Daily
Movement™ a Safe, Gentle
Alternative to Harsh Laxatives
More than
2,500 years ago Hippocrates noted
that "the intestines tend
to become sluggish with age.” This
observation remains true today
in the 21st century, with chronic
constipation a common health
problem, particularly as we grow
older.
According
to the National Institutes of
Health, chronic constipation
affects 26 percent of men and
34 percent of women over 65 years
of age. And while everyone experiences
occasional irregularity, chronic
constipation has been shown to
severely diminish a person’s
perception of their quality of
life. Chronic constipation accounts
for over 2.5 million physician
visits every year, and at least
75 percent of elderly hospitalized
patients and nursing home residents
use laxatives for bowel regulation.
In addition, persons seeking
relief from constipation spend
more than $800 million per year
on laxatives.
Causes
of Constipation
Several factors are known to contribute to an age-related increase in the prevalence
of chronic constipation. The low-fiber diet commonly consumed throughout the
United States, in combination with a generally sedentary lifestyle and poor
fluid intake, accounts for a large percentage of older citizens who suffer
from chronic constipation.
Prescription
medications and over-the-counter
preparations can also lead to
chronic constipation, especially
in older patients who often take
several medications on a daily
basis. Additionally, health food
supplements, vitamins and homeopathic
remedies often contain agents
that can cause constipation (e.g.,
anti-cholinergic agents). Additionally,
many cases of chronic constipation
(i.e., those lasting months or
longer) are caused by underlying
motility disorders or the use
of constipating drugs.
Gastrointestinal
Motility
Healthy digestion requires the coordination of a complex pattern of contracting
and relaxing muscles in the stomach and intestines (gastric motility) for proper
digestion and absorption of nutrients. Gastrointestinal motility is disrupted
when the nerves and muscles of the GI tract fail to function in a strong or
coordinated fashion. Motility can be disrupted by stress, inflammation (i.e.,
Crohn’s disease), disease (i.e. muscular dystrophy, systemic sclerosis
and amyloidosis) and from use of over-the-counter and prescription medications.
Laxatives
Stimulant laxatives are by far the most frequently prescribed and purchased
class of laxatives. These agents promote stooling by altering electrolyte
transport in the intestinal mucosa and increasing colonic motility. With
chronic use, however, stimulant laxatives may damage the myenteric plexus
and result in colonic dysmotility.
Daily
Alternative to Laxatives
Daily Movement™ is a safe, gentle and effective herbal formula for constipation
and irregularity. Chinese doctors have historically treated constipation as
an important symptom that needs to be resolved for improved health. After identifying
numerous syndromes and causes of constipation they set out to identify those
herbs most effective for alleviating constipation.
Dr. Jake
Fratkin designed Daily Movement
utilizing traditional approaches
to regularity. Instead of the
strong, harsh purgative effects
commonly experienced with western
laxatives, Daily Movement works
with the body to lubricate and
moisten the intestines to provide
gentle relief from constipation.
