You deserve to be free of the dread of going (or not going) to the bathroom!
Constipation is at the root of all gastrointestinal disorders. It starts shortly after birth at a 3% rate, exceeds 50% by the age of 50, and reaches over 90% by 80. All along, it wreaks havoc with your gut and health.
To prove its harm, research physicians from the California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco studied "12,838 adults 18 to 50 years of age with at least 24 months of follow-up who were treated for chronic constipation from 2008 to 2013 [link]." Here is what they found [link]:
“In five of six disease categories, the risk for GI disease was significantly higher in patients with chronic constipation than in the control group.”
Are you sitting down?
According to the report presented at the 2015 Annual Meeting of the American College of Gastroenterology [link], these risks (or hazard ratios) were 7.68 times higher for ischemic colitis, 6.26 times higher for colorectal cancer, and 5.06 times higher for diverticulitis. That's, respectively, a 768, 626, and 506 percent increase over the duration of the study. If the study had lasted longer than five years, these risks would be even higher.
As with most other lifestyle-related disorders, bad doctoring, bad dietary advice, addictive laxatives, and prescription drugs are the main culprits of chronic constipation in children and adults.
MiraLAX Safety Alert
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration placed MiraLAX laxative on its Adverse Event Reporting System in connection to "neuropsychiatric events" (i.e. autism, memory loss, depression, schizophrenia, Alzheimer's and Parkinson diseases, and similar others). This alert also applies to the following over-the-counter and prescription laxatives:
Movicol, Colyte, Colovage, Co-Lav, Clensz-Lyte, ClearLax, GoLYTELY, GaviLyte C, GlycoLax, Go-Evac, GlycoPrep, E-Z-Em Fortrans, Halflytely, Lax-a-Day, LaxLyte, MoviPrep, Macrogol, NuLytely, OCL, Peg-Lyte, Prep Lyte, Softlax, TriLyte, and all other brands with Polyethylene Glycol 3350 as their active ingredient. Click to learn more...
Women of childbearing age suffer the most because constipation enlarges stools, causes flatus, and distends the colon inside the tightly packed abdominal cavity. The resulting intra-abdominal pressure constrains the neighboring uterus — a condition behind most pain, cramping, discomfort, domestic disunion, and workplace tensions associated with PMS (premenstrual syndrome).
In otherwise healthy adults, constipation is usually preceded by decades of semi-regular stools that are too large, too hard, too infrequent, or all three. Because of straining and retention, abnormal stools gradually decimate the insides of the colon, rectum, and anal canal, until one day the bowels no longer move as intended by nature — once or twice daily, usually after a meal, and with zero effort or notice.
Therefore, if you wish to have a healthy gut for the rest of your long life, it's best to recognize and eliminate abnormal stools long before they bite you in the butt, literally and figuratively.
— But what exactly are normal stools?
— Well, here is the answer:
Read the transcript and additional commentary, view the BSF chartand learn how to interpret your BSF number. No, BSF doesn't mean a “B.S. factor,” but the Bristol Stool Form chart, and it is quite a conversation opener.
If your BSF number isn't right, begin your healing and recovery by reading this page [link], or start from reviewing the answers to the following questions:
Q. Why do women get constipated more often than men?
Q. What is the difference between irregularity and constipation?
Q. Is constipation dangerous for my health?
Q. How often should I move my bowels?
Q. Why do some foods cause constipation?
Q. Does stress cause constipation, and why?
Q. Does alcohol cause constipation?
It's amazing, I have been telling my doctors for years that it seems that fiber was making me much worse - EXACTLY what you described and they told me I was wrong!!!! You are the ONLY person that has accurately described what I have been telling my doctors for over 20 years!! I purchased your products and hope that they can help me so that I do not have to get a colostomy bag. Thank you !!! J.S., USA (via e-mail)
Q. Why does anal sex cause constipation?
Q. What causes traveler's constipation?
Q. Why is my infant constipated?
Q. Why is my toddler suddenly constipated?
Q. What are the causes of constipation in older children?
Q. What is the connection between autism, infant constipation, and diarrhea?
Q. What is the connection between constipation and the epidemic of juvenile diabetes?
Q. Why do doctors recommend fiber to treat constipation?
Q. Why doctors aren't recommending a recovery protocol similar to your Hydro-CM program?
By quitting carbs/fiber and taking the recommended probiotics, my insides healed. Just wrapping my head around the concept that you don't need fiber to make your bowels move was revolutionary to me —and guess what? Probiotics are what work. I now eat primarily natural fiber from vegetables and fruit [according to Fiber Menace, natural fiber in moderation is perfectly acceptable — Ed.], and everything “comes out just fine. A.S., Long Island, NY
Q. Is it true that dietary fiber prevents or relieves constipation?
Q. Can I relieve constipation by drinking more water?
Q. Is it true that regular exercise stimulates intestinal activity?
Q. Is it true that toning up lax muscles helps to relieve constipation?
Q. Is it true that animal fat causes constipation?
Q. Why do Paleo and Atkins-style diets (i.e., low-carbohydrate) cause constipation?
Q. What is the best diet for constipation relief?
Q. Why do antibiotics cause constipation?
Q. Does smoking cause constipation?
Q. Why does colonoscopy cause constipation?
Q. Why does surgery cause constipation?
Q. Why does hot weather cause constipation?
Q. Can constipation cause acne?
I followed the majority of your advice and used your supplements and I am happy to say that I have been fully healed of any fissures for several months now, and my hemorrhoids problem has diminished greatly and is under control. Thank you again! If you ever need a testimonial, I would be happy to provide you with one. P.D'A., USA (via e-mail)
Q. What are the causes of constipation during pregnancy?
Q. Why does constipation cause enlarged internal hemorrhoids?
Q. Why does constipation cause anal bleeding?
Q. Why does constipation cause bloating and flatulence?
Q. Why does constipation cause chronic fatigue?
Q. Can constipation reduce my immunity?
Q. Can constipation cause bad mouth odor?
Q. Is it true that old stools can cause "encrustation" of the large intestine's walls?
Q. What is the connection between constipation and appendicitis?
Q. What is the connection between constipation and colorectal cancer?
Q. What are the most common side-effects of traditional laxatives?
Strange but true — the content of your toilet bowl predicts your future with more certainty than a crystal ball. With that in mind, read up, look down, and stay well!
A large part of this site is focused on the role of dietary fiber in the pathogenesis of chronic constipation and constipation-related colorectal disorders. Explaining this paradox has been a central theme of my book on this subject that preceded the development of this site:
After seeing the words "menace" and "fiber" in one sentence, many well-meaning people in and out of the medical community concluded that its author had gone postal. I wouldn't blame you for thinking the same, considering just how widespread is the popularity of dietary fiber.
Fortunately, the world is still full of brave scientists and medical doctors willing to challenge the most sacred medical dogmas. In September of 2012, seven years to the day after Fiber Menace was released, the World Journal of Gastroenterology published a seminal article entitled Stopping or reducing dietary fiber intake reduces constipation and its associated symptoms. Here is its conclusion:
“Idiopathic constipation and its associated symptoms can be effectively reduced by stopping or even lowering the intake of dietary fiber.”
Yes, you aren't misreading this quote! Just as I have been saying all along — LESS or NO fiber in one’s diet REDUCES the symptoms of constipation.
Rest assured, I am not cherry-picking this research from obscure medical blogs to support my point of view. You, too, can read this article in its entirety on the website of the National Library of Medicine, a division of the U.S. National Institutes of Health [link].
Konstantin Monastyrsky,
Author of Fiber Menace and GutSense.org