Stool Health

December 2, 2009

Dark Green Stool

Stool color is a great way to judge a person’s inner health. A dark green stool may seem alarming, but in most cases is nothing to worry about. A healthy stool is usually a yellowish brown color. This can change depending on what a person is ingesting. The stool itself is made up of 75% water and 25% is the actual food and bacteria our body processes. The 25% portion is where the different colored stools come in to play.

A person who has an occasional green stool that has a normal structure does not typically have anything to worry about. If the green stool is frequent or the stool is very loose a person may want to talk with their doctor. Diarrhea and fever may indicate there is something more serious that needs medical attention.

Eating a lot of green leafy vegetables like spinach can cause a person to have green stool. Typically, it is just one or two bowel movements that are affected, but depending on how much and how fast the body digests the food it could be several bowel movements. The coloring may also be a side effect from foods rich in food dyes as well.

Digestive problems may cause green stool. If a body is not properly digesting the food correctly, the food particles will not be absorbed into the intestines, leaving colored stools. Bile salts that are not properly processed through the intestines can also cause dark green stools.

Some antibiotics may cause the stool to change color. The bacterial levels are changed due to the introduction of a medicine and the stool color will most likely be affected. These stool color changes should only be temporary and subside when the medicine is stopped.

Other illnesses like celiac disease, irritable bowel syndrome and ulcerative colitis can cause green stool. These illnesses will need to be treated by a doctor. A person may also pass green stool if their body is starving, or just not getting the nutrients it needs.

For most green stool cases, the stool will pass on its own, and is not a cause for alarm. Some products can be used that will help clean the intestinal tract and clear up the green stool issue.

Mucous Stool

November 29, 2009

If you notice you occasionally have mucous in your stool, don’t panic. It’s normal to have a certain amount of mucous in your stool. However, if you notice that you have mucous stool frequently there could be some underlying cause. Sometimes if you have constipation or diarrhea you will notice more mucous stool. Thankfully, most of the causes of mucous stool are not serious.

Mucous stool can be caused by many different things. Some of the more serious things that can cause mucous stool are Crohn’s Disease can Ulcerative Colitis. Crohn’s Disease is a type of inflammatory bowel disease. Most of the time Crohn’s Disease can be managed by making some simple lifestyle changes such as smaller meals, exercise, and a healthier diet. Ulcerative Colitis is another type of inflammatory bowel disease that affects the large intestine and rectum. Depending on the severity of the disease, it can be treated with medication and in some cases can be cured with surgery. If you have mucous in your stool on a regular basis, you may possibly have one of these diseases and should contact your physician to learn more.

Some other minor things that can cause mucous in the stool are a bacterial infection, anal fissures, and irritable bowel syndrome. A bacterial infection usually also causes vomiting and diarrhea and will be gone without treatment in 1-3 days. Anal fissures are just tears and cracking of the skin around the anus. It’s usually caused by straining when going to the bathroom and is brought on by constipation. Most of the time they heal on their own, but occasionally require a doctor’s care. Irritable bowel syndrome is a bowel disorder that can cause chronic pain, bloating, diarrhea or constipation. It’s usually not serious and including more fiber in the diet can help to relieve symptoms.

Mucous is usually present in the stool because it keeps the lining of the colon moist. A small amount of mucous is not a cause for concern. If you notice mucous in your stool on a regular basis and have any of the other symptoms mentioned above, you should let your doctor know.

How To Do A Home Colonic

Now more so people are getting more in tune with their bodies. Trying to get all the bad toxins out of their bodies.Giving yourself a home colonic can help you to achieve this. There are some really big reasons to give yourself a home colonic to help you one of the biggest reasons is to help you absorb more nutrients and also helps you with your muscle tone.

There are some symptoms that you should look for before you think about giving yourself a home colonic.

If you have any of these symptoms then you should consider giving yourself a home colonic:

fatigue
constipation
bloating
gas or bad breathe
feeling like you have something on your tongue
body odor
skin problems
lower back pain
depression
poor memory
lethargic

Now these seems like symptoms that are common in a lot of people but that could be the main problem. A lot of people over look these problems and just relate them to something that occurs everyday.

If you are looking to do a home colonic then you might want to look into going with alternative medicine because this method is not recognized by the average doctor.

Now because home colonics are becoming more popular there are a wide variety of colonic kits that you can get online.These will help you with detoxifying your body.The other option is you can get a reusable enema bag online and fill it with water and probiotics and insert it into the rectal area. This will help fill up the colon and flush it out.

There are something that you should consider doing after you do a home colonic

drink some fluids a half hour after doing this procedure but not drink any fluids while you are doing the home colonic.

Avoid anything with caffeine in it this kills all bacteria in the colon

Avoid anything that you would make with flour the body has a hard time breaking down yeast in the colon

Never force yourself to do a number 2 you should always do this naturally. If you feel that you are not going enough through out a week, then there are some natural ways to take care of this.

These kits that you will get online will help you preform a home colonic or you can get a enema bag that will work the same way. This maybe a little uncomfortable to do at home at first, but with time this will become easier and will help you get out all those terrible toxins in your system.

How To Do A Colon Cleasing

Colon cleasing can be performed in a number of ways. However, there are certain ways to cleanse a colon to increase its effectiveness. First of all, you should eliminate or severely limit the amount of sugar and gluten in your system, especially if you are doing a colon clease because of candida albicans. Candida albicans is a diploid fungus that resides naturally in your body. Sometimes, this fungus can overproduce and cause many adverse symptoms such as migraines, yeast infections, gastritis and even autoimmune diseases (i.e. fibromyaliga). If you have candida overgrowth, eliminating sugar and gluten will help control the production of candida. Otherwise, it will be hard to get rid of excess candida as candida feeds on sugar and yeast.

Secondly, eat lots of vegetables as they contain digestive enzymes which can kill candida. Juicing or drinking the juices of raw vegetables ensures that you are getting the enzymes. Some of the enzymes can be lost in the cooking processed in the case of frozen or canned vegetables. Vegetables create phagocytosis in the body. This is where white blood cells eliminate unbalanced red blood cells (ones that contain fungus, toxins and parasites) and eliminate them.

Though colon cleases can be done with herbs, spices and certain foods, it will save you time if you purchase a colon cleasing kit from the health food store. These kits have a mixture of these foods, spices and herbs that will help eliminate candida, toxins and parasites from your body. You will mix either a powder or syrup in water or your favorite beverage and drink the mixture each day. A typical colon cleansing program lasts about one month. Your other option is undergo colonic irrigation. This is the process of cleansing your colon with ozonated water. The treatments are usually administered by a colon hydrotherapist at an office location. However, there are home kits available that usually run about $300. The actual sessions will last about 40 minutes. During this time, you will keep the water constantly running through all three sections of your large intestines: Descending, transverse and ascending. If your symptoms are severe, you may be doing colonic irrigation several times per week for several months.

Also, while colon cleasing with your method of choice, you should take probiotics. These are “friendly” bacteria that can replenish the natural bacteria in your colon, which are usually eroded during a candida albicans outbreak.

Feces Color

Feces also known as stools are the waste product of the digestive system. The appearance and the color can vary depending on the overall state of the health of the digestive system. The color variation found in feces can be indicative of health problems.

A yellow feces color can indicate the presence of jaundice, jaundice is not a disease but rather a symptom of an underlying problem. A yellow stool can also be caused by a parasitic infection. called Giardia this paracitic infection can cause severe yellow color diarrhea. This is a contagious condition that must be reported.

Black feces color this is caused by blood in the intestine that has been there long enough to have be broken down by digestive system . The condition is usually caused by bleeding by some sort of bleeding in the stomach or the intestines. The black color is often cause for concern because it is a sign of iron in the blood.. some medications can cause the stool to become a black color so if you are on medication it would be wise to check with your doctor to see if these are causing a stool color change. Undigested blood in the digestive tract can cause a bright red feces color and should be addressed by a doctor. Alcoholism can cause the passage of a red-black feces color. This is usually a rather serious condition.

There are many foods that if ingested in large amounts will cause changes to your  feces color. Have you ever notices in babies how their stools will often be green? This is due to the fact that the digestive systems of infants are not yet use to the digestive process. Foods with a large amount of food coloring added can also affect the color of the feces. this is because the food dye will react with the bile in the system and affect the color of the feces. Changes in the feces color are usually harmless and will reflect the dietary influences.

There are specific and consistent changes to be on the alert for. The black foul smelling stool for example can be a warning sign of uclers or tumors. Typicaly from the stomach or small intestine. A feces that is the color of clay can be a sign of a lack of bile due to a blocked bile duct. A pale yellow and oily looking feces can indicate that fat is not being absorbed to due a problem with the pancreas such as cancer or cystic fibrosis.

Mucous Poop

When mucous is passed in the stool, It is important to take notice and seek help because it is usually a sign of something going on in the digestive system.

The mucous poop could be a sign of an infection such as salmonella or shigellosis. In the case of infection look for other symptoms such as malaise, blood in the stool and diarrhea. It’s a good idea to seek help fast if infection is thought to be the cause of mucous poop.
In other instances it’s important to notice when mucous is passed in the stool. Is it after eating certain foods? Is it anticipating or after stressful events. The answer to these questions can help the doctor find out the cause of the mucous poop.

Diet can cause a person to pass mucous in their stool. Celiac disease, an inability to process the gluten in certain foods such as wheat, could be the cause of the problem. There are tests for celiac disease such as the ANTI-TTG ANTIBODIES IGA test that can be administered by a doctor, usually a gastroenterologist.
If food allergies are suspect, the doctor may also prescribe a test. Food allergies can be detected by elimination, a blood test, and a skin prick test.

If any one of these conditions are the case, a change in diet is usually a major help for the problem.

Two other common causes of mucous poop are due to diseases classified as Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (IBD). Two common forms of IBD are Ulcerative Colitis (CD) and Crohn’s Disease (UC). In the case UC ,the mucous membrane of the stomach is affected which can account for the mucous that is passed in the stool. UC on the other hand can affect the entire digestive system. In order to determine if someone has IBD and what type it is, the doctor may order a series of tests. These tests most likely will include blood tests, biopsies, radiological tests and endoscopic procedures.

If one is found to suffer from any form of IBD, the doctor will probably suggest a change in diet which could include cutting out caffeine, dairy and other products which can cause a flare up and a person to have mucous poop. The doctor will also recommend foods to eat while a flare up is taking place in order to ease the symptoms.

Green Bowel Movements – What You Need To Know!

Green bowel movements are very common and usually no cause for concern. People generally expect their stools to be a consistent brownish color, but it doesn’t take much to cause that to change. Any change in stool color can be very alarming, but the cause is almost always benign.

Green stools usually result from something that you have eaten, such as an abundance of green vegetables, or perhaps a food that has been artificially colored with green. Oddly enough, even foods that are artificially colored with purple can cause green bowel movements. If you’ve spent the day wolfing down salads, asparagus, or broccoli, you might find that you next bowel movement will be off color. Iron supplements or foods that are very rich in iron can also cause green bowel movements, as well as some medications such as laxatives and antibiotics.

One of the physical causes of green bowel movements is a condition called “rapid transit”. When food is digested properly, it goes through the small intestine first. When it goes through small intestine, it is full of bile and very green. After food passes through the small intestine, it then goes through the large intestine where it is turned a brownish color. Sometimes food passes through the large intestine too quickly, and this will result in a green bowel movement. This condition is very common in breast fed infants and toddlers.

However, if you are experiencing cramping, abdominal pain, lower back pain or frequent diarrhea, there is indeed a strong possibility that your symptoms are related to underlying, more serious problems, which you should seek medical advice about.

The good news is, proactive steps can be taken for better digestive system management and improved colon care.

Products for colon cleansing are becoming quite popular quite among people who want to live healthy and more energetic lives. Along with offering such advantages, colon cleansing products can aid you in eliminating harmful toxins and parasites from your body that you may not have been able to get rid of on your own. As all-natural and healthy alternatives to medical procedures and prescription medications, colon cleansing products can even restore the body’s natural process of digestion, help individuals lose weight, get better looking skin, feel more energetic… and the list goes on!

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Relief For Constipation – Natural Ways To Treat Constipation

November 26, 2009

Constipation can be a painful problem but don’t worry as there are many ways to provide you relief for constipation. Regular constipation at early age should be treated immediately because it could lead to severe digestive disorders and other health problems.

Constipation refers to irregular bowel movement that causes pain, strain and dry excretion, which is very painful. It is not a very harmful condition, but it certainly can can become one if you do not get it treated soon enough. Studies have revealed that severe constipation can even become the cause of poor absorption of nutrients and intestinal cancer.

Hence, in order to find a relief for constipation, there are a few steps that you must follow. The most important thing to remember here is that you should only consume food items that have positive health benefits for the body. Consuming proper food including milk, dairy products and vegetables in a balanced proportion can prevent constipation or any digestive problem. Vegetables are rich in fiber and nutrients, and we all know how important fiber is to combat a problem like constipation. Moreover, you also have to drink a lot of fluids including fruit juices and water. Water, obviously is the main constituent of the prevention program. Therefore, you are advised to drink at least 7-8 glasses of water every day. Water hydrates your inner body and enables the suitable flow of moisture in intestinal region.

Another thing to be added in your daily activities is regular exercise, which not only helps treat your condition, but also has an overall positive affect on your body. You can choose one of the several cardiovascular exercises such as brisk walking, running, swimming, aerobics or perhaps dancing. These activities keep your digestive system running, thereby, providing relief for constipation.

Nowadays, constipation has become a major problem for most of the people due to increased consumption of fast foods, canned food and junk foods. All these food groups are disastrous for your digestive system. In order to avoid the excruciating pain that comes with constipation, you must stay away from unhealthy food and stick to a proper diet that consists of all the essential nutrients.

For successful relief for constipation, you should try healthy solutions such as almonds, vegetables, fruits like apricot, herbs such as coconut, dandelion and avocados, rather than using laxatives on a continuous basis. You can consume the former food items in the form of salads, dips or soups according to your taste.

Dark Poop

November 25, 2009

Most people become frightened when they see dark poop in the commode. Before you being to think that you are excreting possible blood with your poop, think about what your diet was the previous evening. Some people have a digestive system that causes their poop to look a little like what they had eaten the night before.

If you have milk or a lot of light colored food and your poop is really light, do you think that there is something wrong with you? Obviously, not, but that is not to say that having internal bleeding which is usually a common cause for dark poop could not be the cause for your dark poop. It’s just one possibility among others including the kind of food that you have injested and digested.

Another common cause of dark poop is constipation. If you had been constipated and suddenly have a bowel movement, your poop will be dark because of the toxins that build up in your colon while you’re constipated. Liver could be a reason for dark poop. The speculation about dark poop could keep you guessing. The only sensible suggestion is to make an appointment with your doctor if the dark poop continues or if you experience cramping and hard stools.

There are some doctors who might request that you bring a sample of your dark poop with you to have it checked for parasites or blood. That is the only way to know for sure. What you can do if you do not want to see a medical doctor is to try and clear up your colon yourself with either a colon cleanse program or a dietary supplement like acai berry added to your daily food regiment.

Another alternative to cleaning up whatever is irritating your colon is to try and stay off of irritating food for a few days and eat plenty of dairy products. Fresh fruit and cottage cheese will probably cause some gas but it means that there is nothing seriously wrong with you and your dark poop is food related.

If you experience nausea and headaches, you should tell your doctor or visit your health food store.

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