Overcoming Constipation
An Approach to Constipation that combines Functional Medicine with Body-Mind Connection
What you eat—and how well you eliminate, affects your health, your energy, your mood and your focus. When you are constipated, toxins accumulate and have a detrimental effect on your health.
Just as you need to be able to digest physical food and eliminate what your body doesn’t use, you need healthy ways to digest the events of life, so you can benefit from them and then let go of to what you don’t need.
There are simple, practical steps you can take to increase your ability to digest both food and the events of life.
1. Pay attention to what you choose to eat and how it’s prepared.
The more processed, the less nutritious, and the more potential for constipation!
2. Give yourself un-rushed time to eliminate.
Eat plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables (organic, whenever possible). Make sure you get enough exercise and movement during the day. Go the bathroom as soon as you feel the urge. If these simple things don’t do it for you, we can support you with lab tests that evaluate the microbiome, and recommend herbs and/or supplements that support healthy elimination.
3. Eat when you actually feel hungry, and stop eating when you still have a little bit of appetite left!
Try to increase the time between your last food in the evening and your first bite of food in the morning. “Fasting” for 12-14 hours between dinner and breakfast is great for your digestive tract and your liver.
4. Limit your social media, news, and screen intake—they cause psychological constipation, and can affect your energy, memory, and mood.
We are stuffed with information, and it can be difficult to get out from under the weight of it all. If you spend time on social media or the news, do so intentionally, rather than as an automatic habit— then do something afterwards, like a Self-Breema exercise, to help you clear your mind.
5. Leave your phone behind when you are in the bathroom.
Looking at your phone when you’re in the bathroom augments the disconnection between mind and body, and generally worsens constipation!
Moving Forward
Enjoy and appreciate the simple activities of life. When you do them willingly, they support your physical, mental, and emotional health. When body and mind are connected, you can benefit from any situation in your day. As you learn how to nourish yourself, you become more vital and balanced in all areas of your life.
If you’re ready to address constipation from this perspective—supporting your whole system rather than just managing symptoms—we can support you. Together, we can create a path that leads to balance, comfort, and vitality.
Alexandra Johnson, MD practices integrative, functional family medicine and Breema bodywork. She finds this approach invaluable for supporting mental, physical and emotional health. She has clinic locations and teaches workshops in Santa Cruz and Oakland.
Dr Johnson’s upcoming workshop schedule: