The answer to this question depends on what type of health care practitioner you ask, conventional or alternative?
Conventional medical practitioners do not consider constipation a serious condition unless it is causing severe intestinal blockage/obstruction and pain; with or without the presence of a particular diagnosis such as intestinal cancer, etc. I have seen numerous patients with severe constipation who would only have one BM every 2-3 weeks! Some such patients would NEVER have the urge to defecate, and would have to artificially induce defecation by consuming laxatives every 1-2 weeks. Upon asking the medical history of these patients, I have heard it all. Some say that their conventional medical practitioner did not offer any therapies for their constipation (or the constipation of their child), saying that it is fine to not have a BM for 1-2 weeks, and no major consequences are to be expected as long as there is no underlying disease. Others are told that they have to live with this condition since there is no solution for it. Unfortunately, conventional medical practitioners, for the most part, do not refer patients to alternative medical practitioners for alternative solutions at this point in the evolution of medicine.
From the perspective of most alternative health care practitioners (including naturopathic doctors, acupuncturists, ayurvedic doctors, etc.), you must have at least 1-2 BMs daily to be healthy. Some say the ideal number of times is actually three times per day, one BM for every meal you consume.
Even though consuming a sufficient amount of fiber (found in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes) in your diet is essential, if you are dependent on eating such foods to assure daily BMs, I would question the health of your digestive system. In other words, if you have to take a fiber supplement in order to have daily BMs, the diagnosis of constipation still applies to you. You are simply masking your problem by taking extra fiber. The true solution in taking care of any health condition is in curing it, not treating it (or masking the symptom by some means, even if this may be natural such as the consumption of fiber and/or exercising on a regular basis). Note, on the other hand, that if you have more than three BMs a day, that is probably not healthy either.
I cannot tell you how many of my patients initially come in complaining of severe constipation! I see at least a few patients a day who complain of constipation, and 1-2 patients a week who have severe constipation. Most of my constipated patients have tried numerous over-the-counter supplements (such as the herb senna, which you should not take on a long-term basis as it can make your intestines lazy) and over-the-counter drugs as well as prescription pharmaceutical medications to help their constipation with no avail. I find this very sad to see since constipation can easily be cured using a few natural therapies that I offer my patients. These therapies include, but are not limited to the following:
-Proper lifestyle – including exercise and diet (such as sufficient consumption of water and fiber in the form of vegetables as well as fiber supplementation, reduction of processed and unhealthy foods, etc.) Note: I have found that some patients feel significant, and sometimes complete, relief from their constipation by simply drinking 2 glasses of warm water first thing in the morning.
-Application of castor oil onto the entire abdomen, from nipples down to the groin as well as the sides of the trunk, making certain to cover the liver area.
-A unique form of high potency (ozonated) magnesium that I offer my patients. (Note that a mild case of constipation will respond to any form of magnesium. However, a severe case of constipation will not respond to most forms of magnesium, and you will have to take the ozonated magnesium.)
-A persons unique constitutional homeopathic remedy. Homeopathic remedies provide proper energy flow throughout the body which can ultimately cure constipation which is more often than not a reflection of energy (or chi) stagnation in the abdomen. To figure out a persons constitutional homeopathic remedy, the patient needs to see a homeopathic practitioner. I offer a constitutional homeopathic remedy to almost all my patients regardless of their conditions as I find this remedy to be indispensible in the majority of the cases I treat.
-Often, liver cleansing is a must in curing a persons constipation. The majority of cases of constipation are caused by an overly toxic liver. This cannot be tested for by a blood test.
IMPORTANT: You must first be properly evaluated and then treated by a qualified health care practitioner before you pursue any of the above suggestions since constipation can be a sign/symptom of intestinal cancers and other serious digestive illnesses.
I have never seen a single case of constipation in my practice that was not completely and easily treated using the above suggestions – even those who had a history of one BM every 10-20 days for thirty years regardless of what therapies they pursued in the past. Typically, most of my constipated patients start having more frequent BMs starting the day they see me. Some others might take a bit longer, but no more than a few days. It is noteworthy that sometimes excessive fiber can worsen a persons constipation, and fiber is definitely not a cure all therapy.
The complications of constipation are actually numerous. Without proper elimination, all the toxins stay in the body and cause numerous health problems. The following is a brief list of some of the most common complications of constipation: Fatigue, joint pain, fibromyalgia, skin conditions of various kinds, headaches, chronic sinusitis, poor immune system (catching acute illnesses frequently), lack of mental clarity, and in my opinion many different types of cancers throughout the body. (Note that the conditions above may be caused by many other factors, and this list is by no means suggesting that THE cause of these conditions is always constipation.)
I would like to share the following case since it was particularly interesting to me:
A middle age female patient with chief complaints of fibromyalgia, high cholesterol (in the 500s) and triglycerides (above 600s), and depression referred to me for an alternative opinion to what her conventional medical practitioners had recommended to her. She was taking Percocet and Soma for fibromyalgia pain, Prozac for depression, and Trazodone for insomnia. She was also offered Cymbalta for her fibromyalgia. Note that Cymbalta is an anti-depressant. She was not certain why she was offered Cymbalta for her fibromyalgia since this medication was not going to help with the actual muscle aches and pains. Furthermore, she had googled her medications, and found out that the combination of Prozac and Cymbalta (both of which are anti-depressants) was very dangerous. Coincidentally, one of the MDs on her team of providers was also concerned about this combination, and had suggested to her that she should go off of the Cymbalta. When I saw her during her initial visit, I told her that in my opinion, her main medical condition was actually constipation which she was not even complaining about! (She was having one BM a week.) I explained to her how severe constipation for decades had resulted in the accumulation of many, many toxins in all her tissues, including muscles, causing the aches and pains that are commonly referred to as fibromyalgia. I offered her a homeopathic remedy that matched her constitution, and recommended the application of castor oil packs on her abdomen along with the use of the ozonated magnesium and liver cleansing using specific UNDA numbers. When she returned in three weeks for her follow up visit, she was ecstatic. She reported that she was able to reduce the dose of her pain medications by 70%. She had started to have regular, daily BMs shortly after our first visit. Of course, her mood had also improved which I attribute to her constitutional homeopathic remedy, not to mention that her brain was probably feeling better not having so many toxins backing up in there!
Doesnt it just make sense that you need to have good input as well as good output for any mechanical system (such as the human body) in order for it to not fall apart! Imagine what would be happen if you plug up the exhaust pipe of a car?!
Dr. Sharif