LEPICOL AND SLUGGISH BOWELS

Everyone's system is different. Some may consider good eliminations every other day as acceptable, whilst others get extremely stressed if they do not eliminate every day at the same time! Do you need to eliminate waste every day? Most would advocate daily elimination as the ideal scenario, but to achieve this can prove a challenge. Many people have what is termed 'sluggish' or 'lazy bowels' - when the bowels are not usually emptied on a regular basis. There is no simple solution to a sluggish bowel, but it is thought to be associated with the lack of sufficient fibre in the diet and in some cases lack of exercise.

More fibre?

Clearly, most people are now aware of the need to take in more fibre, particularly if you have sluggish bowels, and for this many rely on fibre in their cereals. However, finding fibres from an array of foods that you can alternate on a daily or weekly basis can make fibre work better for you, rather than rely on just one type - like wheat bran. Different types of high fibre foods in the diet can have a synergistic effect and can complement the effects of Lepicol. We have now introduced a new BOWEL BENEFIT BAR that will soon be available in health food shops throughout the UK. The Bar contains extra fibre, a combination of fruits and also fructo-oligosaccharides (Prebiotics) which we know are important for the health of the bowel. The bar is complementary to Lepicol and is especially helpful for those with a tendency to sluggish bowels. It is low in fat and dairy free. Other good sources of fibre are raw vegetables, lentils, crispbreads, cereals, most fruits (dried apricots are pretty good). Taking prunes or prune juice every now and again can also help. Get into the habit of varying your fibre intake and using them at different meal times rather than relying on just one type - like wheat bran.

1970's research

The first time that fibre was really recognised as being important for the bowels was in the 1970's following some ground breaking research carried out by a Dr Birkett who studied the diets of native Africans. It was known that the incidence of bowel disease amongst native Africans was virtually negligible. By comparison, bowel disease in the west was very common.
The research revealed that the main difference between the 2 diets was that the native African ate a lot more fibre in his/her diet. This resulted in bigger stools and more frequent motions. Since that research, people in the west have been advised to increase the fibre content in their diets.
However, taking extra coarse or bran fibre is not the whole story. An African consumes fibre in his normal diet which is usually from whole grains. These grains, as well as fibre, contain lots of extra ingredients known as antioxidants which are important to overall health as well as bowel health. Getting as much fibre from foods in their natural state is therefore very important and most nutritionists advocate this. However, for those with extremely sluggish bowels, taking extra fibre in the form of bran, and water soluble fibre like Lepicol, is quite often necessary to get the required effect.

General diet and antioxidants

This means that you must not only consider taking extra fibre when you are sluggish, you should also look at your overall diet as well, making sure you eat plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables to ensure you receive plenty of antioxidants which can offer extra protection. If you would like more information on antioxidants and how they work, please see the section under Maxtract the name of a new product from Lepicol. MAXTRACT provides those antioxidants that have been shown through research to offer benefits to the bowel wall.

Lepicol and laxatives

Laxatives work by artificial stimulation. However, there are concerns about their long-term use as they may encourage the bowels to become more lazy.
If you are already taking laxatives before taking Lepicol, then continue to do so. For best effect, Lepicol needs to be taken for around 3 days before it starts working. So, continue with the laxative as normal whilst you are introducing Lepicol. After that, continue taking Lepicol as directed and gradually, over a period of time, reduce the intake of laxative. How quickly you can reduce your laxative intake will depend on your system. Remember, everyone's digestive system is different, and some will be more sluggish than others. You may wish to discuss this with a medical practitioner.In most cases, taking Lepicol should be sufficient to keep the bowels regular and healthy. Individuals should be able to adjust the intake to what suits them. It is perfectly safe to stay on the higher intake.

Wheat sensitive?

If you are a coeliac, or have problems in tolerating wheat (an important source of bran fibre), then taking bran fibre is not an option for you. In this case, taking water retentive fibres such as are present in Lepicol is even more important. If you find that you are not passing motions on a regular basis after taking 2 teaspoons of Lepicol, twice daily, then you can consider increasing this to 3 times daily, always remembering to drink the required levels of liquid. You can of course look to increase your fibre from fruit and vegetables and other non wheat sources.
Also, you may wish to discuss with your doctor the best type of laxative for occasional use. Health shops can advise on herbal remedies, as can herbalists. However, most laxatives that work by stimulation should not be taken on a long term basis, but used occasionally can help the action of Lepicol.

Daily routine

Taking Lepicol on a daily basis will complement other fibres. It will help to ensure that matter does not 'dry up' in the digestive system. By the very nature of having sluggish bowels, it is not always possible to effect good eliminations just when you want to, but Lepicol will help keep the environment in the colon healthy, even for the periods when you are more sluggish than you would like.
Research is now showing that the prebiotics, (FOS) and the probiotics (friendly bacteria) can help maintain the balance of favourable bacteria in the Colon because they compete with unfriendly bacteria for food and space on the colon's body walls.

Stress

Getting stressed about bowel habits can only make the situation worse. We do find that many people who do not go every single morning, get stressed about this fact and try and force themselves to go, quite often this can make matters more difficult. If you can relax and eat a healthy mixed fibre diet, along with pre and probiotics, then this is far more likely to lead to better bowel function over a period of time rather than forcing yourself to go when you are not ready to do so.

Diet and lifestyle

As indicated throughout in this section, no one thing on its own is going to alter sluggish bowels. Above we have given some tips on how things can be improved gradually. A good diet can of course only help, and exercise in particular can have a direct impact on bowel habits.