Bowel health

[geForce]

I've been dealing with bowel issues for a few years now, ever since I was treated for the H.Pylori bacteria in my stomach, my bowel has never been the same. I think it was a combination of the extra strong triple dose of antibiotics used to kill the H.Pylori that also killed all the good bacteria in my digestive tract too that is causing all the problems. Doctor can't really seem to figure it out.. and I'm just left with having to deal with it day by day.

Anyway - bowel health is no laughing matter. I know there are a few of us dealing with it now too, but probably a lot more of you who don't like to think or talk about it. I strongly encourage you to talk to your doctor if you notice anything weird happening with your bowels and bowel movements.

Things to be wary of:

- Colour and consistency of your stools: Go to your doctor if your stools are black/stinky, loose with undigested food, comes out thin and pencil size/shape, you get combination of diarrhea and constipation
- Heart burn, acid indigestion: This may also cause coughing at night because your throat relaxes when you sleep and the extra acid comes up your throat. Untreated acid indigestion might cause stomach or throat cancer. Also, new studies have found that 85% of acid indigestion is caused by the H.Pylori bacteria (as mentioned above), so your doctor will most likely test for this bacteria first.
- Pains in your lower back or abdomen: A lot of this can be referred pain from your digestive tract. These little pain pangs shouldn't be ignored because it might be a symptom for something serious, or something not serious... but you can't tell just by how it feels.
- Don't use too much NSAID painkillers. This is the medication used in Advil. Using too much of it will cause your stomach wall to thin out and become more susceptible to being burnt by stomach acid.


A healthy bowel is a good indicator of your overall health, so that's why I was trying to bring this up in this health challenge forum.

[supersuk]

I am king of bowel movements

[jeSteR]

I always thought that it was odd that most of you only go once a day. I can't remember that last time that I went less than 2 times in a day...

Maybe I'm just full on it.

[geForce]

[joel]

I used to have some bowel movement issues. So i started eating yogurt daily. I think it's helped keep things pretty regularly since then.

As for the stool it always seems different from deposit-to-deposit. Usually dependent on what I ate that day.

[Wetundies]

Falls under gastric and digestive disorders. Deal with patients about it all the time. Try some probiotics, 5 billion+ culture count is best.

Take a look at ur tongue, you can see it reflected there. A normal tongue is pink, moist with thin white coating, anything else, there's something going on.

[supersuk]

yohurt and fiber tends to keep people regular..........

My diet is all over the place, sometimes I poop once a day, sometimes I poop once every 2 days, sometimes i poop twice day. Depends on what I eat and how much. The important thing is that when I feel like pooping, the poop comes out.

[Wetundies]

Don't take those fiber pills if your constipated, cuz it'll act more as a binding agent then helping you poop.

[nature boy]

there was a time a month or so ago that i was going like 2-3 times a day easy. winnie thought i was going nuts.

i never had a regular schedule. i just go when i need to (unless i'm in public then sometimes i'd rush home, depending on where i was).

a lot of those extra poops were from bad eating habits though. i should stay away from raw chicken.

[geForce]

Maybe that could be your health challenge... better eating habits.
I remember Jai pointed out to me one pretty important thing that helps with bowel health - chewing your food. I think a lot of you know I eat fast, and I didn't really take it to heart until Jai pointed out that I probably don't chew my food enough.

I'm a bit better now, but could still improve. Chewing your food adequately will actually lead to better digestion and nutrient absorption, and may even lead to eating less because you're getting more out of less.

[nature boy]

yeah, i heard that chewing food thing too.
i rarely chew i think. maybe 4-5 times but definitely not the 20 or whatever times they recommend.