<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>

List mates, After I posted my summary on this topic, I received two very
interesting replies from Nancy Mitchell ([log in to unmask]) that I
thought many of you may benefit from.  ~Valerie in Tacoma, WA

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        I also suffer constipation with any gluten/dairy ingestion & stress.
The only thing that helped before going GF was wheat bran, but then I was
covered w/ DH.

        A few years ago I met a myofacial therapist.  She gave me a series of
visceral treatments to get my intestines relaxed, out of spasm and
working in a coordinated rhythm.  She said that years of gluten ingestion
had put my digestive tract into trauma.

        The treatments worked like a charm.  Now, if get constipated
from stress or food, I do the treatment to myself, unless I am too
stressed and need the power of a professional. In the past year of using
this method, I have cut my laxative use by 95% This type of treatment is
especially good for babies and children as they are more relaxed and one
with their bodies.

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        Another great way to relieve constipation is a form of deep abdominal
breathing exercise called, "Hara".  In Hara, Japanese for breathing, the
lower abdomen is extended or pushed out on the inhale and pulled in on
the exhale.

        The correct inhale bears down on the stomach, so that the lower
abdomen
protrudes as far as possible and is hard to the touch.  The correct
exhale draws the navel back toward the spine.

        Accompanying this slow, deep, disciplined breathing is a series of
standing stretching movements that pull the lungs open and stimulate the
organs.

        Personally, I have a weakness and bloating of my lower abdomen
(another
CD symptom?)that I have alway tried to conceal by holding it in.  It
appears that this compensating posture has contributed to my constipation
as Hara Breathing works within a matter of minutes to a few hours.