Laxative Abuse

Dear gettingbetter,

Good job with weaning yourself down! That's definitely the correct way to deal with the issue. I hope you're working with a professional as well. I would suggest an Integrative practitioner if possible. Here are 2 websites that might help you locate someone near you. http://www.acam.org and http://www.functionalmedicine.org or you can call Phyllis at EnteroLab – 972-686-6869. She has a national database of practitioners too.

My suggestion would be, before you decrease your laxative any further,  to take a month or so to begin to recreate a healthy gut and hopefully start seeing some solid bowel movements.

I've created a program called H.O.P.E. High fiber, Omega oils, Probiotic and Enzymes. In your case, you might enjoy:

H – RenewLife Fibertastic in your smoothie. In addition to proper fiber, this also provides a lot of good nutrients. Unfortunately, with constant diarrhea, you're probably not absorbing nutrients effectively.

O – A product like Norwegian Gold Critical Omega might be a good oil for you.

P – Ultimate Flora Adult 15 billion should begin to repopulate your intestine with some good bacteria.

E – Digestmore enzymes, if you're having any gas or bloating.

Intestinew is a product I designed to work with these others to heal the digestive lining itself.

The good news about any or all of these type products is that you can stay on them forever – they will not create any destructive dependency. In fact, they are the foundation of a healthy digestive tract for life!

If you want to really see what's happening in your gut, you might consider a Comprehensive Stool Analysis with Parasitology x3 (yes, they do these even when you have diarrhea). This measures both the good and bad bacteria, possible fungus and parasite overgrowth. You can read about this test in a post toward the top of this Forum. We can help you to interpret the results when you get them back, if you would like. 

These are some suggestions. Good luck, and keep me posted!

Brenda Watson