Dr. Iuliana Corman, ND
161 Victoria Street South N2G2B7 Kitchener, ON, Canada

C O N S T I P A T I O N it’s a itch! Most people are constipated and don’t even know it. Then there are those of us who are constipated and can’t think about anything other than that glorious moment the urge finally hits. Humans have something called the gastrocolic reflex. When it is in proper balance (not out of whack as we can see with IBS and dumping syndrome) it is a physiological reflex that controls the motility of our lower gastrointestinal tract following a mea...l. It controls peristalsis and the migrating motor complex to allow for room when food is ingested. Based on this primitive reflex we should be having a bowel movement 2-3 times per day. That’s 2-3 bowel movements PER DAY! As many of you know though, this is not what actually happens. I usually aim to get my patients to be having 1 bowel movement per day BUT this is how it should look: smooth with NO cracks (cracks indicate constipation) one long piece (about the length of your forearm ) medium brown in colour (if you see black, white, yellow stool talk with a healthcare provider) easily evacuated (no straining) no undigested food, mucus or blood (if you see blood talk with your healthcare provider) What can we do if you are constipated? I start by providing you with some symptomatic treatments such as magnesium, herbs like slippery elm, etc to make you more comfortable. But what we really want to do is address the root cause. Common causes I see in practice include: - low stomach acid - food sensitivity - inactivated migrating motor complex from years of laxative use - bad microbial growth - dietary considerations If you’re tired of being constipated and want to work on the root cause let’s figure it out together! Link to book a free 15 minute consult is in my bio