EP22: Homeopathy for Constipation

Welcome to the Homeopathy at Home podcast. I'm Marcus Fernandez and I'm thrilled to have you join me on this journey into the world of homeopathy. This podcast is inspired by my book, Homeopathy at Home, which aims to empower you to take charge of your health using simple, effective homeopathic remedies. Together we're going to explore how homeopathy can be the key to unlocking your body's innate healing wisdom. Whether you're dealing with everyday ailments such as coughs, colds, strains and sprains, sore throats, or just seeking to enhance your health and well being, this podcast is your guide. So let's dive in and discover the transformative power of homeopathy in your everyday life. So let's get into this. Let's talk about homeopathy and constipation, the top eight homeopathic remedies. So a lot of people suffer from constipation. You may suffer it yourself. Many people suffer it. And it can be the elderly, it can be babies, infants, it can be when you get pregnancies. Very, very common. And often the NHS definition of constipation is that you haven't been to the toilet at least three times during the week. And often the stool is large, it can be very dry and hard or lumpy, and you're having to strain. When you go to the toilet to have a bowel movement, you're having to strain. You also may have stomach ache as well and feel bloated and feel sick. You don't feel great, you feel sluggish. And in a healthy digestive system, they say there should be at least one bowel movement a day, at least once a day. So really, really important that you keep a note of that, especially, again, with kids as well. So some of the common causes of constipation, not eating enough fiber, which is found, as you know, in fruits, vegetables, cereals, not drinking enough fluids. So, again, just watching your fluid intake, especially when we have warm weather, but just generally monitor your fluid intake. You need to be drinking water, not moving enough, and spending long periods sitting or lying down. Big problem at the moment with people, especially a lot of people still working from home. You can be sat at your desk all day or sat at your table where you're working and not moving around. I'm a big believer and I've got one here, standing desk. I like to change the position. I have a little bleep as well, which goes off, which says if I haven't been sitting, if I'VE been sitting for too long to start moving around. So movements really, really important. Being less active and not exercising, as I said, got to keep moving, got to do some exercise, got to keep movement. And often ignoring the urge to go to the toilet. So you may want to go, you have the urge, but you hold it back because you may be busy or, you know, it might not be the right time. You know, some people don't like using public toilets, some people don't like using other people's toilets. So it can be a mixture of all those things, changing your diet or daily routine that can affect and cause constipation. Again, like going holiday, for example, or go away. A side effect of allopathic medication. So things like painkillers, they can have an effect on your bowel movements and cause constipation. Stress, anxiety, depression, grief, all this emotional state can have effect and can cause constipation as well as causing things like diarrhea. So your emotions can be very much connected. And as I said, constipation is very common in pregnancy and for at least six weeks after giving birth. So, you know, common around with the hormone level changes, it can be a big factor in constipation. Again, very, very common. People who are pregnant, rarely constipation is anything to be worried about or cause a medical condition. And there's a lot of things that you can actually, you know, do yourself. So how do you prevent it? Well, again, drink more fluids, avoid alcohol, prune juice. Big thing about prunes. Remember my grandmother talking about taking prunes to stop constipation because it's a gentle laxative. And if you're taking a glass every morning as a juice, it can help shift some cases of constipation. Again, eating more fibre for the form of seeds, nuts, fruits, salads, vegetables, bran oats, linseed. We'll talk about linseed in a moment. It's really, really good for constipation and reduce processed food that lack fiber. You know, eat real food, eat real food. At least 80% of your diet. I have this a lot with clients and patients. Well, I don't know what to eat. I say, well, start eating real food. You know, if it comes out of a box, ain't real, if it's come from a factory, have something, eat real food. Really important, should be a major part of your diet. Again, talking about exercise, moving more and keep a regular time in place and give yourself plenty of time when you go to the toilet. You know, take plenty of time when you. When you Go to the toilet and don't delay, as we said, when you feel the urge to go. Now, some good healthy things you can try yourself at home. Black sesame seeds and walnuts. So get some black sesame seeds and walnuts and in equal quantities and fry them, dry fry them in a pan or a wok, don't use any oil, and just do it until you slice it slightly toasted and then allow them to cool and then crush them like in a pestle or mortar. You can crush them and take a heap tablespoon every day with like a pint of. Half a pint of water, okay. At the same time. So this water will be direct into the large intestine, causing the bowels to start to move. So people swear by that. They really think it really helps. And the other one that really helps people is organic golden linseed. So organic golden linseed is rich in fiber and many other nutrients which will stimulate peristalsis. You want to stimulate the movement, you need to break the shell of the. Of the seed. Otherwise the body will just pass it straight through. And you can add it to a. You can add it to breakfast by grinding it and take one or two tablespoons or soak overnight in water and then add it the next morning. And you can add it to a smoothie or sprinkle it onto your cereal. It's entirely up to you. But there's two things people do swear by. It really, really helps, especially stubborn constipation. But let's look at some homeopathic remedies that you can try. So the first one we're going to talk about is alumina. You might not find this over the counter. You may have to order this from the homeopathic pharmacy. But this is for really obstinate, severe constipation. Not even an urtigo. Very, very, very, very like stuck. The keynote to Illumina is dryness. Big dryness is a big keynote for this remedy. Really good for babies or infants or the elderly that haven't passed a stool in days. And it's constipation with lack of symptoms. But one of the strange, rare and peculiar symptoms is they can only pass a stool if they're standing over the toilet, all over the potty, and a lot of effort to pass the stool. Great straining. And I said it's a big remedy for paralysis of the stool. This is like just not working. And so often evacuation is preceded by painful urge and the urge to go and then long before the stool, and then straining at stool okay. And straining at stool. But often the stool will be hard, dry, knotty. I said with no desire. It can look like sheep's dung. Have you ever seen sheep dung in a field? It can look like sheep dung. And the rectum can be sore and it can be inflamed from the straining and the passing and the constipation, confusion, slowness of mind. They can have with it as well. And it feels like everything dries up with this remedy. Everything dries up and slows down. Dries up and slows down. Worse for potatoes or any form of starch. And can be a lot really, really worse from the constipation, from potatoes, bottle fed babies. It can affect the bowels. Artificial food in the morning. Also, the moon can have an effect as well. The moon phases, full moon, new moon, that can have an effect as well. So better for moderate exercise, better in the evening, better for warm drinks. Craves dry food. They only want dry food. No sauces, no milk, dry food. But think of this thing of everything dries up, everything slows down. And we mentioned about the moon and moon cycles. You see this with remedies. Some people are worse for the moon, full moon, better for the new moon. All these things can all have an effect on the remedies. And as we go on, we'll see other remedies that have that effect as well. So. So we're all connected to these cycles. Just like the menstrual cycle, hormonal cycles. It's all about rhythm. It's all about cycles. Next we have is Bryonia, so bronia. The stools are very large, dry, black, as if they're being burnt. And they can smell like old cheese. You want to open the window after you've been to the bathroom. Hard and painful to pass with great effort. And again, dryness again. This is a common theme of constipation. But dryness, very hard and painful, can have burning pains in the anus when passing stools. And again, Bruno is great, as we said about constipation, particularly in pregnancy and in babies with bronia. As we know, we've covered bronia before in other videos that have a burning thirst, an unquenchable thirst for cold drinks, and may have a dry mouth and dry lips. Again, dryness all over. Keynote for Bryonia is they're very irritable, they want to be left alone, very bad tempered, okay? And can get headaches from constipation. Where they don't call it the head is. Remember we did headaches. The head Is really, really even to move their eyes is painful. Worse for motion, worse hot weather. Better hard pressure, maybe pressing into the abdomen or even when they're straining to go to the toilet. Pressing into the abdomen and better being alone. Next remedy, calcar large hard stools and may even get a prolapse or hemorrhoids from straining and constipation. And the constipation, it's not uncomfortable. They don't feel uncomfortable and often can feel better in themselves with constipation. Again, a strange, rare, peculiar symptom. So it's not painful or uncomfortable with it. But there's a slowness and a sluggishness of the digestion with calcarp and the stools when the pasta will smell very sour. Key note of calcarp. Sour smelling discharges, including stools. And the stool can look hard and pasty and like clay or like chalk. Okay. A main remedy for constipation for babies and infants. This is why I've got this picture of the baby here. Big, big, big remedy for babies and infants. They moan and cry. A lot of body movement. So they'll be moaning if the baby's moving, moving around. And then they pass a large stool, okay. In the nappy. So all before the. And you'll know, oh yeah, do you want to go to the toilet and you put them on the potty or you, you know, if they're an infant, you take them to the toilet. Can crave eggs and indigestible things. So you can see this in adults as well as children. Okay, Adults as well as children. And again, if you watch previous videos, we've talked about calcarb a lot and the whole characteristics of how they are as their constitution. So calcarb great remedy, as we said, for children and for infants. Next remedy, Natrin Muir. So in that Muir, they're very dry still. Again, hard and crumbly. And often they'll describe it like it's coated with like a glassy mucus around it. This is a remedy where they get constipation away from home. Constipation away from home due to their inability to use other toilets than their own. They have this thing about they can only use their own toilet. They can't use anybody else's toilet. They can't use public toilets. Because the thing with Nat Muir, you might smell it or you may hear them and they'd be mortified. Very private nature, Muir. Very private people. Or going to the friend's house, there'll be again, same thing, smell, noise. They'll be spraying air cans, but they won't go. So they get constipated away from home. That can be like a week of constipation because they can't go. Very reserved and cautious. Nature mule hates fuss and attention. So that's part of their character and ailments from grief, loss, disappointed, love. And if you want to check out the grief video we did, please check it out. We did one a few months ago about all the remedies for grief. Constriction of the rectum with burning, tearing and itching. About the anus after going to the stool. So. So they can feel like it tears the anus. Sometimes can be little fissures, little splits in the anus because the stool is so hard and dry as they pass it. As I said, anal fissures, bleeding and smarting and hemorrhoids with soreness and after stool with stinging pains. So again, it can cause hemorrhoids with the straining worse at the seaside, worse strong emotions. So they get emotional. Then they won't make go for a few days because they're holding on to the emotion. That's what nature mule does. They hold onto the emotion Better open air. Better for rubbing, maybe rubbing the tummy desire Salt keynote for Nature Muir and very thirsty. Okay, very thirsty. Crave salt. Nature Muir. Next remedy. Great picture. Here you can see the nux vomica. Look, he's on the toilet and he's still working. That's nux vomica. Sorry that they're, you know, constantly working. Work, work, work, business, work business. So this is inactivity and obstinate constipation. They just cannot go, won't move after lots of rich food, overeating or too many laxatives. So nux vomica often have abused laxatives a lot. But as you know from nux vomica that the overeats especially rich food, alcohol, rich food. It's a big, big keynote for nux vomicant. They tend to abuse things or coffee or all this stuff. Passes a small amount when they go to the toilet, but it feels like it's unfinished. Just don't feel like it's completed. The nostal is infrequent and very difficult to pass. They're really fine. And when it comes, it's a smaller amount of. It's like, is that it? Is that it? You know, nukes vomica are very results driven. Can be extremely angry, impatient like Bryonia, irritable, oversensitive. And they have this overactive mind. They can't switch it off. Worse cold, worse noise. So making a noise, it really aggravates them. And they'll be shouting, don't turn the noise down. Be quiet, trying to work. Be quiet, trying to rest. Pressure at the clothes, at the waist, so they'll undo the belts a lot. They can't stand any pressure around the waist. Okay with nux vomicare, better for naps. They're better for their power nap. They feel, yes, I feel better. Free discharges, better for resting, better for warm drinks. But they're very, very chilly. That's the keynote of nux vomica. They're very, very cold. It's like the whole system is just like cold. The next remedy, opium. So this is for obstinate, painless constipation. No desire to go to the store. Obviously, this is the homeopathic opium. You'll get this from the homeopathic pharmacies. But it's for obstinate, painless constipation with no desire to go to stall at all. Nothing. Now, this can be constipation from fear, fright, shock. And they have a lack of sensation. They just don't feel any movement at all. And in fact, like, everything just stops. They can't even strain, they don't feel anything. But when they do go, when they do pass stool, it's round, hard black balls. And often the stool can protrude and recede, which is like another remedy, silica, which we'll talk about. But often it's like hard black balls that they pass. They could have spasmodic retention of stool in the small intestines and get impacted bowels. So there's that much stool in the bowels, it starts to impact. So again, these people won't go for days and days, just no feeding to go at all. Constipation from poisoning or side effects of medications and drugs. So I see this a lot. This is the remedy for that. Why? Because things like morphine and things like that, this is what it's made from. So it can really cause a lot of constipation, often poisoning, worse heat, worse during and after sleep, worse alcohol, worse emotions, as we said, fear fight or shock. Better cold, constant walking if they can move about, and better for open air. But this is a remedy for fear, fright or shock. Well, that could be surgical shock as well as emotional shock. They've had an operation and the bowel's not moving. They've had a lot of drugs. The bowels are not moving because of that allopathic medication. Great Remedy. Great, great, great remedy. Next remedy. Sepia. So often seen around pregnancy or around the menstrual period. Large hard stools covered with great quantity of jelly like mucus. Okay, Jelly like mucus in the stool that can't be passed despite straining. It's really difficult to pass and have a sensation as if there's a lump or a ball in the rectum. Feels like a ball or lump in the rectum. Not relieved. Even if they go to the toilet, they still have the sensation. And again, they don't feel like they've emptied the bowels fully. But the sensation of lump and a ball and the rectum is keynote for sepia. Gnawing hunger, empty feeling in the stomach. Not relieved by eating. Very irritable. A bit like again, Bryonia and nux vomica, but very sensitive. They feel this worn out. They're exhausted, often with sepia, and get emotionally numb. And they're very irritable with loved ones, with the kids, with their partner. It's like they push them away because they're tired and they're exhausted. It's like they haven't got the energy. Constipation can cause hemorrhoids in pregnancy. Big remedy for that in pregnancy. It's a big pregnancy remedy anyway. And worse before or during menses. So they can get constipated before or during the menses, during pregnancy instead and after eating. So again, think this is like coming from hormone issues around imbalance in the hormones or changes in the hormones. Then you would think of sepia. Silica. So silica again, you can see the hair straining on the toilet with silica. There's much urging with them, Much, much urging. But again, it feels like the rectum's just not working, it's paralyzed. But they don't feel they have enough power to pass the stool. So they're like they lack grit. Silica's made from grit. It's like it lacks grit. And there's this constant desire, but it's ineffectual to go and have a bowel movement. So they have the desire, but has this con got the energy to push it out? And they'd be straining and they'd be sweating again, looking like the picture going red in the face, but leads to weakness and exhaustion and stinging pain in the rectum. And the stool will start to come out. This is the keynote. Silica will start to come out. Feels like it's coming out and then it'll go back in again. And it's because of the spasmodic Constriction of the anal sphincter, what we call a bashful stool that come out and then the sphincter will pull it back in again. So as I said, lack of grit, lack of self confidence within themselves. Quite timid, but they can be stubborn, quite fixed. But the thing with silica is often lack of a poor simulation of food. They look like they need feeding up, they look often malnourished. You know, they need some grit, they need some oomph, they don't have the oomph anymore. The vitality is gone. Can cause anal fissures again with this passing of this stool and painful haemorrhoids and get constipation always before or during period around the period around the menses. Worse cold, always chilly. Silica worse. Any draft. You can feel the draft if they leave the door open slightly better for warmth. And again that can be constipation. They may want to put a hot water bottle on there because just try to help stimulate things. So that's our top eight remedies, what we've gone through. We talk alumina, we talked about bryonia, we talked about calcarb, we've talked about opium, we talked about sepia, we talked about silica and we talked about nux vomica and nature Muir. So again I'd like to do a little recap and prescribing. So use 6C or 30C of the homeopathic remedy. This is the potency you're going to get over the counter. And if you constipate you can take one dose every 15 minutes for three or four doses and you should see a shift. You know, if you get the right remedy, the bowels will start moving. Homeopathy can be quick in that way. If it's more of a chronic problem, then I'd say go and you see a qualified homeopathic practitioner. It's something you get all the time and you've had it for years. And I say go and see a qualified practitioner. But if you got it acutely, then just do it as I said. You can do it every 15 minutes or every hour or every couple of hours until it starts to shift and starts to move. And remember, you're not looking for every single thing I've talked about in each remedy. You're looking for at least the three legged stool, these keynotes that you can match with the remedy. Again, it's like a game of snap, isn't it? You give the remedy according to their characteristic symptoms of what they got. But if it's the right remedy, you will start to act, you will feel it, you will feel it working okay. But again, if it's more chronic, then I would say consult a qualified practitioner because sometimes you know something you've had for a long time can be for the reasons and you need to get behind what those reasons are. Thank you so much for joining me today on the Homeopathy at Home podcast. I hope you found today's episode enlightening, empowering and made you feel that you can become a competent home prescriber. Before we wrap up, I just wanted to invite you to explore my latest book, Homeopathy at Home, published by Hay House and Penguin Random House, where you'll find even more insights into homeopathy's transformative power. So for more resources updates, please look in the show notes below. And until next time, keep embracing homeopathy. Use it in your daily life. That's how you learn homeopathy, by using it. Until next time, take care. Thank you.