When we have “upset stomachs” or any other uncomfortable feeling in the tummy region our first instinct is to retrace our culinary steps to see what food or beverage is the culprit. While often it may be a bad burger or expired milk causing your digestive system to go haywire, it may also be emotional problems or your body’s way of telling you that something far worse than a bad meal is affecting you.
In our society we tend to shy away from discussions on “messy” topics such as digestive or bowel disorders. Unfortunately that is why so many of us are afflicted with bowel disorders, because it is often the last thing we think of when we feel ill.
Think of the last time you felt unwell; what did you do first? Retrace the food you ate to determine what could have possibly made you sick? Did you jog your memory to see if you were recently near someone who was sick? Or did you recount your recent lack of sleep, levels of stress and anxiety? Chances are good your investigation stopped after you remember that late night curry bowl, but the truth is the insomnia or stress is a more likely culprit for your bowel problems.
It isn’t just me who believes this either. Dr. Bernard Jensen (45) has often stated that emotional strain is one of the largest strains on the bowel, and it is the one which we are least often aware. In fact Jensen believes it is a symbiotic relationship: our emotions affect our bowels and our bowels affect our emotions. Since our daily lives are filled with a range of emotions we will start with the most common of all bowel disorders: constipation.
Continue reading “Bowel Disorders Part 1 – What Is Constipation?”