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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.
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.
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.
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 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.
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