Category Archives: Questions & Answers

Questions & Answers

Constipation: Is Castor Oil The Answer?

Castor oil has been used for constipation for 4,000 years. Castor oil has also been used for hundreds of years for different types of skin tumors.

There is a type of protein found in the oil from castor seeds. This protein is called ricin, and it is highly toxic. If you ingest as little as two or three grams of ricin, it can kill you very quickly. Needless to say, you don’t want to chew on castor oil seeds.

The castor oil that is used for constipation has been extracted from the seeds and then heated. The heat destroys the toxic protein, allowing castor oil to be used internally.

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If you’re using castor oil to manage constipation, you only need a very small amount in the range of 20 milliliters. Even if you try a quarter of a teaspoon, that could be enough for some people to produce a nice bowel motion. Castor oil is best taken before bed. Unlike mineral oil, which is a by-product of crude oil refining, castor oil is a natural product.

The castor oil plant has other uses as well. In certain parts of Africa, they still use the leaves of the castor oil plant to induce lactation. In Victoria times, castor oil was used as a purgative and a cleansing ritual for women before giving birth. It was given to women who were overdue as castor oil causes the uterus to contract.

Some people find castor oil packs quite effective when they have a problem with their digestive system. If you’ve got any kind of pain in the tummy or liver region, get a piece of cheesecloth. Take about 200 milliliters (10 ounces) of castor oil and warm it up in a pan. Put the cheesecloth in the warm oil and wring it out. Now, apply the cheesecloth to the liver or the bowel. Leave the pack on for at least an hour. Castor oil stains bedding and clothing, so you might want to put some saran wrap or an old towel around the pack. That castor oil works wonders on those kinds of problems. Don’t ask me what it does, but the feedback I get from many people who apply castor oil packs is that it’s fantastic.

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Questions & Answers

Should I Use Dried Fruit To Treat My Constipation?

Dried fruits are very good for constipation. You need to be careful with dried fruits, though, because they can contain a considerable amount of sugar. Small amounts of dried fruit should be your limit.

I prefer fresh fruits over dried fruits any day. That’s one of the reasons I grow all my own fruit. I think it’s a very good idea to grow some food yourself. The more you can grow, the better. There’s no way you can compare fresh grapes, fresh persimmons, fresh apples, or fresh apricots, with the dried versions. I mean, the flavor is entirely different and the sugar content’s different. To me, it’s much better to eat fresh food.

Raisins are quite interesting. They contain something called tartaric acid which helps to kill off certain bacteria in the bowel. This acid has a cleansing, detoxifying effect on the gut. Raisins also contain appreciable amounts of iron, magnesium, and specific B vitamins. If you have Candida or SIBO, you may want to skip raisins due to their sugar content. If you don’t have problems with bloating, gas, or burping, then raisins are probably going to be okay.

Every day of the year I have a bowl of cooked rolled oats with about a half tablespoon of organic raisins. I add a little honey from my own bees, and that’s my breakfast. You can have raisins with oatmeal, with yogurt, and even in salads. The combination of walnuts and raisins with some shredded chicken is very, very tasty.

You don’t have to consider dried fruits as something you have once a year in fruitcake. You can put them in many different dishes, but don’t add half a bag.

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Both raisin tea and prune tea are good for constipation. Prune tea is one of my favorite drinks for constipation. Put three or four prunes in a cup and add eight to ten ounces of hot water. Let the prunes sit for a while, give the drink a stir, and it’s ready. You can do the same thing using a tablespoon of raisins. When you’re done drinking the raisin tea, you can eat the solids left behind.

Both prune tea and raisin tea are gentle but effective laxatives.

If you have signs of indigestion like bloating and gas, you might want to get a comprehensive stool analysis before adding dried fruit to your diet. You want to know if you have Candida or a lot of dysbiotic bacteria that will thrive on sugar from dried fruit. If you do, now is not the time to be using dried fruit to manage constipation.

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Questions & Answers

Treating Constipation With Yogurt: Does It Work?

Yogurt is not only good for constipation, it’s also good for the overall health of your GI tract. Based on my many years of seeing patients, I believe that yogurt is the best cultured food for the gut.

Yogurt may not be for everyone. Some people with leaky gut syndrome can’t tolerate yogurt because some of the dairy proteins that “escape” will challenge the immune system. Other people are lactase deficient, which leads to bloating and diarrhea after eating milk products.

I’ve had some clients report that they became even more constipated when they first started eating yogurt. However, if you persist for a little while, this side effect will die off.

I recommend having a bit of yogurt at nighttime or in the middle of the day, away from food. I will often put a few blueberries or raspberries into the yogurt. Yogurt is actually quite easy to make, and there are plenty of good recipes on the internet.

If you are new to eating yogurt, my recommendation is to start with a tiny amount. At first, only have it every second or third day. You can gradually build up the dose. Don’t introduce yogurt at the same time as you make several other dietary changes. Multiple changes at one time can be hard on your gut and lead to side effects.

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Please don’t overdo it with yogurt. I’ve seen people go crazy with yogurt and end up getting quite sick and developing massive allergies.

Adding yogurt to your diet will help build up beneficial gut bacteria, particularly in the large intestine. The levels of bifidobacteria and lactobacillus increase, which improves immune function.

When I recommend yogurt, I’m referring to organic cow’s milk yogurt that isn’t full of artificial sugars or high-fructose corn syrup.

Remember that if constipation is an issue for you, adding yogurt to your diet isn’t going to fix everything. You need to follow a whole program of

healthy lifestyle habits to effectively manage constipation. You should walk at least 30 to 40 minutes every day, take coffee, tea, and alcohol out of your diet, and eat a variety of healthy foods. Those three habits alone solve about three-quarters of constipation cases.

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Questions & Answers

Enemas: The Good And The Bad

I’ve been seeing patients for a long, long time, and I’ve had many people talk to me about enemas and colonics. The truth is I’m not really a fan of enemas.

I do believe in colonic irrigation when it’s done by a proper colon therapist using the right equipment and the right procedures. For many people, this can be an effective solution for chronic health problems.

I don’t recommend home enemas any more than I recommend making kefir, Kombucha, or wine at home. I don’t recommend any of that.

I’ve been quite amazed at some of the stool results from people who regularly have home enemas. It’s shocking how low their levels of beneficial bifidobacteria are. Some people have this fallacious belief that they should be doing enemas daily. That’s just ridiculous.

If you’re going to do a home enema, make sure you understand how to do it properly. Go see an expert who can explain the procedure thoroughly. Even then, you don’t want to be doing home enemas regularly.

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I have yet to have a surgeon tell me that they found ten to twenty pounds of fecal matter clogging up a patient’s bowels. There is this myth that the human digestive tract contains 10 pounds of fecal matter, leading to toxicity. I’ve never seen any scientific evidence that this is true. And I can say this despite seeing plenty of abdominal x-rays and scans over the years. Even people who have fecal compaction, don’t have twenty pounds of stool in their gut.

Even if a home enema is useful on occasion, I don’t consider it a solution to constipation. There are many factors that contribute to constipation that should be addressed before turning to an enema. If constipation is an issue, you need to get your bowel working. It doesn’t need enemas. It needs to function normally.

In my mind, what cures constipation is a change in diet, a change in lifestyle, and a change in outlook. You need to make some permanent changes beyond taking a few pills or having an extra glass of water now and then.

It doesn’t make sense to do a home enema if you’re drinking six cups of coffee per day, skipping breakfast, and having a donut for lunch. Your daily habits need to change.

Before you consider an enema, ask yourself these questions: Are you walking at least 30 to 40 minutes a day? Are you regularly drinking enough water? Have you stopped drinking coffee, tea, and alcohol? Are you eating the right kinds of foods?

Don’t become reliant on laxatives or enemas for normal bowel movements.

I hope that gives you an idea of my thoughts on enemas. I’m not a big fan of them.

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Questions & Answers

How Does Constipation Cause Urinary Tract Infections?

Constipation and urinary tract infections (UTIs) can definitely be linked. If you’re constipated, it can be more difficult to remove all the urine from your bladder. The bowel is overly distended with stool due to constipation. The distended bowel can put pressure on the bladder and interfere with complete voiding. When a little bit of urine remains in the bladder, there is more opportunity for bacteria to build up.

Anything that impedes the flow of urine can make you more prone to infection by E. Coli and other harmful bacteria. Do your best to avoid becoming constipated. Constipation not only increases the risk of UTIs but can lead to a whole wealth of other issues. UTIs can themselves lead to complications like pyelonephritis (kidney infection) and, in severe cases, bacteremia (bacteria in the blood).

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Check out my YouTube channel because there is a lot of great information about constipation on that site. I also have several videos on urinary tract infections.

Most UTIs can be avoided. I give tips about UTI prevention in my videos on the topic. They are well worth checking out. As they say, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Preventing constipation and UTIs is well worth the effort.

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