The Embarrassing Health Problem Crushing Millions — and How to Fix It
Ignore it now and you’ll regret it later.
The following information is based on a report originally published by A Midwestern Doctor. Key details have been streamlined and editorialized for clarity and impact. Read the original report here.
Constipation is a lot more dangerous than you’d think.
It might sound mundane, but being unable to go when you need to can spiral into far more than simple discomfort.
In fact, it can be a red flag for life-threatening conditions like colorectal cancer, kidney disease, or even Parkinson’s.
Millions suffer in silence, unaware of the real causes, while mainstream “solutions” like laxatives and colonoscopies often make things worse.
Here’s the truth about constipation, what it really means for your health, and how to finally fix it.
This information comes from the work of medical researcher A Midwestern Doctor. For all the sources and details, read the full report below.
Restoring Healthy Bowel Movements
Constipation isn’t rare. Studies show 9–20% of adults have chronic idiopathic constipation. “Idiopathic” means doctors don’t know the cause.
That’s millions of people with a condition that the medical field admits it doesn’t understand. How is it possible that we don’t know that cause when that many people are affected? What a failure.
Even worse, most patients never even bring it up with their doctors because the topic is uncomfortable and awkward. So we probably don’t know the true number of those affected.
And those who do bring it up with their doctor often end up with unnecessary tests, Big Pharma drugs, or even surgeries that don’t address the root cause.
Let’s take a look at the scale of the crisis.
Constipation hospitalizes around 92,000 Americans every year and accounts for 1.3 million ER visits. From 2006 to 2011 alone, ER visits for constipation rose by a massive 42%.
That’s not just an inconvenience—that’s a public health failure.
Our society clearly doesn’t understand bowel health, and the medical system is wasting billions chasing the wrong solutions.
Meanwhile, millions suffer daily discomfort, embarrassment, and additional health risks.
This topic may be a bit awkward, but it needs to be addressed.
The system’s first move is usually colonoscopies.
Nearly half of constipation patients who seek help undergo colonoscopy, despite the fact that it rarely finds anything useful in these cases.
One study of 234 patients found zero cancers and only 3% with advanced lesions. So what’s the point?
Doctors are running invasive, risky, and expensive procedures for a condition that usually requires no such thing.
Have you ever experienced constipation? If so, you should check out the full report from
.Restoring Healthy Bowel Movements
The impact of constipation goes beyond discomfort. It affects quality of life in ways most people don’t realize.
Not being able to go to the bathroom when you need to is stressful, uncomfortable, and draining.
When the body finally does release, many people describe an almost euphoric sense of clarity.
That feeling is not just in your head—there may actually be a biological reason tied to the body’s electrical charge and water balance.
Researcher Gerald Pollack introduced the idea of the “fourth phase of water,” or structured water (H₃O₂). He argues that maintaining a negative electrical charge is a virtually unknown key to health.
Constipation may disrupt this balance by holding toxins and protons in the body far longer than they should be.
A big bowel movement suddenly restores the charge, which would explain the dramatic sense of well-being people report.
Constipation isn’t just about getting blocked up—it’s about disrupted physiology.
Constipation also has well-documented consequences. Straining can cause hemorrhoids, rectal prolapse, and anal fissures—painful conditions that just make the problem worse.
But it doesn’t stop there.
Constipation is linked to gut dysbiosis, SIBO, fatigue, headaches, nausea, and even serious illnesses like diverticulitis, kidney disease, ischemic colitis, colorectal cancer, and Parkinson’s.
If you ignore it long enough, like many people do, constipation becomes more than a nuisance—it becomes a gateway to chronic disease.
A common mainstream solution is laxatives.
They can help when used occasionally. But regular use can permanently weaken the colon and damage gut health. Some people even end up needing part of their colon surgically removed after years of laxative dependency!
MiraLAX, one of the most common laxatives, contains polyethylene glycol. Many people are allergic without knowing it. This can lead to anaphylaxis or neurological problems.
And in constipated patients, polyethylene glycol can be absorbed systemically, increasing toxicity.
And yes—polyethylene glycol was in the COVID vaccines. Patients with documented allergies were still pressured to take the vaccines, even after prior anaphylaxis.
That’s how reckless the medical system has become: ignoring basic safety for everything from vaccines to laxatives.
If you suffer from constipation and have taken laxatives in an attempt to fix it, you’re not going to want to miss this full report from
:Restoring Healthy Bowel Movements
Constipation can also be a red flag for serious illness that shouldn’t be ignored. Getting to the root cause is very important.
For example, colon tumors can gradually narrow stool size while causing weight loss, anemia, or bleeding. Hypothyroidism slows bowel transit and is often overlooked. Hyperparathyroidism is another hidden cause.
Neurological conditions like multiple sclerosis interfere with gut motility. Anxiety and depression are strongly correlated with constipation, altering the brain-gut axis and tightening pelvic muscles.
Medications, from opioids to antidepressants and antihistamines, are notorious culprits, too.
It’s not as simple as downing laxatives to solve the problem.
Diet is one of the biggest and most ignored triggers.
Dairy is a major offender—over 70% of chronically constipated children improved simply by removing dairy from their diets. Gluten is another. Both contain opioid-like compounds that slow bowel movement.
Other triggers vary and include things like red meat, legumes, eggs, rice, bananas, chocolate, alcohol, caffeine, and fried foods. Sometimes it’s not just about fiber—it’s about hidden food reactions.
Food can either fix constipation or fuel it.
Hydration and minerals are critical, too.
Dehydration dries out stool, slows motility, and can even “freeze” the bowels. Magnesium and potassium deficiencies are common drivers.
Older adults often face worse constipation, partly due to declining zeta potential (electrical charge balance), which also plays into cognitive decline.
When you hydrate properly and restore minerals, the gut often “wakes back up.” Constipation is often connected to fluids and charge.
Then there’s the gut itself.
Low stomach acid can set off a cascade: poor digestion, microbiome imbalance, nutrient loss, reflux, and constipation.
Hormonal changes in pregnancy or menopause can trigger constipation, too. But women often aren’t warned. And disruptions in the autonomic nervous system—sometimes caused by stress or medications—further paralyze bowel movement.
The gut is a system. When one part fails, constipation becomes inevitable.
Our habits and lifestyles also matter.
Ignoring the urge to go, staying sedentary, and chronic stress all stop peristalsis. Exercise, relaxation, and respecting the body’s signals are key.
And then there’s something almost no one talks about: toilet design.
The modern Western sitting toilets we are used to actually compress the rectum, making bowel movements harder. Squatting, the posture humans evolved to use, makes elimination easier and healthier.
Societies that still squat have far lower rates of constipation. But maybe in the Western world often look down on this practice.
While constipation can be serious, there’s a lot we can do at home to investigate and tackle the root causes. Check out the full report from
for all the details.Restoring Healthy Bowel Movements
When you look at all the factors—diet, hydration, minerals, microbiome, hormones, stress, posture—it’s no wonder constipation is a growing epidemic.
Yet the mainstream approach is laxatives for life and colonoscopies for everyone. That’s like slapping duct tape on a broken engine. It hides the problem while the system breaks down further.
The real answer is root cause medicine.
Find the trigger, fix the system, and restore natural bowel function.
Constipation isn’t just about digestion—it’s the health of your whole body.
It’s a mirror of how well your system is working. When it breaks down, everything from your energy to your brain function to your long-term disease risk is at stake.
That’s a big deal.
The tragedy is that millions suffer silently. They’re told to “take fiber” or “use laxatives,” when the truth is far deeper. And when you uncover the truth, you can actually solve the problem.
Constipation is not a minor issue. It’s one of the most common, ignored, and mishandled health crises in the modern world.
From unnecessary colonoscopies to dangerous laxatives and overlooked root causes, the system is failing millions.
But there’s hope. With awareness, better habits, diet changes, and natural supports, many can restore normal bowel movements—and with them, better health and quality of life.
Thanks for reading! This information was based on a report originally published by A Midwestern Doctor. Key details were streamlined and editorialized for clarity and impact. Read the original report here.
For a deeper dive into what modern medicine has overlooked—or intentionally buried—check out these other eye-opening reports by A Midwestern Doctor:
The Miraculous Therapy for Chronic Pain You’ve Probably Never Heard of
The Real Reason Every Newborn is Forced to Get the Hepatitis B Vaccine
What They Don’t Tell You About C-Sections
While you’re at it, give A Midwestern Doctor a follow. No one brings more research, clinical insight, or historical context when it comes to exposing the health myths we’ve all been fed. This is easily one of the most valuable accounts you’ll ever follow.
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Ha. Not surprised to see there are no comments so far LOL I saw how constipation affected my elderly father, especially given his pharma protocols that were constantly both causing and trying to fix the problem, he ended up in the ER in the worst pain of his life (worse than his bone cancer) It left a mark and I take this very seriously. One of my personal recommendations : keep a jar of broccoli sprouts growing in your kitchen and consume about one cup per day (I make a little sweet ginger dressing to make it more palatable). Keeps things moving!
I accidentally found my cure. I’m 83 and it was becoming a more frequent problem. Earlier this year I was remembering how I liked my grandmothers stewed prunes and raisins when I was a kid so I looked up a recipe and made a batch. I added an apple and some dates, a little vanilla and cinnamon. It was delicious in my morning cereal, over ice cream, whatever. So I made a second batch. And then I started to notice changes to my digestion. First of all my acid reflux stopped! Then I started to feel different. Then I realized I was having bowel movements with no trouble. I now eat it everyday. I asked my doctor and his reaction was that it was a reasonable reaction. Whatever works. It was like, if I can’t sell you a drug it’s not worth talking about! I have no idea if this will work for anyone else but it costs only Pennies.