The DIY massage to beat a sluggish system: Gut health guru Dr MEGAN ROSSI - Daily Mail

I am talking about constipation, a subject that we don’t discuss nearly enough, even though it can have a major impact on our health and quality of life.

Every day in England, more than 200 people are admitted to hospital to be treated for constipation.

In fact, there is good-quality evidence that shows with a few diet and lifestyle tweaks, most people can get on top of their constipation problem. .

I am talking about constipation, a subject that we don’t discuss nearly enough, even though it can have a major impact on our health and quality of life.

First, the word ‘constipation’ can mean different things to different people.

The first, known as slow-transit constipation, is when a poop takes a long time to move through the large intestine.

With the second type, known as evacuation disorder, things move at a normal speed through the large intestine but something’s not quite right with the final ‘push’, resulting in constipation?

For some people, managing the constipation can improve their other IBS symptoms, including gut pain and bloating.

Every day in England, more than 200 people are admitted to hospital to be treated for constipation.

Or try psyllium husk: start with half a tablespoon a day and see how things go (mix with water to a ratio of 150ml of fluid per tablespoon — it forms a thick gel so is best combined with porridge or warm soup).

Have you tried giving yourself a bowel massage.

This might sound odd, but if you think about our intestine as being coated in muscle, it makes sense that massaging it — in particular the large intestine where things can get a little sluggish and gas trapped — can help soothe gut symptoms.

The study demonstrated that daily bowel massage for eight weeks was an effective addition to laxatives.

The good thing about this type of massage is that it’s free — you can easily do it yourself (it’s best done daily and using massage oil) by following the simple steps outlined here (see box, left).

This might sound odd, but if you think about our intestine as being coated in muscle, it makes sense that massaging it — in particular the large intestine where things can get a little sluggish and gas trapped — can help soothe gut symptoms

While It’s true that digestion raises your metabolism a little, it’s not enough to override other factors such as the size of the meal

This winning flavour combination will give you a whopping 14 g of fibre per portion — that is nearly half of your daily fibre needs, so it’s great for getting ‘things’ moving, too