New Dangers of Laxatives and Enemas

If you stroll through your local drug store
or the medication section of your grocery store,
most assuredly you will see entire aisles dedicated
to pain relievers, acid reducers and of course the
other biggie--laxatives.
 
Laxative sales continue to total about $1 billion
each year in the US. That includes both oral
laxatives and rectal preparations (enemas).
 
Yes, indeed, there are a whole lot of people not
getting called by Nature like they should.
 
And when over the course of several days your
bathroom visits produce zero output, what many
people do is�use a laxative!
 
It seems simple enough.  After all, once you take a
laxative, Nature usually does call and you
subsequently get relief.
 
For the time being, that is.
 
You see, the problem arises when being unable to go
becomes increasingly common for you, and you find
yourself relying on laxatives more and more.  That�s
when you begin to open a Pandora�s Box of potential
problems that can make your suffering a whole lot worse
than just being blocked up.  
 
Here�s what I mean�let�s take a closer look at�
 
The Growing Dangers of Laxatives
 
When you rely on laxatives to have bowel movements,
things may seem fine at first...after all, Nature DOES
eventually call after you use one.
 
But something else is happening that you're probably not
aware of.
 
All the while that you use laxatives, you're weakening your
intestinal muscles.  These muscles are vital to carry out
the contractions (called peristalsis) that move your wastes
along the intestinal tract and out your "back door."
 
So weakened intestinal muscles make constipation even WORSE.
 
It can get to the point where your intestinal tract is
basically non-functioning and you're 100% dependent on
laxatives...meaning you can't even have a bowel movement
WITHOUT them!
 
Plus consistently having laxative-induced bowel movements
can upset your intestinal flora balance to the point where
the harmful bacteria may have the �upper hand.�  This too
will worsen a constipation problem, as well as encourage a
leaky gut wall and weaken your immune system.
 
In addition, if your gut wall is leaky and many of your bowel
movements are medication-induced, that can affect your
absorption of nutrients as well, to the point where you may
suffer the consequences of deficiencies.
 
That may eventually include vitamin and mineral deficiencies
and lead to low energy, anemia, osteoporosis and others.
 
The Newest Dangers
 
The dangers of laxatives continue to grow.
 
Recently the FDA issued serious warnings about sodium phosphate
laxatives (one is commonly marketed as �Fleet� enemas).
 
All sodium phosphate laxatives are potentially associated with
serious side effects, such as dehydration and/or abnormal levels
of electrolytes in the blood that can lead to serious
complications, such as kidney damage and sometimes death.
 
Apparently the FDA has recently identified 54 cases of serious
side effects associated with the oral or rectal use of OTC sodium
phosphate laxatives that were used to relieve constipation in
adults and children. Thirteen of the cases were fatal, including
one child and 12 adults.
 
The most serious effects occurred after consumers �overdosed� by
taking either a single dose that was higher than recommended on
the package instructions or took more than one dose in a day
because Nature didn�t call after the first dose.
 
So although much of the danger appears to have come from not
following the instructions for use, the fact remains that the
potential danger is there, possibly even if they are used properly.
 
A Better Approach
 
Instead of relying on laxatives to take the place of Nature�s call,
a far better approach is to look at what may be behind your
constipation and then DO SOMETHING about it!
 
Here are some very likely culprits that may be causing your
�decreased anal output� followed by suggestions on how you can help
turn that around.
 
1- Medications
 
Constipation is a side effect of many medications including antacids,
pain medicines and antidepressants, as well as supplements like calcium and iron.
 
If you suspect constipation due to medications you're taking, it's
time to talk to your doctor about alternatives or explore natural
remedies.
 
And if it's vitamin or mineral supplements blocking you up, consider
natural dietary sources of what you're taking.
 
For example, meat, poultry, fish, eggs and leafy vegetables are
excellent sources of iron, and calcium is found in dairy products,
broccoli and shellfish.
 
2- How dry I am
 
When you're dehydrated, your body has less fluid available to keep
your stools soft and easy to pass.
 
And unfortunately, many people don't even come close to drinking the
amount of water that they should be drinking.
 
Here's a couple easy ways to tell--If your urine is deep, dark yellow
at any time other than first thing in the morning, or you wait until
you're DYING of thirst to drink water, chances are excellent you're
dehydrated.
 
You should aim to drink at least 6-8 glasses of water a day, and watch
your urine to see if it's clear or just slightly yellow--then you'll
know you're on the right track.
 
Oh, and you'll probably be able to tell by your bowel movements too.
 
3- Lack of movement
 
Exercise helps prevent constipation by helping to move wastes through
your colon and thus preventing it from becoming dry, hard and stuck.
 
In addition, aerobic exercise raises your breathing and heart rates,
which helps to stimulate the peristalsis of your intestinal muscles
which keeps things moving down there.
 
If it's been a while since you put on a pair of sneakers or did any
exercise other than 12 oz. curls, you're putting out the welcome mat
for constipation.
 
Time to get moving, my friend.
 
4- Stress
 
The brain and gut are connected through a series of nerve impulses
called the brain-gut axis.  This is why you get butterflies in your
stomach when you're nervous.
 
And it's also the reason why stress can lead to diarrhea or constipation.
 
Exercise can help relieve stress (yet another reason to get moving!) and
so can counseling with a good therapist.
 
And here�s the biggie:
 
5- Poor digestion
 
Poor digestion is THE #1 most common cause of constipation.
 
You see, when your foods are completely broken down and digested like they
SHOULD be, your bowel movements are also more like they SHOULD be--regular
and easy, with no grunting or straining necessary.
 
But when your digestion is poor, your wastes become hard, sticky and mucus
covered. They can adhere to your colon wall to the point where you
practically need a chisel to get them off.
 
So to help overcome constipation, good digestion is where it's at.