Re: Enema or Patience?

Here are my thoughts, from various self-experiments!

Weak motility, for me, has been not just about fiber, but also about intestinal bacteria & enzymes, and the need for sufficient minerals. Minerals are tricky, I've found, because it's not all about magnesium (in fact, I've probably wrecked the balance of minerals on more than one occasional by overdoing the Epsom Salts ). This has happened, even when I was getting lots of fiber in me - I'd end up constipated anyway.

Fiber alone may not be the answer. In fact, in some situations, just "fiber" may mess things up worse. There's something to be said for allowing microorganisms to do their thing on the fiber before it goes into you. From what I've read (am gleaning stuff from a variety of sources, but most recently, the Nourishing Traditions cookbook by Sally Fallon & Mary Enig), sometimes fiber in certain forms, over time, can actually harm your small intestine's villi. If I were you, I would back off the fiber a bit. Consider some fermented foods that contain fiber, like sauerkraut. Sauerkraut (at least if you get some good, organic, nutrient-rich stuff) can contain good amounts of sulfur, which your body needs & will help your intestines clean themselves out a bit. There are other veggies that can be fermented along with or instead of cabbage. I've read that kvass is a rye-bread-based brew that comes from Russia. Some people make a "beet kvass," another fermented drink full of nutrients. If you start with a small amount, as a condiment, they should help move things along. In my experience, these do things that store-bought yogurt or probiotic pills don't do.

Here's where the enemas complicate things. The enemas can provide some relief, but they're also potentially carrying out the microorganisms that help break stuff down. When I had more than one enema, I felt "stripped" inside. I don't think I had sufficient microorganisms to begin with, and I wasn't replacing them with my enemas.

From observing what happens with my body, I've determined that sometimes I'm so concerned with "cleaning house" that I ignore that my body is crying out for certain nutrients. I've read that your body may hang on to stuff in your intestines, fermenting it (one sign: you're having foul-smelling gas!), trying to extract certain minerals. I had this happen recently - I was taking some psyllium, stuff still wasn't coming out, I was getting worried...and then I thought, hey, maybe it's about the minerals - let me load up on some Sea Salt & this sea veggie (laver) I have, because it has lots of Iodine & other stuff in different proportions than the Sea Salt . Wouldn't you know it - things started moving better. That didn't "solve" all my problems long-term, but it was a good start, a piece of the puzzle.

Some of my observations come from having relied on yogurt, flax seed, and psyllium, during a time when I look back on as a period when things were pretty "dead" inside. I got a cold right after that. A combination of Sea Salt & mineral-rich foods (that alone didn't "fix" things) and good bacteria & their products (raw apple cider vinegar, sauerkraut, etc.) did more for me than the occasional fresh juice (I'm not a juicer) and raw veggies & occasional raw fruit alone. It changed my BMs from these extremely dry-looking, compacted things to something much more "normal." I've read that flax seed contains a substance irritating to some people - there is a way to get around that, by soaking the ground seed, then discarding that water.

I have found that i can use ground senna pod, alone, mixed with warm water, as an effective way to immediately relieve constipation. I recommend only a very small amount. I used it one evening (and was almost sorry I did, as the intense cramping right after some severe constipation nearly killed me...some combination of using too much senna & having a lot of stuff stuck!) and was very pleased with the results. The day after that, I was having normal BMs - no dependency on senna there. What prompted me to use senna? I had just done an enema, and it seemed like something was "stuck" - the enema water came back out, and some matter moved out of me, but I could feel that something didn't move!

With me, everything seems to come back to finding a balance between keeping my body hydrated & getting the minerals and other nutrients it needs, while getting the crud out. I've had times when I felt light-headed, and I think that is due to lack of minerals. When I was very "clogged," I would drink water, and it would come right back out. It took a while for me to add a LOT of salt to my water - the messages of "don't need too much salt!" were pounded into my head. Definitely don't use normal table salt - that won't get you all the minerals you need, and it has anti-caking agent that isn't good for people's bodies. As in the "salt water flush," I would find that I could eliminate pretty quickly just by giving myself a big dose of sea salt + water - within 1/2 hr. By adding small amounts to my water regularly, my body uses the water, and my BMs are more normal, not looking dried out.

When I was having lots of psyllium, I would feel things moving in my intestines. I had lots of cramping at first, too. However, the psyllium would mysteriously stop working. Having lots of raw & lightly steamed veggies wasn't fixing any problems by itself (in conjunction with good fats & some meat, I mean). It definitely wasn't all about the fiber. I just wasn't addressing my body's other needs. Tweet