Moving Things Along

[Guest guest]

Jennette wrote: I tried miralax but it caused such

swelling of my abdomen and the rest of my body to the point of gaining 6# in a

matter of 4 days, which I lost about 3 days after I stopped taking it. Senna

seems to keep me moving in a normal fashion.

On an as needed basis as a laxative, there is a tea called " Super Dieter " tea.

They have lots of flavors which makes it nice. It contains Senna as the active

ingredient, but it also contains other herbs like 'marshmallow root' (and

others) to help soothe the tissues irritated by the Senna.

Another herb that gets things moving along is Cascara Sagrada. It's powerful as

well, and should only be taken on an as needed basis, or the body could become

dependent on it. Cascara, like Senna forces muscle contractions to get things

moving.

The other things that cause bulk and push things along without causing any

muscle contractions are like oat bran, oatmeal (espeically the smooth liquid

that comes out of the oatmeal when cooked with excessive water), flax seed,

whole wheat, psyllium husks, etc.

Another alternative that I have found in my researching that moves things along,

and that's cayenne, or chili. Chili stimulates the blood flow and increases

circulation. Chili can keep things flowing as well. Turmeric, which is not a

chili, also can help with digestion which in turn helps with bowel movements.

Turmeric is nice because it regulates. It can stop constipation and diarrhea.

I rarely purchase any OTC meds, because I'm allergic to the fillers used. So, I

always end up with some kind of alternative method.

But, each person's body is so different. Above are the avenues I have tried in

the past, but with my current diet (that I've been on about 5 yrs now), I no

longer suffer from constipation. I also consume cayenne daily, so that my be a

helper also.

Jade