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Hi,

I have problems with fatigue, bloating, constipation amongst other things.

Tried loads of things, nothing seems to help. Been recently adding 45ml of lactulose and 2.5g of chlorella with each meal every day and 4 grams of triphala (capsule) at night.

The triphala seems to have done nothing after 1.5 weeks and the rest have only boosted me up to almost every other day from previously every 5 days.

Anyone know what could be causing this constipation and seemingly resistance to constipation relief remedies.

It is not painful, generally minimal flatulence, I just have no urge to go, it feels almost as if my colon is shut down...

As always any help is much appreciated.

EDIT: Diet is now just meat and vegetables, no dairy, gluten, etc. Various changes in diet have done nothing to help.

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10 Answers

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the best advice i ever got from a doctor on this subject (and believe me, there were many) was this: "you just have to commit to making the time to poop." then he went on to tell me how his bowels are normal only if he wakes up early, drinks his cup of coffee while reading the paper, then brings his ipad into the bathroom and plays scrabble until he poops. it relaxes his brain, and then his second brain. then he can 'let go'.

i've found that my tricks are magnesium at night, occasionally triphola in the morning (as a tea-- i've found the capsules don't work for me) or coffee, morning yoga or a run or meditation, and mindless browsing on the internet without a time limit (i'll usually allow 30-60 minutes). it's a big time commitment, but i've found it to be what works for me. i really think there is something to finding how to slow yourself down, truly relax, and taking the time to do it.

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Good advice although I have tried relaxing and taking my time, even squating. I should also note that this all started happening around when I was ill with a stomach ulcer, before BMs where 1-2times per day. – Desperate S Sep 1 at 15:55
hm... i don't know much about ulcers, but how was it cured? maybe there's something in that? – LiveBigger Sep 1 at 16:08
Antibiotics and PPIs which could have altered my gut flora but i am not sure. – Desperate S Sep 1 at 18:11
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 my journey started after heavy antibiotics, too. maybe focus on replenishing your flora and the rest will follow? – LiveBigger Sep 1 at 19:16
Yeah am eating raw vegetbales, taking lactulose, get some inulin soon hopefully to rebuild flora if that is the problem. – Desperate S Sep 1 at 21:08
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Motility is chiefly controlled by acetylcholine and serotonin, both of which are routinely being modified for immunosuppressive purposes by guests of your body.

Think about these:

Huperzine A (acetylcholinesterase inhibitor and thus cholinergic agonist 100-400mg 2x/day) and piracetam (presumed cholinergic agonist 4g 2x/day). (both OTC supplements)

Equal parts l-norvaline (arginase inhibitor)/l-citrulline/beta-alanine to improve nitric oxide production. (inhibited nitric oxide production is a major immunosuppressive pathway. inhibition can be caused by by pathogenic arginase production) (otc supplements, but probably only available from bulk sales)

MSM sulphur, chondroitin, and glucosamine (all sulphur compounds) might give GI upset, which they shouldn't, but if they did it would also hint at parasitic cause. (at any CVS/walgreens)

in any case it might make sense to order a comprehensive parasitology from metametix.

before doing anything, please check with a medical doctor - this isn't medical advice and i'm not qualified to give any.

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This is a very detailed answer Enki and I shall look further into it however I am hesitant to buy supplements as I have already spent LOADS on various ones almost all of which haven't helped in the slightest. – Desperate S Sep 1 at 16:00
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 I haven't tried any of these supplements. I'm doing a paleo/lowfodmap right now. No big change other than improvement in skin possibly from no dairy. Sorry you are struggling DS! It really seems the antibiotics are a potential culprit. Do you have a naturopath or alternative doctor that can help? My GI won't do metametrix. – smartcookie Sep 4 at 16:02
Not really, also very poor (ex-student). Think we'll have to figure this out our selves. – Desperate S Sep 26 at 11:39
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I've tried lots of things...

Natural Calm (magnesium citrate) -- only works in large doses (for me).

Triphala (in the form of Colon Rx from Designs for Health) - Don't think it worked very well.

Smooth Move Tea (from Traditional Medicinals brand) - works pretty well, but not as well as Yogi Tea brand's Get Regular tea. That one is fairly good. (And the mint flavor is delicious! Doesn't taste like a traditional senna tea, which is usually nasty.)

BUT - the single most effective thing I've found is homemade sauerkraut!! (The longer it's been fermenting, the better.) It takes a hefty serving to, um, "get me going," but it works! And you get some other benefits by eating the kraut that don't come with the teas or supplements. Honestly, I think that's a great way to go. (No pun intended, hehheh!)

Live Bigger's advice was good too -- sometimes just being too tense overall will prevent a nice, comfortable elimination. (Due to stress--whether you're even aware of it or not--your lower GI tract can sort of "freeze up" and not be calm, relaxed, and able to let things happen easily.)

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 just to note, the 2 teas you mention have senna as the main ingredient, which can be harsh – smartcookie Sep 13 at 12:40
Thanks for the info Amy B. Will also second what smartcookie said, senna is not really good for long term usage but I guess every now and then it is fine. I to have been eating loads of raw sauerkraut, roughly 400g a day (12 tbsps ish) at the start of meals and have been going roughly every other morning (from every 4-5 days). Could you tell me the amount you use and how quickly it takes affect. Thanks. – Desperate S Sep 14 at 9:26
@smartcookie if you're still having similar problems to me you might want to check out curezone.com. I have been posting the same messages under the same username there and got a variety of answers. Hopefully you might find something! – Desperate S Sep 14 at 9:29
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 thanks @desperate S. good luck! – smartcookie Sep 17 at 16:23
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Eat less dairy. Eat more magnesium and supplement with it. Remove stimulants (this includes caffeine). Increase fat intake AND fiber intake.

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Tried these things BoneBrothFast, currently eat no dairy. Add this information to original post. – Desperate S Sep 1 at 14:36
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Colon hydrotherapy! 300mg/day magnesium citrate. Sprouted flax seeds (building gradually to 2T/day) with lots of water between meals. Personally, I also like having a strong coffee in the morning. Fantastic that you are dairy-free.

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Think the colon hydrotherapy is out of my price range but have started taking the magnesium citrate again. I remember needing to take about a gram before. – Desperate S Sep 1 at 18:13
I hear you about the cost; it's awful eh?! I only go about 3x/yr. But I honestly think it would make the most difference for you. I'm pretty extreme about health though: by not having cable tv (don't even own a tv) or buying packaged foods or even a coffee out more than a handful of times/yr, I save for hydrotherapy. Even just going once might "reset" your system. – Nancy Sep 2 at 13:48
Oh! And while reading/relaxing in the bathroom, elevate your feet on (eg) yoga blocks to improve angle. – Nancy Sep 2 at 23:21
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What about chia, either whole seeds suspended in liquid or the meal added to your food? You can drink it in pre bottled Synergy kombucha, which is super easy. Perhaps adding more veggies as well? What about adding fruit?

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Eating lots of veggie, mainly raw but some cooked and occasional fruit in hopes this will rebuild my gut flora in some way. Cannot see what the chia would do that other supplements have not... – Desperate S Sep 1 at 18:14
chia isn't really a supplement, imo. and its helped me with some of your other complaints, even after getting glutened. especially in the kombucha which is also very beneficial to building gut flora. – karmapolicia Sep 2 at 5:36
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Some things that help: 1 TBS of Olive oil on its own. 2 Tbs of flax added to something. sauerkraut. Fermented foods and drinks. Up your veg intake and drink plenty of water. There's always the fig stuff you could try.

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I get bad gas pains with sauerkraut. I have tried the olive oil trick before but it did not work. I dunno it seems like my colon is mostly asleep. – Desperate S Sep 1 at 18:16
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I take 200mg magnesium morning and night; if it gets to be too much and I have loose stools, then I skip a night or two. It's been the most helpful for me. I know that "not taking the time to poop" is a big part of my problem, but with little kids it's not like I get left alone long enough to have a relaxing bathroom visit.

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Is that magnesium citrate dahl? I find I need to take much more to have an effect. – Desperate S Sep 2 at 8:15
citrate, yes. Are you drinking enough water? I find it helps to drink a big glass (500 ml) on waking, then I try to drink another one each time I've gone to pee. Warm water on an empty stomach in the morning (if you can tolerate it) is good for getting the digestive system moving. What about inulin or psyllium fiber? Also, I've heard that water in foods is more helpful for constipation than drinking water. Cucumber, celery, zucchini and radish are pretty high water. – dahl Sep 3 at 1:31
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lactulose

Lactulose solution is a natural laxative that regulates the bowel gently and is used for the treatment of constipation, including chronic or habitual constipation.

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I like to chomp a raw carrot with a cup of tea a couple of times a day. Simple, cheap, effective. Plus I’m totally paranoid that supplements are just talc with next to nothing else.

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