FAQ: Constipation

The word ‘constipation’ is derived from the Latin word ‘constipatus’, which means ‘to pack’, ‘to cram’, ‘to press together’.

Despite daily eliminations many people are not aware that they have “unfinished business”. A state of constipation may exist when bowel movements seem to be ‘normal’ even with a build-up of faeces along the passageways of the colon. It is not unusual for people to have a minimum of five kilos of compacted faeces, mucous, undigested and fermenting matter and even parasites sitting in their colon! Imagine that!

This can be called ‘the mobile compost heap’ which is a rotting cesspool of unfinished business, highly toxic to the body. Very often the entire length of the colon is packed with old faecal matter which leaves a narrower channel for smaller faeces to pass through. These deposits of hardened matter and mucous can become 2-3 cms thick and as hard as plastic or rubber.

As a direct result of poor diet, stress and lack of exercise, the colon begins to accumulate faecal matter. This matter will soon begin to putrefy. This produces toxins and foul gases and much of this poison is reabsorbed across the bowel wall and into the blood stream. It doesn’t take much imagination to see that this compacted condition will leave people feeling ‘under parr’ at best and ‘very ill’ at worst. If this is not corrected the problem will continue to worsen.

On a mental level, constipation is often related to ‘holding on’ and ‘ not wanting to let go of the things we no longer need’. It can also mean fear of change. This can manifest at the physical level as a ‘holding on’ and the result is constipation and retention of old waste.

At the physical level there is a lot that can be done to relieve constipation. The main priority is an improvement in diet to a whole foods regime, with a minimum of processed food. This will supply the vital bulk, liquid and fibre which needs to be present for correct bowel function. We can talk more about nutrition, stress management and lifestyle choices during your visit.

Sufficient water intake is of equal importance. It is the basis of all bodily functions, so it’s best to ensure that 1.5-2 litres of filtered water are sipped throughout the day.

One of the main tasks of the colon is the re-absorption of water from the digestive processes. If there is not enough water in the body, it will be drawn from the colon, resulting in dry, hardened faecal matter which will be hard to pass.

Some causes of constipation:

• Insufficient intake of water
• Too little physical exercise
• Inadequate fibre (too many processed foods)
• High degree of emotional stress
• Dehydrating drinks (coffee, tea, alcohol, soft drinks)
• Some medications
• Weak muscle tone of the colon

Colon Hydrotherapy helps speed up the transit time of matter moving through the bowel. It helps reduce the overall compost heap to a healthy level, therefore breaking the cycle of self-poisoning. The transit time for food to pass through the colon should be approximately 24 hours, but many bowels subjected to the wrong diet, can take three to four days and some, much longer.

This in turn can help many people who are overweight. Colon Hydrotherapy aids greatly in helping to balance metabolism and also assists in eliminating unwanted excess weight as well as that dull, heavy, tired feeling that is so prevalent with a burdened colon.

During the course of your treatments, you may experience what some therapists call a ‘healing response’. Toxic substances that have been retained in the body, must be released and removed by the tissue systems of the body. As the cleansing process begins, it is possible that periodic aches and pains occur in the areas where the cleansing action is most acute and where waste is loading the elimination system. The most common discomforts are headaches, tiredness and irritability. However, not all people experience the same degree of discomfort as they go through their healing process – we all have our individual experiences. Do not expect lifetime accumulations packed into the system to be miraculously flushed out of the organs and tissues in one visit; the process takes time and commitment to your health.  You may experience high and low days; the low days will become less frequent and the good will start to come more often when you are faithful to the programme. Looking after yourself with good nutrition, cleansing, exercise, rest and emotional nourishment will help you to become more balanced, happy and healthy!