What, exactly is constipation? Every single day here at my office I hear what people believe constipation is. Some people think having a bowel movement every three days is normal, and others think a movement every single morning is proof they have healthy bowels.

The word constipation means “to press or crowd together, to pack, to cram”. This would mean that packed accumulation of feces in the bowel makes evacuation difficult. With the large intestine or colon being approximately 5 feet long, you can understand that though there may be a movement daily, this does not mean that you are not constipated. If the average person ingests 3 meals a day, logically speaking there should be at least 3 bowel movements a day. Intestinal constipation causes cellular constipation. It also increases the workload of the other excretory organs – kidney, skin, liver, lungs and lymph. Primary causes of constipation are poor nutrition, ignoring the urge to go, lack of exercise, emotional and mental distress, medications, and not drinking enough pure water.

Strange as it may sound, people do not really notice the shape, size, color or smell of their own bowel movements. It is considered a taboo subject, and these things are rarely discussed. If you happen to own an animal and have ever taken it to a veterinary clinic, fecal samples are the norm. Veterinarians utilize the study of the stool sample to determine the health of the animal. Our society considers itself civilized and not in danger of parasites, worms or other infestations, so we are rarely, if ever even asked by a medical doctor about our bowels. Few people realize that the #1 cause of death world-wide is worm infestation! It is rare in allopathic medicine to even hear that diet and regularity of bowel movements may play a large part in your illness.

As Norman W. Walker has said: “The fact of the matter is that constipation is the number one affliction underlying nearly every ailment; it can be imputed to be the initial, primary cause of nearly every disturbance of the human system. It is vital to stress that constipation affects the health of the colon upon which the health of the body in its entirety depends.”

Dr. Bernard Jensen, DC, Ph.D., Nut. also has important words to say on this subject: “Both British and South African medical scientists strongly insist that what is usually referred to as “regularity” may be a matter of life and death. Insufficient numbers of bowel movements and too little fiber and bulk in the feces may often explain the existence of gall bladder disorders, heart problems, varicose veins, appendicitis, clotting in deep veins, hiatal hernia, diverticulosis, arthritis and cancer of the colon” and further “when regularity is absent in the diet, there is chaos in the bowel. In most cases, simply changing the diet and eating habits will alleviate many bowel problems without surgery.”

As an I-ACT (International Association for Colon Therapy) National Board Certified Colon therapist for over 14 years I have seen constipation as the #1 affliction that affects all other health complaints in a fundamental way. Get to the root of your problems, cleanse and detoxify your Colon.