What can help with chronic constipation?

My youngest has been suffering from constipation for a couple of weeks. The only way she can go by the use of laxatives and stimulants. The doctors are not being much help. What can we do or use to help her?

I have suffered from this since I was a child. From the sounds of your situation, your doctors aren't much help…mine weren't either until now.

First, please have your doctors check for a lactose and wheat intolerance because that could solve your problem right off the bat. If there is an intolerance and you eliminate these from the diet, problem should be solved.

Here's what we have done and it is finally working!

2 doses per day of Milk of Mag, a daily dose of fiber and a TON of water. I had to do this for about two months to train my digestive system to go daily. Once I had gotten on a schedule of daily bowel movements, I was able to slow down to one dose per day of the Milk of Mag. After about a total of 4 months, my body took over and started to do what it was supposed to do.

I still have problems triggered by certain foods so I also did a food diary to try and figure out which ones were causing the problem.

Your child may have juvenille Irritable Bowel Syndrome as well. This can be helped, but not cured, with a certain type diet and help from the doctors. Keep hounding them and they should eventually start to get the ball rolling.

Good Luck!

what is a natural way to fix painful constipation?

my dear friend suffers terribly from constipation. I imagine it's from the medication he has to take. Considering that not taking the medication at this point is simply not an option, and he's stuck eating hospital food – what is a natural way he can cure his constipation? it breaks my heart to hear that he's up till 3am in horrible pain! he's the sweetest guy – can anyone help?

High fiber foods can help a lot. Soluble fiber from fruit and veg will help the most in terms of stool softening. But insoluble fiber, like that from whole grains will also help.

Although I always recommend foods first and foremost constipation from medication is probably going to require a little more. Something like a high fiber drink (benefiber is the best as it has the most soluble, or metamucil if you can get that). The hospital may even supply this.

One thing to remember about fiber is you also need water! Fiber works as it is not digested and it attracts water into the bowel. This makes you stools softer, easier to pass and quicker (as they are more bulky so you push them through faster). But you need to be drinking water too. Not excessive, but about 1-2L per day.

Lactose can help as it works the same way as fiber, attracting water into the bowel. But it can cause bloating and flatulence as the undigested lactose (a sugar) is fermented by the colonic bacteria.