DID YOU KNOW…

Women who are constipated may be 4 times more likely to get Breast Cancer.

Background Information

Constipation is one of the most common medical complaints in the United States. It can lead to fatigue, depression, bloating, gas, obesity, bad breath, foul body odor, hemorrhoids, PMS, bowel obstruction, spastic colon and more! Constipation can occur at any age, and is more common in women than in men (and is especially apt to occur during pregnancy). Age alone does not increase the frequency of constipation, but elderly people (especially women) are more likely to suffer from constipation.

How does Constipation create poor health? For starters, constipation slows down food transit time. The transit time of food is defined by the elapsed time is takes for a meal to enter the mouth and then exit the rectum. The transit time of food should be less than 24 hours. Constipation causes food transit time to slow down.

Why is this a problem? When transit time slows down, putrified material stays in the colon longer, and toxins can enter the bloodstream through the intestinal wall. This can lead to autointoxification, which causes everything from headaches to autoimmune disorders. Additionally, slow transit time can lead to a build-up of toxic material along the intestinal walls. This build-up reduces the absorption of good nutrients. This is called mal-absorption. This state deprives the body of nutrients that create energy and vitality. This is why so many constipated people complain of fatigue and depression.

What is Autointoxification? Slowed transit time in the colon can lead to the absorption of toxins. These toxins stem from putrified fecal material that has not been eliminated. The absorption of toxins from within the body’s digestive system is a form of self-poisoning or autointoxification. Connected to the digestive system are your circulatory and lymphatic systems. Toxins from food and its digestive by-products can enter the bloodstream when digestion is poor and bowel movements are infrequent. Once this occurs, toxins can settle into the tissue, creating many disease states including autoimmune disorders. Colon cancer, the second leading cause of death in the United States, can result from years of autointoxification. Even the traditional medical community recognizes the connection between constipation and serious disease. The Lancet, a prestigious British medical journal, reported 20 years ago that women who are constipated are 4 times more likely to develop breast cancer.