Herbal Collective Source

Hi Everyone:

I’ve been getting some questions on various themes relating to herbs and holistic health. So I decided to start answering them in this forum, which will also provide you with the opportunity to ask questions or provide answers to some questions. That way we can all share in gaining more information. I hope to post these everyday during the work week.

I know many people are worried about the economy and then we have this strange political crisis happening here in Canada. A coalition government has tried to take over our elected government.  Weird. So, all of these happenings can leave people feeling a little stressed.

Oh, and Christmas is coming. Maybe you didn’t need the reminder about all you have to do to prepare for the season.  All of this can make you feel like you want to escape somewhere.  Maybe somewhere warm.  You can check it out here at www.strategicgetaways.com.

We’re escaping for a week as my husband and I are planning a trip to Mexico to celebrate our 20th anniversary next year.  Taking a week to relax is a great stress reliever.  People react to stress in different ways. Some get all tense in the neck and shoulders. Others hold it in their gut. I’m one of those types, where my stomach can go into virtual knots, spasms, in reaction to stress.

One of my readers for The Herbal Collective magazine, www.herbalcollective.ca asks about dealing with constipation. There can be many reasons for this. This reader sounds like she has a healthy diet and drinks lots of water. If the diet is healthy, it could be a reaction to stress.

Sometimes there are food allergies so those would have to be removed. Eliminate causes of inflammation in the diet such as coffee, alcohol, sugar and dairy. Prescription drugs can have an effect as well as hormonal imbalances, low amounts of hydrocholoric acid, bowel diseases such as irritable bowel or a bacterial overgrowth (Candidiasis).

Many people, particularly women, have problems with candidiasis and don’t know that’s what is making them miserable. I always like to get at the root cause of problems and eliminate the most obvious ones. You would want to determine if you have Candidiasis and then work to eliminate it.

I like to start with simple solutions and use one thing at a time and use it for a couple of weeks to determine it’s effect.  Acidophilus (a probiotic that puts healthy bacteria into the gut) is a good place to start. Digestive enzymes and gastric hydrochloric acid also go a long way to improve digestion.

Acidophilus and digestive enzymes both work to prevent Candida overgrowth. These two can go a long way to improve digestion and overcome constipation.

Post your comments below and let me know what you think. Have you had a problem with constipation? What herbal products or supplements worked for you?

This entry was posted on Friday, December 5th, 2008 at 11:49 am and is filed under Moments with Marilyn. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.