There are different definitions of constipation depending on where the practitioner was trained and the philosophy behind the training. Many Western Allopathic Medicine (WAM) practitioners believe that less than three bowel motions per week represents constipation. In my view, this is woefully inadequate.
Why do we have bowel motions? The most obvious answer is to remove waste products and toxic products so our body can work more efficiently.
Our bowel also helps to regulate water content and reabsorption, and produces some useful products such as vitamin B12.
A very important product produced in our bowel is Alpha Synuclein (aS), a protein that is very important for brain function. Yes, that’s right; we produce, in our bowel, a protein we need in our brain. This protein is transported to our brain via the vagus nerve.
When produced correctly, aS is protective for neurons and assists in brain health. So an abundance of aS produced in the bowel and transported to the brain is good.
BUT if our bowel is unhealthy – constipated – much of the aS becomes “misfolded” (the wrong shape to do its job) and often forms lumps or aggregates called Lewy Bodies. These are damaging to the brain and are often present in the brains of people with Parkinson’s, Lewy Body Dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.
Therefore, it is in our best interests to keep our bowel healthy and active.
If we look closely at the history of human eating and bowel function, we can see that a healthy human will have a bowel motion for every major meal. That’s right, if we eat main meals three times per day, we should be opening our bowels three times per day for peak efficiency and the best likelihood of producing healthy aS to help our brain function better.
In my view, constipation is defined by less than one satisfying bowel motion per day with a stool that is large, well-formed and easy to pass. That is, type 3 or 4 on the Bristol Stool Chart (which is available from many sites online).
It is important to remember that, if we are constipated, it affects the small intestine as well as the bowel, and can adversely affect our liver, detox processes and may cause headache, sluggishness, fatigue and mood change, plus exacerbating indigestion, reflux and poor appetite
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Food choices and bowel health are critical for our state of wellness. If you are experiencing less than one significant bowel motion per day, please speak with your holistic healthcare practitioner and develop strategies to get moving again.