Hi friendly gal,
I take DDS acidophilus with FOS and bifidus by Innovite in Canada. I believe it's also available in the U.S. but under a different name. Also probio-plus by the same company - this is a mega dose and is supposedly really good. I havn't found the DDS acidoph. product helped directly with constipation but seems more like a good support. However, the second may help.
I have some other suggestions though. Flax oil will help to soften stools. Also taking fiber - such as flax seed ground up in a coffee grinder, then mix it in a little warm water. And oat bran. Oat bran especially seems to help me if I eat it before bed in muffins, or
cookies, or just heated up warm.
The best thing I have found for constipation is to take calcium and magnesium. When I was really constipated I would take the 250 mg. tablets by Natural Factors - one three times a day, adn that was what really did it for me. I still take one or two a day. Also large doses of ester C can help, but if you take too much it can give diarhea. "They say" you can take mega doses of it without it being toxic. I take about
1000-2000 mg. a day I think (I don't have the exact measurement).
Also if you have a juicer, you can juice beets and that may help - although it is quite sweet to drink beet juice, so you might want to mix it with other juices. I take the juices by the AIM company - I was taking all three for awhile and that also made a huge difference in helping me become regular again. Enzymes in the juices, or in raw foods also contribute to helping with regularity.
I'd start first by trying the flax oil - 1 Tbsp. a day, and you can increase to 2, and possibly 3 a day. You might want to do a google search on this. I think I read that too much is not a good thing, but that 3 Tbsp. a day was still okay. Also adding ground flax seed to your diet, you can also just put it in a smoothie (it will make it really thick so be forwarned LOL). These are two simple and fairly inexpensive things to try, and then you could build from there.
The acidophilus I recommended is more expensive than many, but I really think it's a good brand and worth the money. It needs to be refrigerated. Make sure you get one that is refrigerated, even if you go with another brand, as this ensures the acidophilus bacterias are still alive, and so will be potent and effective. The stuff sold on the shelves in conventional pharmacies are pretty useless in my opinion. Check your local health store for a good brand. Also, you'll want a brand that doesn't have a ton of different bacterias (I wouldn't get one that had more than 3 or 4 personally).
I find if I take the cal mag and barley green juice powder before bed, it helps me to 'go' in the morning.
Hope you feel better soon! all the best, manyembers
Post Edited (manyembers) : 8/29/2007 10:37:24 PM (GMT-6)