Leaky Gut Syndrome And Constipation – The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly

Constipation means different things to different people. It might mean having irregular bowel movements for some and also mean difficulty passing stools, hard stools or bloating after a bowel movement. Dealing with constipation can be a miserable experience, but imagine having to deal with it over a long period of time. Those who have leaky gut have to not only deal with chronic constipation, but also cramps, nausea and a feeling of being bloated.

To relieve their symptoms, many resort to taking anti-depressants, pain medication, acupuncture and most notably laxatives. Those who resort to these methods experience no improvement whatsoever in their health. Some even notice that their symptoms seem to be getting worse.

For one, taking pain medication such as antibiotics is actually killing off the good, beneficial bacteria in your gut, while allowing the harmful ones such as yeast and fungi to flourish in its place.

Most people use laxatives to relieve constipation. A scary number rely on it as their primary source of relief. Did you know that the more you use laxatives, the more your colon comes to depend on them? You are unknowingly making your colon walls weak by conditioning it to rely on laxatives.

Let us take a look at some 3 common laxatives and why you should stay away from them:

• (Stimulant Laxatives) Dulcolax, Ex-Lax, Similar Alternatives: These laxatives work by stimulating the nerves in your colon, therefore forcing them to move. Unfortunately, they contain harsh chemicals and toxins that create inflammation and further damage and irritate your intestinal lining and bowels. A major drawback of this is that they weaken your bowel and rectal muscles. You become so dependent on them that you can no longer move your bowels without using them.
• (Stool Softerners) Colace and Similar Alternatives: These work by forcing fats and water into your stool, making it softer and easier to pass. They also contain harsh chemicals and toxins that create inflammation and further damage and irritate your intestinal bowels and linings. Like Stimulant laxatives, these too create dependence in order to move your bowels.
• (Osmotic Laxatives) Epsom Salt, Milk Of Magnesia and Similar Alternatives: Just like stool softeners, these work by forcing water into your stool to make it softer and easier to pass. The downside is that it forces way more water than usual into your stool, which can lead to dehydration and throw off your electrolyte balance. Just like stimulant and stool softeners, you can also become dependent on them.

Rather than use harmful laxatives, try stool bulking agents instead. These gentler form of laxatives don’t contain harsh chemicals and toxins and most importantly, they don’t create dependence.

Food Intolerances, Probiotics, Leaky Gut Syndrome And Constipation- How They Are All Linked Together.

Recent study shows that food intolerances are a common cause of chronic constipation. Becoming intolerant to food is when you eat a particular food that creates an autoimmune reaction within your intestines. The reaction creates inflammation, which then prevents you from being able to properly digest your food. If you continue to eat those particular foods, undigested particles leak into your bloodstream and your body immediately scrambles to get rid of the intrusion. This leads to an overactive immune system, which then leads to autoimmune diseases.

Food intolerances also lead to constipation, so in order to get rid of constipation and inflammation, therefore healing leaky gut, you have to identify the foods you are intolerant to and stop eating it. These foods can vary depending on the person but common intolerant foods are wheat, pasteurized dairy products, soy, sugar, white table salt, and artificial sweeteners.

Let us go back to pain medication and how people use it to relieve constipation. Remember how I stated that pain medication kill off your beneficial bacteria? Well, since your good bacteria is gone, you are going to need to replenish it and this is where probiotics shine. Probiotics are microorganisms that are similar to the good bacteria found in your gut. This is probably the only supplement that I would suggest using because it balances your intestine tract, diminishes allergic reactivity and prevents reproduction of bad bacteria (yeast, fungi, toxins, etc).

What’s equally great is that there is evidence that shows a probiotic drink containing beneficial bacteria called Lactobacillus casei Shirota, or a placebo has been proven to improve the severity of constipation and stool consistency.

Some important Tips To Help Overcome Constipation:

• Drink lots and lots of water. This cannot be stressed enough. This is especially important for those who drink sugary and caffeinated drinks daily. Dehydration is another cause of constipation, so make sure you drink adequate amounts of water daily to keep your body replenished.
• Eliminate your food intolerances like grain and dairy products. One cause of constipation is horrible diet choices, so make sure to replace your food intolerances with a balanced diet containing meat, fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds.
• Make probiotics an important part of your diet. Be sure to include it in your daily regimen.