Constipation Got You Down?

My mom, she's got Lewy Bodies in her brain.  It is a very peculiar disease.  At times, it feels like we are on a roller coaster ride, making stomach turning dips and living on the edge. 

Then, there are days where things seem normal and calm.

What I have noticed is since my mom started to take the natural remedies and supplements that the Naturopath has prescribed, her bad days are what her good days used to be like. 

All in all, my mom is doing great.  She's happy.  She is sleeping at night and her appetite is pretty good.  As a result, everyone in our house is sleeping at night allowing all of us to have happier days.  Yay!

Being on the supplements and with the addition of daily Reiki and Hypnosis sessions, my mom doesn't have those mood swings where she hates my guts and the problems of the world around her are my fault. 

Today, my mom knows who I am.  She has known me since she began taking Ashwagandha 2 times a day, once in the morning and once at night.

I was greeted with a happy GOOD MORNING!  Oh, music to my ears and heart.

Her blood sugar was 105, but she forgot to brush her teeth last night and I was so tired, I forgot to remind her. 

Her blood pressure was lower than it's been in years, 126/63.  Our ND prescribed a natural blood pressure supplement, it is working great.  I hope she can soon get off  the only pharma med that she's on, Lisinopril, it's not good for her kidneys.

I've noticed that when my mom is constipated, her memory isn't as good as it is when she's had a movement.  Lately, I find my days being consummed with trying to solve my mom's bowel problem. 

I still can't believe I can talk about this subject with out gagging.  In years past, my nephews would gather up their little friends and then say stuff that would make me gag.  Oh the talk of maggots and poop and all things stinky, coupled with my over active imagination, gave the boys hours of fun with poor ole' Auntie Sue dry heaving. 

Now that I can talk about constipation and all things stinky with out gagging, watermelon has worked great for my mom, but winter is approaching and it's very difficult to get watermelon.  If I can find it, it has no taste and worse, it's got a #3 food sticker on it telling me that it's been genetically altered.

Yesterday I took the mom's out to a discount store and was looking through cookbooks when I picked up a book by the Heller's, both doctors.  In the book they covered a topic about constipation.  They stated that you don't need pills or fancy drinks, all you need to do is eat 2 celery stalks and the stools will come shooting out of you.

Hmmmm... I wonder if it will work for my mom, I thought to myself.  I bought the book for .98 cents so that I could read other great tips that the doctors may have for me.

So... we get home and my mom is complaining about her needing to get her bowels moving.  I remember about the celery.  I tell her about it and she says, "bring me some celery!" 

It works.

Constipation got the best of you or a loved one?  Take 2 celery stalks and you will be sitting on your throne in no time.

What causes constipation?

At one time or another, we've all suffered from a bout with constipation. There's nothing worse than a back up of our digestive system, it throws everything in your body off kilter, including your thinking. Constipation clouds the mind.

It's what you eat that matters and allows you to keep yourself healthy and things moving freely as the body is designed to do.

Gluten is not very good for us to ingest, even though there's nothing more tasty than a well made cheese pizza from a local pizzeria that bakes it in an open brick oven. How about the smell of freshly baked bread... oh, the smells that trigger comfort memories from years gone by.

How can one eliminate gluten? This is my latest puzzle that I'm attempting to solve.

I've been experimenting with making up new recipes that are gluten free. I've been cooking with more grains like Quinoa, Millet and Amaranth. The bread and cookies that I made so far are very tasty. Mmmm good tasty.

My mom loved the gluten free bread and cookies that I was creating, I felt I had achieved a form of success that doesn't come too often in life. Everyone in my house loved the gluten free treats.

I suppose we over did it with the treats which is proof that too much of anything isn't good for you and can cause constipation. Just like putting too much stuff in a closet makes the closet appear constipated, putting too much of one thing into your body can clog your system

I found a very interesting webpage that talks about constipation so I thought I'd share it with you. http://www.newtreatments.org/doc.php/WisdomExperience/176

There's got to be a solution. Thousands of years ago people survived by eating off the land, they didn't have boxes of food stuffs.

My goal is to tap into the ancient knowledge of village chefs and recreate meals that go in, do their good and then exit gently.