| THE BEST MEDICINEf- LAUGH! FIRST DOSE There are always two ways to look at everything, I guess. My wife and I were sitting at a table at my high school reunion last October, and I kept staring at a drunken lady swigging her drink as she sat alone at a nearby table. My wife noticed me staring and asked me, "Do you know her?". "Yes", I sighed, "She's my old girlfriend. I understand she took to drinking right after we split up those many years ago, and I hear she hasn't been sober since." "My God!" says my wife, "Who would think a person could go on celebrating that long?" Got a Joke? E-mail it to us: frontpage@collectivewizdom .com |
| THE BEST MEDICINE- LAUGH! SECOND DOSE Last night, my friend and I were sitting in the living room and I said to her, "I never want to live in a vegetative state, dependent on some machine and fluids from a bottle. If that ever happens, just pull the plug." She got up, unplugged the TV, and threw out my wine |
Bowel Movements--3 Keys to Healthy Bowels
Related Links
Bowel Movements Indicate Your Overall Health
Why Americans Read In Bathrooms-The Hidden Epidemic of Constipation
Gerd-Tips to Reduce Symptoms
Diet and Exercise-A Simple Plan
Fiber Rich Foods
Fish Oil Benefits
Gallstones Prevention
Foods That Reduce Blood Pressure
Snoring Linked to Stroke
Ideal Breakfast for Diabetics
My Heart Attack-Personal Stories from Survivors
The Color of Your Bowels-What It Says About Your Health
Urine Color-What It Means
Child Constipation-Top Ten Remedies
February 20, 2008
By Susan M. Callahan, Associate Editor and Featured Columnist
You know that bowels movements are great indicators of your
overall health. But do you know the 3 keys to healthy bowels?
Most people who have trouble with their bowels--complaining
of constipation --do not know what normal bowel function
feels like. Many have been constipated since childhood.
How can this be? The typical American diet, it turns out, almost
guarantees that we will become constipated.
To have normal bowel movements --defined as one or two
voidings a day, with a soft, smooth-formed bolus (poop) -- you
need 3 things.
1. Water
2. Fiber
3. Oil
For very stubborn constipation, some people also are helped by
taking Vitamin C every day. Do not overdue. But it has been
known to help.
You need water so that the "deposit" can form properly in the
small intestines. All of us at one point or another have
deposited hard, marbles. This is not normal. Nor is it healthy if
it continues. The small intestines are a factory in which our
food is broken down and nutrients are extracted and absorbed
into the blood stream. To do its job, the small intestines work
the food over and over as it travels the long, 20-26 foot
journey down the intestines.
The small intestines "work" the food by adding water to it to
soften it up, then hormones are added to break it down more,
then lubricants from the small intestines are added.
The reason we need fiber is that fiber acts like a sponge. Fiber
soaks up the water we have drank forming little gel beads that
can hold many, many times more water than each gel size. It
sort of multiplies the effect of drinking water. When we've
eaten enough fiber, and thus have enough fiber gel beads in
our small intestines, the small intestines can complete their
work very easily.
The final ingredient we need is oil. And the best single source
of oil is mineral oil --if you are constipated. We need oil
because the small intestines use the oil to form the deposit and
keep it smooth as it makes it way down the 26 foot tunnel.
Without the oil, without the water, the deposit gets hard and
marble-sized or it sticks to the walls. The result is that we have
to strain to push them out. That's constipation.
Many Americans are constipated and don't know it. They carry
a magazine in the bathroom to read because they know they
will be there a long time straining.
This is not the way the body was designed to work. Remedy?
Food
Eat plenty of fiber rich food. The typical starchy American diet
only has about 5 grams of fiber each day. We need 25-30
grams each day. Some very stubborn constipation is helped by
taking Vitamin C every day.
Water
Drink your 8 tall 8 ounce glasses each day. I know a lot of
sources say that any kind of fluid will do-- coffee,tea, sodas
--but my personal experience is that nothing works better than
good, clean water.
Oil
Eat the right kinds of oil, in moderation. I once went on a very
low oil diet and ended up constipated. Use olive oil (it helps
your body in other ways too). Every now and then, take a bit
of mineral oil. I can still remember my wonderful Mom giving us
doses of the stuff. We use to run from her. But the old ways
turn out to often be the best ways, right?
Here is a list of fiber-rich foods for your reference.
Links: Fiber, colon cancer, diverticulosis, diverticulitis,
hemorrhoids, fistula and fissure
Find out more about how to keep your bowels healthy:
The Color of Your Bowels-What It Says Abut Your Health
Exercises That Increase Bowel Movements
Child Constipation -Top 10 Natural Remedies
Foods That Reduce Blood Pressure
My Heart Attack
How Long Will I live?--Life Expectancy Calculator
Home > Conditions > You Are Here |
 |  |  |  |  |  |  |
| COLLECTIVE WIZDOM.COM Healthy Body, Healthy Mind, Healthy Life |