September 17, 2015

Episode 161, Constipation

1 hour 12 minutes

Intro (0:00)

News and Views (0:56)

When Stacy reached out to Sarah to confirm the recording time there was a bit of a funny mix up over the topic

We have a lot of questions on constipation and it is an important topic to talk about because it is a common side effect of a lot of conditions, and people commonly experience it when transitioning their diet, but paleo may not correct the problem either

Constipation is a relatively common thing to suffer from, yet experiencing daily healthy bowel movements is an important thing

But a bit on life before we get to the topic

Sarah turned in a book this last week

And Stacy celebrated a birthday, but she can't talk about general life updates knowing that a poop discussion is about to happen as discussing bodily functions makes her very uncomfortable

Science with Sarah (9:00)

This week Sarah wanted to discuss transit time and what all impacts that

What happens when you complete a transit test at a doctor's office

A good speed for food to move through the digestive track is between 18 and 24 hours, and if digestion takes longer than that it points to some deficiencies with digestion

Things that impact speed are a variety of hormones, neurotransmitters, the type of gut bacteria that is present, and the muscle contractions

Hormones are very sensitive to the foods we eat

Stool is made up of 80% bacteria so if you have too much bacteria or they are in the wrong part of your digestive track you are either building that bulk too soon up the gastro track or you are building up that bulk in an exaggerated way

Bacteria is also very sensitive to the things we eat

Fiber is a regulator itself because what it does to hormones, the bacteria, and the gastro track

Having sufficient fiber of both soluble and insoluble is very important

It is also important to have proper fluid intake

Mineral sufficiency is also important as it supports the muscle contractions

Stress has a direct effect on bowel health, as does having an active lifestyle and quality and quantity of sleep

There are a bunch of other things that feed into digestion regulation as well, like the health of the digestive track organs and how you are chewing your food

For people who are battling constipation it is key to think about how you are taking care of your gut bacteria, looking into possibly testing your neurotransmitters, and finally looking at a number of other medical conditions that all impact transit time - like autoimmune conditions

It could be something as simple as drinking more water, consuming more fiber, or increasing a micronutrient that you are lacking in

But it could also be a lot more complicated and constipation should always be discussed with a medical professional

You could also try things like the Squatty Potty or the Step and Go

When constipation is caused by something outside of the digestive track it allows for a dysfunctional micro biome to develop, creating a stagnant environment

The definition of constipation is a bowel movement every 48 hours if the bowel movement is not a good form on the bristol stool scale, if at 48 hours the form of the stool is still good than that would be defined as normal and not constipation. However, if the form is not good and did not pass with ease than that would be constipation

If it is every 72 hours than no matter what the form looks like it is constipation

Stool should be a type four on the bristol stool scale

Stacy and Sarah briefly discussed etiquette when it comes to stool analysis

A bit on laxatives

What Stacy defines as a normal stool

There are multiple forms of constipation

Just because something is common doesn't mean it is normal

Questions & Answers (42:40)

Philippa - just started the autoimmune protocol, and experiencing improvements in symptoms, but bowel movements have gone from daily to two to three times a week, why?
- Stacy recommends, if possible, to be mobile in some capacity to help balance hormones and get things moving

Hydration is very helpful to Stacy, especially through bone broth

Vegetables are also very helpful for Stacy

Smoothies might be a great way to get in extra liquid and fiber

Sarah shared on some supplements that are AIP friendly and can help with constipation, but to explore these under medical supervision

Adding in a little bit of starchy vegetables can also help

Also look at stress and sleep

Maiysa - what food would be good to add back in to help relieve constipation?

Stacy finds fiber to be incredibly important to her healthy bowel movement equation

Listen back to the veggie show for some ideas on how Stacy and Sarah consume vegetables

Soluble fiber adds bulk to stool which can make it easier to pass, so Sarah recommends looking for paleo sources of starchy foods

Final Thoughts (58:03)

Both Stacy and Sarah see a great benefit from elevating their feet on a stool

A bit on enigmas - look to this show for more on coffee enigmas

Truly evaluating what you are eating and how foods may be impacting your bowel health

A breastfeeding show is in the future

Thanks everyone for listening, we will be back next week!

Outro (1:12:26)

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