12 Game-Changing Constipation Cures

In our last article, we talked about 17 Surprising (Healthy) Things That Cause Constipation.

While this is not an exhaustive list, the more we recognize the underlying causes behind our GI “issues,” the better able we are to prevent constipation from happening in the first place.

For a refresher: The ideal frequency of going number 2 is at least once per day of a well-formed, sausage-like, completely eliminated-feeling stool.

When we “get backed up,” an imbalance is typically at play.

Aside from recognizing your “constipation triggers” and addressing them, here are 12 Game-Changing Constipation Cures for those times when constipation strikes:

1. Apple Cider Vinegar
2. Clean Filtered Water
3. Get Your (Cooked) Greens On
4. Spore Based Probiotics & Prebiotics
5. Ginger & Turmeric Tea
6. Fat & Carb Hack
7. Sustainable Protein
8. Smart Supplements
9. Sleeping with an Eye Mask & in a Cool Room at Night
10. Give Yourself Time (to go in the morning)
11. Just Breathe
12. Test, Don’t Guess

1. Apple Cider Vinegar
   Apple Cider Vinegar is a natural stomach acid booster—stimulating HCL (hydrochloric acid) necessary for digestion. Mix one teaspoon to two tablespoons with eight ounces of water and drink before meals or when heartburn comes on.Can’t stomach ACV? Try HCL Tablets instead if you are not taking PPI drugs or prenant.Another way to regulate acid production in the stomach is by taking bitter herbs. Bitters have been used in traditional cultures for thousands of years to stimulate and improve digestion. My favorite formula for this is called Iberogast,

2. Clean Filtered Water (Half your bodyweight in ounces)
   As simple as it may sound, many people with constipation fail to drink enough water—thinking they are getting enough by sipping throughout the day.
   Aim to drink AT LEAST half your bodyweight in ounces of water each day from a clean filtered source.There are hundreds of “unsafe levels” of toxic chemicals in our drinking water—namely from the tap and water bottles—including heavy metals like lead, arsenic and mercury.Reach for water from a water filter such as the Big Berkey home counter top filter or water filter machine. Check out the Environmental Working Group’s Website for more information on best water recommendations and to find out if there are toxins in your water.

3. 3. Get Your (Cooked) Greens On

Greens help push the foods we eat through with easily digestible fibers for most people—particularly greens like spinach, chard, and collards. The caveat? Cook em. Leafy raw greens can be harder to digest for those with constipation and bloating issues already. Cooking greens (and other veggies for that matter) in healthy fat help ease things through.

4. 4. Spore Based Probiotics & Prebiotics

Unlike lactic acid bacteria in the MAJORITY of probiotics on shelves, spore-based or soil-based organism probiotics are generally tolerated better by those with “gut imbalances,” primarily because these commensal bacteria (i.e. neither good or bad) are less likely to disrupt the gut micro biome.

A soil-based probiotic (like Megaspore or Primal Probiotics ), paired with regular consumption fermented foods and beverages (like sauerkraut, kim chi, beet kvaas, kefir (water and dairy), yogurt, etc.) on a daily basis are a double-jab to unhealthy gut flora.

And don’t forget pre-biotics (necessary for helping probiotics populate in the gut in the first place), including: onions, jerusalem artichoke, and fruits and vegetables high in soluble fiber (sweet potatoes, asparagus, turnips, mango, avocados, strawberries, apricots), or a pre-biotic powder, like partially hydrolyzed guar gum.

5. 5. Ginger & Turmeric Tea

Ginger and Turmeric are naturally anti-inflammatory fighters for the gut. Pair these together in a tea and you have a jab-jab-right-hook for those times you feel stop up. In addition, licorice-based teas also have a gut soothing and stimulating effect. Sip with a spritz of lemon juice in the evenings.

6. 6. Eat Enough: Fat & Carb Hack

Too little fat or too little carbs could be at play if you’re having difficulty doing the doo.

Fat acts like a slippery slope or lubricant to the digestive tract, whereas whole real food carbohydrates (namely in veggies and some starchy carbs like squashes, sweet potatoes, carrots and beets) help push things through. Are you undereating fats or carbs? If constipation has been at play for quite some time and you’ve been eating a similar diet, perhaps a re-evaluation is worth considering.

In addition, simply not eating enough can also trigger constipation. Since feces is made up of waste matter from the digestion of food, so if you’re not getting enough food, your stool won’t have much bulk to it. Under-eating causes a down regulation of your thyroid, particularly T3, the active thyroid hormone. Low thyroid is also directly connected to constipation since metabolic function is not in tip top shape.

Generally speaking, most people thrive upon balance. Add a full serving or two of added healthy with each meal (such as coconut oil, extra virgin olive oil, avocado oil, avocado, grass-fed butter, ghee, coconut butter), plenty of leafy greens and green veggies, and moderate intakes of starchy carbohydrates (one to two servings per day).

7. 7. Sustainable Protein

Speaking of balance, rounding out your plate, protein supplies your bodywith amino acids essential for metabolic function, brain clarity, energy and cell structure. And not just any protein but quality protein. Conventionally raised meats and dairy can lead to constipation due to the unknown chemicals, hormones or health of the animal itself. Some people say “protein causes constipation,” but it is actually conventional protein and lack of greens, essential fiber and healthy fats (ie. balance) that causes constipation. Look for grass-fed, pasture raised, organic and wild-caught meats and fish.

8. 8. Smart Supplements

Keep it simple. Supplements CAN be helpful and effective, but only if you supplement smart. Sometimes people go to Google searching or Whole Foods browsing to piece meal a supplement protocol together. A probiotic here. Milk thistle there. Smooth Move tea. A natural laxative or coffee enemas. Fiber pills. You name it, you can find it on Google if you go looking hard enough. Although laxatives, teas, solutions and tablets might temporarily help relieve constipation, they can also be overused and cause many side effects.

Some helpful “lower hanging fruit” supplements include:

*Find several of these in my LOVE YOUR GUT portal at FullScript.com

8. 8. • Probiotic (Megaspore, Primal Probiotics, Floramyces* by Designs for Health)
      • Partially Hydrolyzed Guar Gum or Glucomannan* (Pre-biotics)
      • Cod Liver Oil*
      • Magnesium Glycinate or Citrate (like Natural Calm powder to help loosen stools)
      • AFNG or Iberogast (Bitters and Herbs)
      • Digestive Enzymes after meals (Carbo G or Digest by Transformation Enzymes, Digestezymes by Designs for Health)
      • Candibactin AR & Candibactin BR (particularly if bloating is at play)
      • Atrantil (if bloating is at play)

9. 9. Sleeping with an Eye Mask & in a Cool Room at Night

Sleep is a time where the body detoxifies and also prepares for elimination. In fact the “large intestine hour” is between 5 and 7 am, and if you wake up in the middle of this, constipation is more likely. A full 7 to 9 hour sleep cycle not only allows you to rejuvenate your energy, but also rejuvenate your digestion. Sleep with an eye mask or blackout curtains, and turn the air down to 60 to 68 degrees for optimal sleep hygiene.

10. Give Yourself Time (To go in the morning)
    Sometimes we don’t go just because we don’t take the time. Allot 10 to even 15 or 20 minutes to just…try. And relax.

11. Just Breathe
    The brain-gut connection is for real. Anxiety, depression, OCD thoughts, inability to focus and mood swings all stem to the gut and vice versa. When we are stressed out mentally it impacts us physically. Have you ever gotten butterflies in your stomach? Same thing. Some people get IBS like symptoms and have to go. Others lose their appetite. Others get constipated. Your vagus nerve—the nerve responsible for governing digestion—runs directly from your brain to your gut, and vice versa. When one aspect is out of sorts, the other follows suit.

12. 12. Bonus: Test, Don’t Guess

Knowledge is power. People spend years Google searching or just dealing with constipation because that’s the way it’s always been, but this doesn’t have to be the case. Testing and assessing your gut with a person trained in holistic healing and constipation relieving can help you navigate next-steps in loving your gut. Is it SIBO? Fungal overgrowth? Lifestyle? Stress?

Don’t go it alone. Struggled with constipation for a long time and forgotten what it’s like to not be constipated? Let’s get to the root of your constipation together.

Book a “Love Your Gut” 10-minute phone consult with Dr. Lauryn to begin brainstorming and get initial recommendations.