constipation
This is an embarrassing subject but is anyone else having this problem? I’m on
the 4th week of the 5 pen and I keep getting constipated. I took peri-colace,
increased the fiber and am drinking more water, and taking a stool softner but
not getting alot of relief. Can someone help?
March 24th, 2005 at 5:06 pm
I kind of hate to say this because it revives (again) the high carb -
high protein discussion, but what are you eating?
If you considered a very high fiber diet (lots of cruciferous
vegetables, fruits, whole grains) you might find that you problem
completely goes away.
Any sort of medicinal products you take (be they chemical fiber
supplements or laxatives) all come with rebound effects and a
mechanism of action that makes your system work faster in a
non-natural way.
Try drinking a 128 ounces (16 glasses) of water a day. (***YES! YOU
HAVE TO WORK UP TO THAT OVER TIME***START WITH AN ADDITIONAL 8 OUNCES
A DAY OVER WHAT YOU’RE DRINKING AND ADD ONE ADDITIONAL GLASS EVERY
WEEK) and 30 - 40 grams of natural fiber a day. As you work up to that
you will likely have some transient bloating and gas, but it will pass.
Unless you have some form of intestinal blockage, or other major GI
issue, you will likely find it impossible to be constipated on that
amount of fiber!
March 25th, 2005 at 1:42 am
Andrew –
You’re not someone who eats a lot of foods that would "bind one up" so
it’s unlikely you’d suffer from constipation.
And for someone who drinks a lot of water, the consumption changes are
rarely a problem. But when you have someone who IS constipated, one of
the first things you look at is water consumption, and it is
statistically rare that such a person is consuming large quantities of
water, or that they ever have. If someone like that suddenly drank a
whole bunch of water, they would be uncomfortable, thus the
recommendation to work up to it.
Often also, people with constipation have something called "leaky gut
syndrome" — drinking more water helps this, but drinking a lot when
you haven’t been doing so is REALLY uncomfortable.
With a diet like yours or mine, there is always a lot of fiber, and a
lot of watery foods, so the drinking of water is less of a concern.
And whenever I see you post, Andrew, I’m oh so glad you’re back with
us! <hugs>
Jessica
March 25th, 2005 at 10:46 am
Jessica,
Well, that agreement we had once seems to have fallen into disrepair. (smile)
Drinking a gallon of water or more a day can screw up one’s electrolye balance
and cause serious health problems if the body cannot adequately process it. I
hope no one runs out and starts pushing vast quantities of water because it
could harm them. The best way to increase intake is a bit at a time to get the
body used to it. (I know you did not recommend going out and gulping down a
gallon of water but not everyone starts things in moderation, which is why I’m
making a disclaimer.)
Drinking a gallon or more of water is not for everyone. Please note that anyone
with kidney problems (which many diabetics have) need to be careful. Research I
have read indicates that overhydration lands people in the hospital. Anyone with
a lot of water weight - which many diabetic medications cause - need to be
careful about not overhydrating and ending up with congestive heart failure,
from the allopathic sites I have read. Overhydrating is as big a problem as
being dehydrated - just in a different direction. Moderation in all things over
the short haul.
Note, I am not a physician nor do I play one on TV, but I do read and research a
lot. I know that the leaky gut syndrome thing has been playing in the
alternative medical field for a long time, I’m just not sure how valid it is if
even Weil is not embracing it.
The first thing to look for when doing low carb is the fact it is low carb and
low fiber. Atkins speaks to this in his books and makes recommendations for
adding fiber to the diet even if one has to take fiber pills. Atkins
specificially points out that people who start low carbing can experience
constipation. So does Bernstein. Water is good (in moderation) as are other
liquids without without a residue content (such as green tea) and I drink at
least 64 ounces of liquid a day, but not a gallon or more. Personally, I can’t
drink a gallon or more of water. I would have to have a pilot relief tube. I’m
sure I’m not the only one. (smile) I’ve tried to have a lot more intake and
the result is usually that I wished the bucket seat in the car was a real
bucket.
We will have to disagree about the validity of a lot of grains and fruits in the
diabetic diet since I’m more of the 20 gram a day person that 200 gram a day
person. I do agree that some fruits (a few low glycemic index ones) are good
and some people can tolerate some grains but many, if not most, diabetics do
poorly on a high carb diet. Granted, they do better on a high carb vegan diet
than the do on a high carb ADA diet, but they don’t do as well as they do on a
restricted carb diet like Bernstein or Atkins in terms of low blood glucose,
weight loss and longevity. (speaking in general terms and not about
individuals).
Okay, now that we are back to disagreeing or at least not being entirely in
harmony on an issue the world can stop holding its collective breath and relax.
(big smile)
Marsha
March 25th, 2005 at 1:37 pm
Drinking a gallon or more of water is not for everyone
That is so true. I have had people tell me so many times, "Drink lots of
water, its good for you." Well, actually, it isn’t good for me. I have lung
disease and fluids can go to my lungs and cause me to end up in intensive care
in the hospital. The lung doctor has told me to not drink more than 2
liters of fluid a day and said 1 liter would be even better. When I am well, I
drink whatever amount of fluid I want as dictated by thirst. But if I get sick
and end up in the hospital, the first thing they do is to take all liquids
away from me including IVs. I am lucky to get a half a cup of ice chips every
4 hours! Janet
March 26th, 2005 at 3:29 am
Marsha,
I was very clear that no one should just start drinking tons of water,
that one should work up to it. On that we have no disagreement.
I of course agree that if you have any medical problem, like kidney
problems, you need to be very careful about water consumption.
But perhaps you have hit on the crux of our disagreement. I’m not even
close to a fan of allopathic medicine. I believe in least invasive
first, the the next-least invasive treatment, etc. My guess on "leaky
gut syndrome" is that while you don’t believe in its existance, you do
believe in the existance of "diverticulosis" and "diverticulitis"
which are, in allopathic terms, very similar conditions.
A few days ago, you mentioned "500 carbs in a day" — and I’ve thought
about that, since I’ve never actually counted the number of carbs I
eat in a day. I plan to wait until it gets cooler and figure out how
many I eat in a day. 100 degree weather is a bad time to check,
because I can’t really eat when it’s this hot. Yesterday, I ate a
handful of blueberries, an apple with a little all-natural (no trans
fats) peanut butter, and a glass of milk. Oh, and close to a gallon of
water. Basically an all-carb diet. But my blood glucose stayed between
90 and 100.
And as an aside — I’ll wave as I drive past Boston next week. Okay,
I’ll be on 495, so I won’t be THAT close, but near enough <grin>. For
all our disagreements, I get from your postings that you went back to
law school as a grandmother, and I think that’s TERRIFIC! I come to
New Hampshire every summer — usually for longer than this year’s
trip. So maybe next year, once you and I have lost weight and
(hopefully) gotten off all our drugs, I’ll buy you dinner!
Jessica
March 26th, 2005 at 4:51 pm
Hi Jessica,
I know you didn’t recommend people start drinking tons
of water. I just know how the human condition works -
people see something and say, "Oh, I should do that"
and run out and buy a gallon of filtered water and the
rest is history. So the caveat was more about
working up to a large water intake.
I actually am not a huge fan of allopathic medicine,
but it DID bring us Byetta. It has also, quite
literally, saved my life on more than one occassion.
Were it not for a couple of good surgeons who were
able to intervene in emergency situations I would have
been dead and buried twice already.
My Mom had gut problems, but it never leaked into her
body. I think, perhaps the alternative medical crowd
got a little over-expansive in definition of the
effects of some gut problems. That tends to happen
when there is not a good understanding of how the body
really works mechanically. The flip side is true -
most allopaths don’t understand a whit about
alternative or homeopathic medicine.
I have no problem with many things that are
alternative. My husband is a lay homeopath. I am a
great fan of acupuncture and EFT and NLP, but my
acupuncturist is a Harvard trained NP with a good
Western medical background as well as an Eastern
medical background. Note: The Chinese are adopting
some allopathic medicine (much of it, actually) and
much of allopathic medicine is non-invasive. My
doctor is a D.O. who is also a chiropractor and he is
very much into alternative treatments, but he still
treated my severe bronchitis with an antibiotic (of
which I approve!) and I’m starting to recover. There
is a place for allopathic medicine and right now
diabetes is one of the places forward looking
allopaths are making progress.
Hi have bad news for ya. Peanut butter has fat in it
and protein as well, milk has protein and fat (unless
you are drinking skim milk) therefore blueberries,
peanut butter and and milk has protein and fat to it.
It is not an all-carb diet. Sorry ’bout that. I
like 1/4 cup of blueberries now and then myself.
Hey, I’m off 495. In fact, I’m on your way to NH.
Where is your grandmother at? I’m off exit 42A of
495. Yeah, I’m grammy law student. You drive
careful, especially in this heat wave! And bring your
jug of water to help keep cool! (smile)
Hmmmm - now where WOULD we be able to eat? That’s a
question, eh? (Good pointing that out, Andrew!).
March 27th, 2005 at 9:35 am
I don’t know about Boston, but there is a great place
called "Everybody’s Cafe" in the Poconos. It started out as a pure
vegetarian restaurant, but they added meats. It really IS for
everyone.
March 27th, 2005 at 6:11 pm
Marsha –
I’m meeting my aunt and uncle in Westchester around 7 am, probably
hitting Worcester by 10:30 - 11:00. I will have my darling with me.
Therefore, we stop to find a patch of grass for her to stretch her
legs every few hours. SO! If you contact me off-list, and send me
your phone number if you’ll be home, I’ll send you back my cell
number, and perhaps if you’re around we could share a glass of
liquid (maybe water <grin>) and say hi. I’ve spoken with people
I’ve "met" on lists — but I’ve never actually met one in person!
And if you want to meet somewhere for a cup of coffee (provided
there are trees nearby as I can’t leave the pup in the car) — I’ll
buy.
Jessica