Environmental toxins are chemicals found in the environment either due to natural processes (eg. lead, mercury) or as a result of manufacturing processes and products (eg BPA, pesticides, phthalates). Exposure to these toxins can happen from the food you eat, beverages that you drink, the products that you use, the air that you breathe, water that you bathe or swim in and other things you come into contact in. At toxic doses, these can increase risk of infertility and other reproductive health, organ failure, cancer, and so much more.

I know I said that straining on toilet is probably the most common poor bowel movement but actually this one probably takes the cake! Maybe it’s a close tie between this and straining. I’ll let y’all decide! I think more often that not though, straining goes hand in hand with sitting on the toilet for prolonged periods of time. 

If you’ve been using laxatives as if they were vitamin supplements, well you definitely wanna read and save this one. There are certain bowel movement habits that are very common, but far from normal. Not only are they not normal but many have serious consequences and can cause damage to your gut. Let’s discuss another notorious habit- dependence on  Laxatives.✨What are laxatives?A group of drugs that are meant to facilitate bowel movements. Typically used for those who suffer from chronic constipation. Be sure to refer to my previous 2 reels where I discuss constipation as well as ways to improve bowel movement.

There are several bowel habits that are common but far from normal. As a matter of fact, not only are these not normal, they actually  cause damage to your gut. Let’s start with one of the most common ones that most people engage in- straining. ✨Straining is an indicator that something is off. Causes may include the ff: diet (low fiber);dehydration; structural issues such as hemorrhoids, anal fissures or even rectal prolapse, or as a result of certain medications such as opioids; nerve damage etc.

Fiber IS every bit as important as you’ve heard it is. However there are times that I don’t recommend it as a gut health specialist. But before getting into that, why don’t we first establish what exactly fiber is and why it’s so important.  Then I’ll share why as important as it is to health, I actually advise against it at times.

Many people tend to think of constipation and diarrhea as two opposite conditions, but to gut health specialists such as myself, they’re really two sides of the same problem in many cases. ✨They’re both often due to motility issues whether that is as a result of nerve or muscle damage affecting perilstasis; other Enteric Nervous System (ENS) related issues; fecal impaction or side effects of medication. ✨When you eat, the food moves through your body through the gastrointestinal tract where it’s broken down both mechanically and chemically. The nutrients are to be extracted and absorbed in the small intestines and the waste products then expelled out of the body. Your colon is responsible for absorbing water from your stool and recycling it back in the body before expelling waste.✨DIARRHEAWhen motility happens too quickly, there’s not enough time for optimal digestion and consequently absorption of water hence the watery loose stools in diarrhea. Diarrhea can also be the body’s last ditch effort to try to move waste out of the body when there’s been constipation. Known as paradoxical diarrhea, this is often a result of fecal impaction (basically a mass of stool is blocking the tract). ✨CONSTIPATIONMotility is too slow so that intestines are absorbing more water than it should. Hence the hard, lumpy stools that are difficult to pass. ✨