Part 1:
Motility. It matters. When our digestion is too fast, (i.e. we have loose stools), we are not able to absorb all of the good stuff from the foods that we are eating because it moves too quickly through the system. Over time, this can lead to malabsorption issues and vitamin and mineral deficiencies. It isnt that we arent eating enough vitamins, it is that our bowels cannot absorb them all well when our bowel movements move too fast.
On the other hand, when our bowels move too slowly, we end up absorbing too MUCH back into our bloodstream of the things that we are trying to eliminate, namely toxins, hormones, bile salts and cholesterol…and this has as many if not more negative repercussions.
What is ideal for motility or movement of bowels? DAILY bowel movements are ideal. One to two well formed bowel movements a day gives the best absorption vs elimination ratio.
If your bowel movements are OFF this ideal pattern, there are certainly ways to fix it. Laxatives, stool softeners or binders are all only stop gap solutions, meaning they may improve the symptom but not help the cause of the problem,and certainly not solve it long-term. In order to do that, we have to look more deeply at digestion and diet. What foods are you eating and can they be triggering or contributing to the problem? What other lifestyle issues may contribute? for example, how is your hydration? How is your fiber intake? If these are not adequate than bowels will not be optimal, period.
So, if motility is off in either direction, my first recommendation would be to make sure you are drinking and absorbing adequate filtered mineralized water. Second is to up your fruit and vegetable intake and see if the situation improves. Third is to make your digestion and bowel motility a priority by looking more deeply at what it is telling you about your body. (And see your naturopathic doctor to look into these causes.)
