General Wellness

What is the Precautionary Poop? I thought you'd never ask. 

If you force yourself to try to go #2 out of fear before leaving the house or if you have thought "I'll just try to get rid of all the diarrhea so that I'm safe", I call that The Precautionary Poop - and I did it for years. 

This indicates a digestive problem (obviously) and may be more concerning, an issue with the mental "wiring" surrounding your digestion. 

You may notice I don't often write about research studies or complicated scientific analysis. It's not because it's unimportant, but for most of my audience, data and research articles only add to the overwhelm.  

However, I do want to discuss a recent study on the effects of Glyphosate, an herbicide (definition: a chemical agent that destroys plants or inhibits their growth ) used on crops such as wheat and corn. This herbicide most commonly goes by the name Roundup and is now the most used agricultural chemical ever. Since its inception in 1974, 10 million tons have been sprayed on the crops used for your food and the food eaten by all the animals you eat. It's pervasive even in organic crops due to runoff and over-spraying. It's even been found consistently in breast milk. Simple fact, it's everywhere.

Why is this such a big deal? Because a new study has found that glyphosate disrupts our gut microbiome and blood chemistry...at levels regulators claim to be safe. So we all know too much of anything can be harmful but this study proves that even small amounts of this stuff IS harmful.

While I have gotten some recent compliments about my quarantine beard, my rugged handsomeness is not really what I'm talking about here.

Through the years there have been multiple instances in which doctors, friends, family, and others underestimated the extent of my digestive issues - because I “looked” OK. 

I remember going to my pediatrician and sharing with him how frequently my stomach hurt. He looked me up and down and in all his medical knowledge, declared “well you’re taller than me, you don’t look sick!”  Thanks.

If you were doubling over in gut pain or having multiple bowel movements per day and some digestive “guru” simply told you not to think about your digestion, you would write that “guru” off pretty quick.

Well, I’m no guru but I am telling you to minimize your focus on your bowel movements. Easier said than done, sure, but hear me out… As Dr. Thurman Fleet said in his book, Rays of the Dawn, “ Any part or function of the body is apt to become disordered if too much attention is centered on it. Body processes that are controlled by the innate mind are best performed when left undisturbed by the educated mind.  In the case of sleep and digestion, we cannot pay too LITTLE attention.”