. However, it is quite unnatural to see grey or pale-looking bowels. This may indicate a problem within your digestive system, such as pancreatic problems or a blockage in the liver or colon.
Tar-like
People who are taking iron supplements or vitamin supplements with iron usually have dark-colored excrement. If you are not taking any supplements with iron, then this may signal bleeding somewhere in your gastrointestinal tract, particularly the esophagus or stomach areas.
Hard And Dry
People who are constipated know that a hard and dry stool is extremely difficult to pass. If you have been consistently passing hard and dry stool, then you may be dehydrated or your diet lacks fiber. It is important to note that poop should not stay too long inside the colon. Because if they do, liquid in your stool will be re-absorbed, causing the hardening and drying of your bowel movement.
For people who are not keen about drinking enough water, you need to understand that your body needs enough water to perform certain functions. Your system is so resourceful that if there is not enough water, it will look for it in the most unlikely places, like your stool.
To get rid of constipation and other gastrointestinal problems, you need to make sure you consume not less than eight glasses of water, eat plenty of vegetables and fruits, and perform regular exercise. To jumpstart the cleansing of your colon, you can also try detoxification programs or colon cleansing products. One effective colon cleanse system is Colpurin. Know more about how it works by visiting http://www.colpurin.com/.
Digest It is an all natural herbal colon cleansing treatment that has changed hundreds of thousands of people's lives through it's gentle and effective whole body safe and effective internal cleansing.
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Are Doctors Telling you the Truth About Constipation
If you are expecting your doctor to tell you if you are constipated or not, his answer may be no if you have a bowel movement every three days. Discover what you need to know about whether you are constipated or not.
Article:
Most doctors don’t ask you if you are constipated. This is the first thing that they should ask you. They may think it is not important to have a bowel movement every day. In fact, some doctors think its ok when you have 2-3 bowel movements a week. They only get concerned when you only have one bowel movement in 5 or 7 days.
If you have one, two or more bowel movements a day, you may still be constipated. If you are leaving fecal matter along your colon walls, this is constipation. Constipation is when you don’t remove all of the fecal matter that is passing through your colon daily.
If you sit on the toilet and have to stay there over 5-10 minutes pushing, straining, or paining to have a bowel movement, then you are constipated. Straining to have a bowel movement, overtime, leads to hemorrhoids, varicose veins, or fissures. Your doctor needs to tell you that you are constipated, if you take more than 3 or 4 minutes to have a bowel movement.
Is your doctor telling you, if you eat three meals a day, then you should have three bowel movements each day? The first bowel movement should take place in the morning when you wake up or soon after you have had breakfast. Typical you should experience the urge for a bowel movement 20-30 minutes after you eat. The other bowel movements should be during the day and just before bedtime.
In her book, Healthy Digestion the Natural way, 2000, D. Lindsey Berkson defines constipation as,
“A healthy person should have at least one bowel movement a day. Medical textbooks state that individual variation goes from several times a day to several times a week. However, having worked with people for many years on improving their health, I would define constipation as not having one to several daily bowel movements, or having too long an intestinal-transit time.”
If you eat three meals a day and only have one or two bowel movements, then the second and third meal are backing up in your colon and staying there too long.
When your fecal matter stays too long in your colon, water and toxins are pulled out of the fecal matter and absorbed through your colon wall. This makes the fecal matter stiff and hard. Your colon will now have a hard time moving this hard fecal matter through its sections and out the rectum. The result is puffing and straining in the bathroom.
To complicate matters, if you are not eating enough fiber or drinking enough water, your fecal matter in the colon will be even harder and more difficult to move through your colon.
The thing to remember and use as a guide is that you need to have at least two bowel movements per day, if you are eating three meals a day. If you are having only one, then just start eating more fruits and vegetables to get the fiber. Just because your doctor tells you its ok if you have a bowel movement every three day, this does not make it ok. You need to take charge of your health and make sure you have bowel movements everyday.
Rudy Silva is a Natural Nutritionist with a degree in Physics. To get more free tips on how to stop constipation and keep regulate for life, check out his site at: http://www.constipationcured.info and for his popular constipation e-book go to : http://www.remedies-for-constipation.com
Digest It is an all natural herbal colon cleansing treatment that has changed hundreds of thousands of people's lives through it's gentle and effective whole body safe and effective internal cleansing.
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What You Need To Know About Irritable Bowel Syndrome Treatment?
There are some conditions that you just don’t feel comfortable telling your doctor about, and Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), just happens to fall in to that category. For obvious reasons, most people affected by Irritable Bowel Syndrome are embarrassed about their condition and therefore many try to treat the condition on their own. However, although IBS can be treated for those with minor conditions, if your situation is negatively affecting your life on a daily basis, then you should consider talking to someone about it.
Irritable Bowel Syndrome is a condition marked by bloating, severe abdominal pain, and cramping. It is also called spastic colon syndrome and generally alters the normal patterns of bowel movements. More often than not, the person affected by IBS will be plagued with diarrhea and/or constipation, however this isn’t always the case.
Sometimes, factors in the diet can lead to a person being affected by this condition, although for some there aren’t any dietary factors at all. Still, it should be noted that altering the diet and removing spicy foods, dairy products (lactose), and adding more fiber can help with treatment. If you are diagnosed with Irritable Bowel Syndrome, then your doctor might order an allergy test to determine whether certain foods are behind your condition, in which case the condition can easily be treated with a change in diet.
Sometimes, counseling could be in order, as IBS often manifests as a result of increased stress and anxiety in a person’s life. It might seem odd, but treating mental problems can often decrease physical symptoms of this condition. This is because your body’s condition mirrors that of the mind, and a troubled mind can cause physical symptoms to appear. On the other hand, meditation has been shown to help some people lower stress in their lives, or at least be able to deal with it more effectively. As a result, symptoms of IBS often disappear or at least get reduced to a level that is manageable. Since IBS is considered a psychosomatic condition, treating both the mind and body are important.
Probiotics and fiber supplements have been shown to help remove the symptoms of IBS and can easily be purchased online or at a local health food store. Antispasmodics have also been shown to help relax the stomach and bowels so that digestion can resume normally. It is amazing that a condition with such distinct symptoms can be treated in so many ways, but the reason is that there is not known cause. Although doctors have been studying Irritable Bowel Syndrome for years, there are very few clues to the etiology of IBS.
Learn more on irritable bowel syndrome symptoms and irritable bowel syndrome diet at my site.
Digest It is an all natural herbal colon cleansing treatment that has changed hundreds of thousands of people's lives through it's gentle and effective whole body safe and effective internal cleansing.
Click here to get a risk free trial of Digest It
Click here to get a risk free trial of Digest It
Posted in Bowel movements | 
Tags: About, Bowel, Irritable, Know, Need, Syndrome, Treatment | 
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What Can I Do About My Irritable Bowel Syndrome?
Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is characterized as abdominal pain and discomfort, gas and bloating, loose and frequent bowel movements, or constipation. Naturopaths for years have observed beneficial effects of acidophilus on IBS. Now there are clinical controlled studies to back up what the naturopaths have been saying for years. Acidophilus can boost intestinal flora (probiotics) and stabilize the intestines helping people get relief from IBS.
You may be wondering what is a probiotic? The term probiotic comes from ‘pro’, which means ‘for’, and ‘bios’, which means ‘life’. So probiotic means ‘for life’. Probiotic is a term used to describe nutritional supplements that contain live bacteria. Almost every brand of supplements out there has its own form of probiotic supplement.
Two of the most abundant and best known probiotics in the intestines are Bifidobacterium and lactobacillus. These probiotics adhere to the intestinal walls and multiply helping keep our bodies healthy. Probiotics help keep fungus and yeast cells at bay. Probiotics help keep your stool soft, well formed, and aids in bowel movements. Probiotics can manufacture B vitamins and vitamin K; they also make lactase the enzyme that digests milk, and dairy products like cheese. Probiotics can help prevent cholesterol from entering the blood stream which means it can lower your total blood level cholesterol. Probiotics can bring balance to the immune system. Probiotics can also reduce dental cavities, aid in weight loss, make our bones strong and healthy, help control acne and help prevent illness such as cancer and autism. They help prevent Gastro intestinal (GI) infections in children who attend day care and elderly who live in a nursing home. In fact, almost 70 percent of the body’s immune system is actually located inside the GI tract. (1)
It’s clear that probiotics are essential for proper intestinal health and over all health of the body. These probiotics will grow and multiple in the intestines all your life. It’s easy for the probiotic balance to change and stop multiplying; it’s as simple as getting the flue or traveling to a distant land or if one develops an infection and needs antibiotics. Antibiotics can devastate the probiotic colony in the intestines. The colony of probiotics can easily be overwhelmed so daily supplementation is something everybody should consider for optimal health.
One double blind, placebo controlled study tested over 350 women with IBS. They consumed 1 billion Bifidobacterium each day for four weeks. The women consuming the probiotic experienced a significant reduction in symptoms of IBS. Higher and lower doses were also tried with little added benefit. (2) Another study conducted administered 450 billion cells daily for eight weeks. This study combined Bifidobacterium, lactobacillus and streptococcus blend of probiotics. Patients reported significant improvement in bowel control and less abdominal pain and bloating after 8 weeks. (3)
Choosing the right probiotic is very important. At a minimum, look for a probiotic that is enteric coated. Stomach acid will destroy these live bacteria and enteric coated capsules can help preserve these beneficial bacteria for where they are needed, the intestinal tract.
Probiotics are very vulnerable to the elements. Probiotics are anaerobic organisms so oxygen can kill them. Sunlight or artificial light can kill probiotics; they love the dark and thrive in the lightlessness of the intestines. Make sure you keep your bottle sealed because probiotics do not like moisture either.
You man be thinking why should I buy a probiotic supplement when I can just eat yogurt? This is a good question! Take a look at your yogurt label or better yet look at what’s not on the label. No matter how many lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium were present at the time of manufacturing, there’s no telling how many bacteria is left at the time you eat the yogurt, there is no probiotic potency guarantee. Look for a guarantee with x amount of probiotics on the label per serving. When you eat yogurt there is nothing protecting the probiotics from harsh stomach acids so the amounts that actually make it down to the intestinal tract is very little.
Almost all health problems experienced today are related in some way to the process of digestion. Keep your digestive tract as healthy as possible by taking a high quality probiotic that are viable and robust, that has a guarantee of potency and that is enteric coated. Make sure you take it daily for optimal health.
References:
1. Porth CM. Principles of digestion. In: Pathophysiology: Concepts of Altered Health States. 5th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Lippincott; 2002:136-145.
2. Whorwell PJ, et al. Efficiency of an encapsulated probiotic Bifidobacterium infantis 35624 in women with irritable bowel syndrome. Am J Gastroenterol, 2006; 101(7): 1581-90.
3. Kim HJ, et al. A randomized controlled trial of probiotic, VSL#3, on guy transit and symptoms in diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome. Aliment Pharmacol Ther. 2003; 17(7) 895-904.
Visit VitaNet Health Foods at http://vitanetonline.com/. VitaNet sells high quality vitamins and herbs at discount prices like Acidophilus Pearls. Please link to this site when using this article.
Digest It is an all natural herbal colon cleansing treatment that has changed hundreds of thousands of people's lives through it's gentle and effective whole body safe and effective internal cleansing.
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Should You Be Concerned About Anxiety Irritable Bowel Syndrome Link?
There are numerous symptoms of IBS and the anxiety irritable bowel syndrome link is one of the less discussed.
The symptoms of Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) will be different from person to person. One of the most common symptoms is bowel dysfunction accompanied by abdominal discomfort or pain. On average it is estimated that someone with IBS will suffer for 12 weeks over the course of a 12 month period.
This does not mean that these 12 weeks have to be consecutive though. It is usual for IBS to come and go, sometimes attacks may only last a few hours. There is also the possibility of suffering a number of other symptoms like depression, stress and anxiety.
There are many disorders that can cause abdominal pain. For this reason it should not be assumed that that you have Irritable Bowel Syndrome if you experience abdominal pain or discomfort. Many people jump to this conclusion thinking they have a form of IBS, but without proper diagnosis it could just as easily be one of the other digestive or gastrointestinal disorders.
One way to identify if you have IBS is the abdominal pain can often be relieved after having bowel movement and sometimes the bowel movement can be abnormally colored.
Irritable Bowel Syndrome is a bit of a contrary condition as some people can suffer from constipation, while others may suffer with diarrhea and there are some who experience alternating constipation and diarrhea. This is because Irritable Bowel Syndrome affects the function of the colon, therefore the ability to pass a stool.
The colon can also go into spasms, which will push your stool out of your body before all the necessary digestive and waste processing have taken place. Alternating between clenching up and spasming is what causes a person to go from suffering with diarrhea to having the pains that go with constipation.
Another common symptom of Irritable Bowel Syndrome is bloating. This is due to the gas build up in the intestines increasing the pressure in the abdomen.
Of course, all of these symptoms effect the way you live your life, meaning you need to avoid certain trigger foods, and are not able to be too far away from a bathroom.
This impact can lead to a number of mental and emotional symptoms that are commonly seen in IBS sufferers..
Suffering from Irritable Bowel Syndrome increases the risk of experiencing bouts of depression or feeling more stressed and anxious. There may be nights where you simply cannot sleep, and you may even have panic attacks because you do not know when and where the next bathroom visit is needed.
It is believed that between 50 and 90 percent of people being treated for IBS have psychological conditions, which includes social anxiety, panic disorder, stress disorder or a generalized anxiety disorder (GAD).
There are a number of ways of relieving the anxiety, the first is to seek the best advice on relieving the IBS symptoms. This should be done in conjunction with your advising physician.
There are also a number of relaxation techniques that you can use to soothe the anxiety symptoms. These should be tried before turning to anxiety medication which could complicate and effect your IBS treatment.
Continue reading to discover natural methods to treat IBS and join up for our free relieve IBS newsletter.
Some people gain pain and anxiety relief through visualization and imagery, and others through using deep breathing techniques. Alternatively listening to your favorite music, meeting with friends or just taking up a hobby can work wonders to make you realize there is more to life than your IBS.
Getting a good night sleep every night can help reduce anxiety, as can carrying out some form of regular exercise, and improving your diet.
The anxiety irritable bowel syndrome connection has been shown to be real concern in many IBS sufferers. Learning methods to relieve anxiety and stress can allow you to concentrate on gaining control over the other IBS symptoms, and live a life that is not controlled by IBS.
Sign up for the free Irritable Bowel Syndrome Newsletter and discover new and natural methods to manage your anxiety irritable bowel syndrome symptoms.
Digest It is an all natural herbal colon cleansing treatment that has changed hundreds of thousands of people's lives through it's gentle and effective whole body safe and effective internal cleansing.
Click here to get a risk free trial of Digest It
Click here to get a risk free trial of Digest It
Posted in Bowel movements |
Tags: About, Anxiety, Bowel, Concerned, Irritable, Link, Should, Syndrome |
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