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I originally posted about Dr. Christopher Lahrs & his website. 
http://www.constipation.net/Chapters/1_intro.html?  (Save this link, it's 
the only way I know to enter his website & read several chapters of his book 
w/o purchasing it.)

Below is some discussion I received on this topic.  [As usual, my obnoxious 
comments are in brackets.]  Valerie
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Constipation can have other causes, too. I'm a Baby Boomer, and one thing 
I've developed is a rectocele - also a urethrocele - a prolapse-type 
situation. The rectocele can cause constipation. -V

[Absolutely!  Dr. Lahrs thoroughly covers these topics in his book & 
includes amazing X-rays of each condition.  Valerie]
-----------------------
... thank you for posting this message. I have struggled with constipation 
since I was a very young girl. Other than the episodes of diarrhea when I 
ate gluten, before I was diagnosed, almost 30 years ago, I am constantly 
constipated. I have tried water, fiber, fruit, you name it. I hope I can get 
into this website for some insights.  B

[B, I totally UNDERSTAND what you've been through.  I have the exact same 
history.  I grew up thinking it was normal to have constant abdominal 
discomfort & to strain for an hour or more to pass a few rocks once or twice 
a week.  I didn't know what "normal" was until I grew up & read it in a 
book!  My mother had tests run on me & I was told to "drink fluiids & eat 
more salads" which didn't help.]
[A chronic constipation problem will only respond to a chronic solution.  
Chances are you have some nerve impairment of some sort & need a daily 
stimulant dose.  This sounds a lot scarier than it actually is.  People are 
afraid of stimulant laxatives for two reasons: (1) they've often had bad 
experiences from using the improperly and (2) all the warnings about the 
possibility of developing laxative dependence.  I'd like to address both 
these concerns below:
[ Bad experiences occur when the constipated person delays using the 
laxative in a timely basis.  They keep hoping for days on end that their 
body will eventually resolve the problem, until they develop an impaction.  
Then it takes dynamite to release it.  The release is often a painful event. 
  The person assumes the laxative is the problem rather than the way it's 
been used.  If a person is chronically constipated, they need a daily dose 
of laxative to PREVENT constipation & impactions.
[It has been believed for decades that laxative use causes the bowel to fail 
to move on it's own resulting in laxative dependence.  Clinical trials, 
however, have proven this is not true.  Study subjects who took daily 
stimulant laxatives for a period of 90 days were found to have exactly the 
same level of bowel function after the study was over as they did before the 
study began.  What is known now is that chronic constipation, just like many 
other diseases, is a progressive disease that is often related to nerve 
damage.  Bowel function can gradually fail over time whether a person uses 
laxatives or not.  Unfortunately there are still LOTS of doctors out there 
who aren't aware of the latest research & still discourage their patients 
from using laxatives when they are so desperately needed.  You'll also see 
outdated warnings of laxative dependence on every packaged laxative you buy 
in the store.  This scares people out of trying & using the very treatment 
they need most.
[So, you might try what I do and what Dr. Lahr's recommends:  a daily dose 
of X-Lax or any of the equivalent brands of senna laxatives on the market.  
Senna, an herb, is the preferred stimulant laxative because it does not work 
by irritating the bowel like most other stimulent laxatives do.  Senna works 
by directly targeting the dysfunctional nerves in the colon.  Senna laxative 
tablets are available in 8.6 mg, 15 mg and 25 mg tablets, so you can 
customize your dose.  The only known side effect of senna is brown staining 
of the colon. You will see on EVERY product with senna in it, the 
mythological warning that using laxatives can lead to dependence.  Some 
medical myths take decades to die.
[I prefer senna extract laxatives to whole leaf senna because it's refined & 
the dose is standardized.  Years ago I used a whole herb senna based 
laxative, Swiss Kriss, & got a serious allergic reaction from it.  I thought 
that meant I was allergic senna & shouldn't use it.  I've since learned that 
I can tolerate the senna extract in E-Lax & other senna based laxatives with 
no side effects at all (and I have a very sensitive gut and I AM allergic to 
every other OTC laxative).  I think I was reacting to one or more of the 
multiple herbal ingredients in Swiss Kriss.
[You'll love reading Dr. Lahr's website.  He understands us & doesn't judge 
us! Valerie]
----------------
That's funny.  The opening of the 30-min. version of "Gut Reaction" starts 
almost exactly the same way.

>     "Nobody wants to talk about the “C” word—that is, constipation. People
>can talk about unusual sexual acts on midafternoon television, but no one
>will talk about constipation. In our society it is considered impolite to
>talk about your bowel function. This means that if you experience
>constipation and its relatives—bloating, abdominal pain, straining, rectal
>pain and pelvic pressure—you probably suffer in silence. You may be
>embarrassed to mention it to your friends or family and even your
>physicians.

[Great minds think alike, huh?]

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