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Relieving Constipation . . . part 3 of 9 on ELIMINATION


Robyn Openshaw - Jul 20, 2008 - This Post May Contain Affiliate Links


When I was 25, I was in the middle of a period of having left behind the solid nutritional education and background I’d come from.   I was at work one winter day, and I was totally sick.   I was 20 lbs. over my current weight  (at age 41), lacking energy every day, unable to conceive for several years—but THAT day I was downright ill.   I told my boss I was going home, but on the way home I stopped at Dr. Christoper’s Herb Shoppe (now just called The Herb Shoppe) in Orem, Utah.   I went in  to buy  a Champion Juicer to get started on my new health kick, because I remember that being a fixture in my grandmother’s kitchen as she beat cancer.

Interestingly, the employee there, an older woman, was doing a demo of the juicer at that moment.   (That was my first time in that store, but 15+ years later, I believe she still works there!)   She was telling everyone how she and her husband had measured their poop!   They scooped it out of the toilet, placed it on newspaper end to end, and measured it to see if it was 18″ long like it should be.   She said, “You should be eliminating from here to here, every day!”   (She held up her arm and pointed to the length from her elbow to the tips of her fingers.)

My jaw was on the floor.   I was horrified.   “I am so outta here,” I thought.   (Some of you are thinking the same thing, reading this blog series.)   Couldn’t wait to see DH that night and mock the wacko at the health food store.   (He still brings it up and makes jokes.)   I did, however, stop to buy the juicer as I bolted for the door, muttering under my breath.

My, how things have changed.   Not that we’re quite as intimate with elimination as the demo employee was, nor as earnestly open. And I know that while some will be saying “Ewwww!” and mocking this blog, it’s just because they’re not ready.   (“YOU CAN’T HANDLE THE TRUTH!” haha)

But really, I’m telling the truth here because even if this sounds like lunacy to some now, talking about poop and cleansing and stuff, I think someday you might feel quite differently about it.   The health food store lady planted a seed, helped me a lot actually, even if it was a few years later when I began to learn and embrace what she already knew and I couldn’t handle at the time.

Next we talk about chronic constipation, laxatives, intestinal gas, and colon cleansing.

Here are all the posts in this series on elimination:
Part 1: Green Feces
Part 2: Foods That Cause Constipation
Part 3: Relieving Constipation
Part 4: Natural Laxatives
Part 5: Relief For Intestinal Gas And Bloating
Part 6: Chronic Constipation
Part 7: Best Colon Cleanse
Part 8: Body Cleansing
Part 9: More Experts On Colon Cleansing

Posted in: Tools & Products

6 thoughts on “Relieving Constipation . . . part 3 of 9 on ELIMINATION”

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  1. Anonymous says:

    Great story on the health food store. Loved it!! Thanks for the series.

  2. yardsnacker says:

    Love those seeds! Funny how some of them take a while to germinate!

  3. Tammie says:

    Robyn, I’m so glad you are addressing this “sensitive” subject with such boldness! I remember as a teenager asking my very open mom if having a bowell movement about once a week was normal! At that time she told me she figured we should go at least every other day! (We both laugh at that now!) But seriously I look back and think how sad. I literally had times when I only went once a week! I shudder just thinking of it! Yep I had hemroid problems even before I had kids! My mother had colon cancer at 33 that started us down this path! I’m so glad that my Mom wasn’t afraid to start learning and teaching us about things that are not a common subject of conversation 😉

    I very rarely deal with hemroid problems anymore and I have a bowell movement MUCH more then once a week! 😉 I am so grateful for the many seeds that were planted in my youth! With my children they just know that once a week is not only very abnormal but down right unhealthy and damaging to our bodies!

  4. Tammie says:

    Ok I just have to post this it’s too funny! I just got done posting the previous comment and I hear my daughter yell for my son. And from him I hear I’m going poop! lol Gotta love it!

  5. Anonymous says:

    wow-18 inches….that’s one of those random bits of information i’d be a little embarassed to share, lol! 🙂

  6. mamabee says:

    Wow, 18″??? I’m in the middle of the 26 day detox right now and I’m only pooping once every other day and only a very small amount. I’m peeing like crazy and I’ve lost 13 lb already. What am I doing wrong?

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