Part 2 – Digestive Health and Constipation in Women

Whether they’re busy professionals or busy moms, more and more women are finding that they are the ones in need of some extra care and attention. In the coming weeks I’ll continue to post about various approaches I use to help restore the health and wellbeing of women. In this post, Part 2 of my series on how I apply naturopathic medicine to approach women’s top concerns, I'll be addressing an issue that many women struggle with 

   

Constipation

I have a saying that all on-the-go busy women are constipated. My patients laugh but it’s true. It could be a business professional with a never ending to-do list or a mom who’s always pushing herself hard. These women are constipated because they’re in stress mode and overdrive all the time. Their digestion shuts down and in addition to constipation, they may have gas, bloating, and impaired absorption of nutrients. 

 Ninety percent of the happy I’m okay brain chemical, serotonin, is made in the gut. Some of the sleep, depression, and low libido issues may stem from the gut. So, nothing works well without the bowel working well. 

Step one of treatment usually involves testing the blood to determine which foods are triggering inflammation. Simply by eliminating those trigger foods, digestive problems begin to clear up.  Adding in stress reduction techniques may also be beneficial in helping the intestinal tract return to full and proper function.