Constipation, Drugs That Make You Crazy and Antifreeze

Constipation can cause many unpleasant symptoms that can make you, let's say, irritable.  I recently became aware from the FDA that a prescription and over-the-counter drug used to treat constipation can make you crazy.  The FDA's Adverse Event Reporting System (AERS) shows that Polyethylene Glycol (PEG 3350) has caused "neuropsychiatric events".  This refers to neurological symptoms of the brain and nervous system.  Such disorders may include Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, Multiple sclerosis, ADD, schizophrenia, depression, autism, and dementia.  I would speculate that PEG interferes with the absorption of nutrients.  Another consideration is that the gut acts as a second brain.  There is a huge gut/brain connection.  We should have seen this one coming.

 

As a side note the same AERS reported problems with commonly prescribed gabapentin and antiacids known as proton pump inhibitors (omeprazole, lansoprazole, Dexilant, Nexium, Protonix).

Miralax (PEG 3350) is made by attaching molecules of ethylene glycol as a chain.  Ethylene glycol is better known as antifreeze for the automotive industry.  It disrupts hydrogen bonds to change the freezing point of water.  As a laxative it increases water in the bowel. PEG, also known as Carbowax is used in an impressive array of commercial products for just about anything imaginable.

Last year(June 2012) the Empire State Consumer Commission filed a Citizens Petition with the FDA calling for:

 "An immediate recall of PEG 3350 laxatives for addition of a black box warning against use in children and warning of potential adverse events associated with PEG 3350 laxative products. Adverse events reported in the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System include, but are not limited to:  gastrointestinal, renal, urological, hematological, neurological, neuropsychiatric, dermatological, and at least 3 child fatalities. Adverse events are also outlined by the FDA Drug Safety Oversight"

 The ability to have daily, yes daily, bowel movements is imperative to good health.  Good hydration will aid in this endeavor.  Consider a good probiotic such as Enterobiotic SBO to soften the stool and create a healthy bacterial environment.  Fiber is important to add bulk and absorb bowel toxins and bile.  Consider psyllium (Metamucil), psyllium and ground flax seed (Fiber PF), or bamboo cellulose (EZ Fiber).  Homeopathics include Constipation CP for children and Constipation Drops for adults. Severe cases may require enemas.  For a better position in the relief consider the Squatty Potty.

Stay Well.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Natural Illness, Homeopathy and Children

It is natural to get sick.  Illness is the body’s immune system responding to something it does not like.  So it is normal to get the occasional cold.  Rejoice!  Your immune system is intact.  Getting sick all the time or never getting sick could be a sign that something is wrong.

The human body is an amazing creation with the natural ability to heal.  It has complexity that is difficult to truly understand.  Science is taught in compartments.  The cardiovascular system is separate from the digestive system, etc.  Learning compartments is helpful but it must be integrated into the whole person.  Disease is also compartmentalized and is called a diagnosis.  If you have a diagnosis then you know how to treat the disease with x,y, and z drugs.  Much has been put into the study of disease.  There are two missing pieces here: the study of the individual with the disease and an individual’s susceptibility to a disease. 

The study of how toxins in humans are processed and how the body compensates for such toxins is called Homotoxicology.  It teaches that disease is either an appropriate defense in order to eliminate a toxin from the body or an attempt to compensate if elimination is not possible.  Toxins inside of the body are part of the normal metabolism and waste the body produces.  Toxins outside of the body include pollution, preservatives, chemicals, some bacteria and viruses. 

The process of illness can be “compartmentalized”-first occurring outside of the cells of the body and second occurring inside of cells.  The body’s first defense or state of illness is excretion.  You sweat, your eyes water, your nose runs, you vomit, you get diarrhea.  If you suppress this process, such as taking something to stop diarrhea then the toxin stays in the body and creates the second state of illness known as inflammation.  If you take an anti-inflammatory, then you create the third state of illness where toxins are deposited in tissue for storage.  This is a protection mechanism.  THEN if you continue to suppress illness, in the fourth state, the toxin goes inside the cell known as impregnation.  This is followed by the fifth state, cellular degeneration, and finally the sixth stage of illness-CANCER.

Homeopathy is sometimes used as a treatment for problems such as diarrhea but it is not a suppressive therapy in the same sense as a pharmaceutical drug.  Children and animals respond quite well to homeopathics.  Natural Creations "CP" or child potency line makes is easy.  There is Baby Acne CP, Bedwetting CP, Colic CP (a must have remedy), Constipation CP, Croup CP, Diarrhea CP, Earache CP, Fever-Inflammation CP (another must keep remedy), Focus CP, Nausea CP, Raspy Cough CP, Runny Nose CP, Sleepy Time CP, Teething CP, and Vaccine Support CP. 

Stay Well

Got Fiber?

There are many health problems that are created by dehydration and constipation.  Have you ever heard someone say that it is normal to not have daily bowel movements?  Perhaps this is common but not normal.  A good standard for bowel function is at least one bowel movement per day.  If hydration is the number one health goal then a daily bowel movement is the second.  This is one major avenue of the body’s normal detoxification process.  Dehydration is a major cause of constipation.  Every time you eat there is peristaltic movement in your gut.  This means that you should have more than one bowel movement per day. 

Eating food low in fiber contributes to constipation.  In kindergarten we made paste from flour and water.  Get the picture?  Raw vegetables and fruits can help.  While fiber helps bulk up the stool, it also aids in the absorption and elimination of toxins.  This is why fiber is a recommendation for individuals with elevated cholesterol.  The liver breaks down cholesterol, hormones (thyroid, estrogen, testosterone, etc) and other byproducts of metabolism which is excreted in the bile via the gall bladder.  Bile is not only a waste product but aids in the digestion of fats.  Adequate fiber absorbs the waste components for elimination.  Fiber also acts as a broom for the colon to keep it clean.  My favorite fiber product is Fiber PF which is a combination of psyllium and ground flax seed.

For some fiber products can be constipating.  This can happen when antibiotics create an opportunity for yeast or candida to flourish.  This yeast combined with sugar results in fermentation creating gas and alcohol.  Good bacterial flora in the gut is also imperative to good bowel movements.  The bacteria have a normal life cycle of growth and death.  The normal bacterial die off helps soften the stool.  The use of a good probiotic such as Enterobiotic SBO is often helpful.

For some there is an emotional component to constipation.  It can be the holding on of toxins including toxic emotions.  Not being able to “let go”, so to speak.  Suppressed anger from abuse is a perfect example as many of these individuals display constipation.   This illustrates one aspect of how the mental, emotional, and spiritual can impact the physical body.  Much of illness starts on this emotional plane and is magnified in the physical body.  One great principle is if you heal the emotional/spiritual, then the body will, in turn, heal.  The spiritual is usually followed by the physical. 

Other products that are helpful include herbal teas such as Gaia Natural Laxative, homeopathic combination products Constipation or Constipation CP for children by Natural Creations.

Good bowel health is a major health goal.

Stay Well!