LISTEN TO YOUR COLON: The Complete Natural Healing Guide For Constipation - by Jini Patel Thompson

The first chapter of Listen to Your Colon teaches you how to use herbal supplements as part of a holistic healing journey, addressing the root cause of a symptom rather than suppressing it. You’ll learn how to introduce supplements, and how to make sure your supplements meet the claims made on their label (up to 80% of them don’t). This chapter also offers valuable information on what to do if you’re not seeing the desired results.

This chapter will help you determine the cause or causes of your constipation, and what type of constipation you suffer from (peristaltic or stenosis). Jini underlines the importance of identifying and reducing stress to treat constipation, and teaches you how to use the mind/body connection to communicate with your colon in order to “negotiate” changes in your bowel habits. This chapter introduces several effective constipation treatments, including wild oregano oil, colonic massage, enemas, probiotics, and natural substances like psyllium, magnesium and potassium. Jini also explains how to treat hemorrhoids, strictures and fissures, and how to adapt all of these protocols to treat children.

Spastic colon is when your colon suffers from random attacks of diarrhea, constipation and spasming. This chapter examines the cause(s) of spastic colon, and introduces a number of effective natural treatments for adults and children, depending on your age and your symptoms. These treatments include colonic massage, stress reduction, and supplements like probiotics, psyllium seed, bentonite clay, and peppermint oil.

Jini explains the effect diet can have on your colon. She identifies which foods are known to cause or worsen constipation, which foods can alleviate it, and the two best dietary changes you can make to relieve constipation. She describes the importance and use of a food diary to discover how to customize your diet to your body’s tolerances. Other topics include the role of gluten sensitivity (celiac disease) in constipation, diarrhea, and bowel inflammation; soluble vs insoluble fiber, and the importance of “good fats” in your diet. The chapter closes with an ongoing maintenance diet to ensure good bowel health for the entire family.

Jini sees symptoms as messages, and points out that while taking a drug may suppress a symptom and give you temporary relief, you are left with an even bigger problem when the symptom eventually returns (as you have not identified and healed the root cause). You then not only have to deal with the symptom, but also with the damage done to your body by the drug, and with detoxifying from the drug. Learn about the drugs most commonly prescribed to treat chronic constipation, and their possible side effects. Jini coaches you in how to look beyond the symptom or symptoms to learn what message your body is trying to send you.

Listen to Your Colon concludes with a Quick-Action Treatment to help provide you immediate relief from your constipation. Jini also discusses the pros and cons of several other commonly used natural laxatives, including chlorophyll, dandelion leaves, and senna. In closing, Jini provides her readers with a number of resources for further help and information.