This sounds like a pitch for some miracle drug but one major factor in the prevention of some common cancers and skin problems like acne starts with the basics of elimination. This is the second part of our two part discussion on what is rarely spoken about but is vital to ensuring overall health and wellbeing, the bowel movement. Studies indicate that regular and healthy (healthy means having “normal” bowel movements as discussed in part 1 of this series) bowel movements will help to reduce your risk of both breast and colon cancer. With acne, many people with constipation will find that their skin looks less clear and radiant and are more prone to outbreaks.
If you think of your colon as your body’s ultimate trash can and if your trash can gets full the trash will then overflow to places such as your skin resulting in less vibrant skin and acne, among other things. Having sufficient and well formed stools will also help regulate the normal healthy bacteria in your gut which in turn helps to keep your colon from developing imbalanced or disease causing bacteria which then leads to risk of colon cancer. In breast cancer prevention, the health bacteria in your gut is responsible for detoxifying excess hormones and eliminating these excess hormones in your stool is imperative in preventing an estrogen dominance situation which could lead to an increased risk of breast cancer.
Here are some pointers that I often give my patients who are dealing with Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), constipation, diarrhea, ulcerative colitis and Chron’s disease. These pointers should help you get on the road to achieving optimal bowel movements which is the very first step in an prevention plan for chronic disease. Also, if you are suffering with IBS and other inflammatory bowel diseases, these same pointers will help relieve your suffering and get you on the road to recovery. Incidentally, all IBS, and inflammatory bowel disease are preventable and curable without medications and surgery, these pointers are some of the first steps toward stopping these uncomfortable and tenacious diseases.
Fiber
Grains, fruits and vegetables are the first step to getting enough fiber into your colon so that you have plenty of volume to push through the waste products. If you have irritable bowel syndrome wheat may not be the best choice of grain for you. Try some other whole grains such as brown rice, oats, spelt, quinoa, amaranth, millet and wild rice. Dark leafy greens also help such as kale, collard greens, mustard greens, beet greens, broccoli, cabbage etc. Fruits with the skin on if possible helps with the fiber as well. Fiber helps to both add volume as well as hold water. Ground flax or psyllium will also help add bulk to your stools.
Water
Many people who are constipated tend not to consume enough water during the day. I recommend water volume equal to half your weight in ounces of water plus 8 ounces for every hour of exercise, every serving of alcohol and serving of coffee. For example, if you weight 150 pounds, 75 ounces or a little over 9 cups of water throughout the day should provide you with optimal hydration. If you don’t drink a lot right now, start by increasing your water intake by about 8 ounces every few days until your reach your optimal volume based on your weight. This prevents you from having to live in the bathroom during the first few weeks of your new goal.
Probiotics
This is imperative for many people with both diarrhea and constipation as well as mucous in the stools. It is preferable to have human microflora strains of lactobacillus and bifidobacterium. It is necessary during and after every antibiotic dosage, I usually recommend about 1 month of continuous supplementation after a round of antibiotic usage. Optimal is 75 billion of both lactobacillus and bifidobacterium per day during and after antibiotics and while you have diarrhea or constipation. Once the diarrhea and constipation are resolved then you can drop down your dosage to about 12-30 billion of each per day or 3 times a week. This will help with the bloating and gas with IBS, UC and Chron’s disease as well. Also, yeast overgrowth in the digestive system will be kept at bay as well.
Not all brands of probiotics are created equal. Most over the counter brands found at your health food store have inappropriate strains or bacteria that were live when they put it into the bottle but not by the time you take the supplement. If you have a chronic inflammatory bowel disease or IBS, make sure you get a prescriptive brand from your doctor. Otherwise you won't see improvement.
In 2004 the JAMA published a study that indicated that women who took frequent antibiotics were likely to develop breast cancer. This research was funded in pary by the National Cancer Institute and it is likely that antibiotics significantly affect the probiotic levels in these women thus leaving them in an estrogen dominant environment. Additionally these probiotics also are cancer protective by helping you digest and absorb nutrients that are helpful in cancer prevention.
Food sensitivity and Food allergy elimination
Obviously what you put into your digestive system will have a huge impact on its function. There is no single optimal diet for everyone. If you don’t know if you have food sensitivities, ask your doctor to do a blood test for IgG food sensitivities. In this case, the testing methodology is very important. My favorite lab for this is Immunolabs, in Florida. Ask your doctor for this test to get the most accurate information for you about foods to eat and eliminate from your diet. Incidentally, people on acid blockers for reflux will find that identification and elimination of food sensitivities will relieve them from needing to take acid blockers for reflux and indigestion. Yes, this is even true in people with a hiatal hernia.
Digestive Enzymes
Many people on acid blockers like Prevacid or Pepcid will find that they have increasingly more difficulty with digestion and absorption of the food they eat. People can have fat digestion problems as they get older and this plays a large role in diarrhea. Look at your stools to see if you have an oily residue in the toilet water which can indicate problems with fat digestion. Issues with protein and carbohydrate digestion and absorption are a little more difficult to assess. Undigested food in your stools are a good indication that a broad spectrum digestive enzyme with each meal and significant snack is indicated.
If you take these easy steps toward normalizing your bowel movements, you will find that your overall health will improve. You may experience better energy, more vibrant skin and less abdominal discomfort. In my goal in helping people take simple disease prevention steps, I hope that this makes a large impact on your overall health.
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