{"id":987610818,"date":"2025-09-08T01:07:36","date_gmt":"2025-09-08T05:07:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/danellaconsulting.net\/?p=987610818"},"modified":"2025-09-08T01:14:33","modified_gmt":"2025-09-08T05:14:33","slug":"how-dmso-heals-the-gut-and-cures-gastrointestinal-diseases","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/danellaconsulting.net\/index.php\/2025\/09\/08\/how-dmso-heals-the-gut-and-cures-gastrointestinal-diseases\/","title":{"rendered":"How DMSO Heals the Gut and Cures Gastrointestinal Diseases"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>[et_pb_section fb_built=&#8221;1&#8243; admin_label=&#8221;section&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.16&#8243; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][et_pb_row admin_label=&#8221;row&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.16&#8243; background_size=&#8221;initial&#8221; background_position=&#8221;top_left&#8221; background_repeat=&#8221;repeat&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][et_pb_column type=&#8221;4_4&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;4.16&#8243; custom_padding=&#8221;|||&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221; custom_padding__hover=&#8221;|||&#8221;][et_pb_text _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.4&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; text_font_size=&#8221;18px&#8221; header_3_text_align=&#8221;center&#8221; header_3_text_color=&#8221;#E02B20&#8243; custom_margin=&#8221;20px||20px||true|false&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;]<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">SOURCE:\u00a0https:\/\/www.midwesterndoctor.com\/p\/how-dmso-heals-the-gut-and-cures<\/p>\n<h3>Many common and debilitating GI conditions have rapid and dramatic responses to DMSO<\/h3>\n<p>\u2022Inflammatory bowel diseases, due to a reluctance to examine their root causes, remain an area that medicine struggles with. As such many who suffer from them are subjected to a life of costly healthcare expenses and debilitating complications.<\/p>\n<p>\u2022DMSO is an \u201cumbrella remedy\u201d capable of treating a wide range of challenging ailments due to its combination of therapeutic properties (e.g., reducing inflammation, improving circulation, and reviving dying cells).<\/p>\n<p>\u2022Many of these properties (e.g., healing inflammation, improving circulation, restoring damaged organs, and normalizing parasympathetic function) are uniquely suited to address the underlying causes of gastrointestinal disorders (e.g., DMSO can help regenerate insulin-producing cells in the pancreas).<\/p>\n<p>\u2022A large volume of published data and many user reports show that DMSO often produces remarkable results for a wide range of inflammatory bowel disorders (e.g., Crohn\u2019s disease, ulcerative colitis, IBS, diverticulitis, leaky gut syndrome, or SIBO).<\/p>\n<p>\u2022Likewise, extensive data supports using DMSO to treat injuries to the rest of the GI tract (e.g., gastritis, peptic ulcers, liver cirrhosis, cholecystitis, pancreatitis, peritonitis, amyloidosis) and frequent but frustrating problems such as hemorrhoids, prostate enlargement, and prostatitis.<\/p>\n<p>\u2022 This article will review the data demonstrating DMSO\u2019s efficacy for gastrointestinal diseases, along with an examination of the most common protocols used for them and other natural approaches that also aid in the treatment of these common disorders. It will also provide guidelines for general DMSO procurement and use.<\/p>\n<p>Living with an inflammatory bowel disorder (IBD) like Crohn\u2019s disease or ulcerative colitis is a daily balancing act marked by unpredictability. Symptoms such as abdominal pain, urgent diarrhea, and fatigue can flare up without warning, disrupting plans and demanding constant awareness of diet, stress, and bathroom access.<\/p>\n<p>Severe flares can escalate to the point of requiring hospitalization, where intense pain, dehydration, or complications like obstructions necessitate urgent medical intervention, often involving IV treatments or surgery.<\/p>\n<p>During flares, the physical toll\u2014cramping, bloating, and sometimes blood in the stool\u2014can be exhausting, while remission periods offer relief but never erase the underlying uncertainty of potential hospital stays. Beyond the body, IBD carries an emotional weight: frustration from cancelled outings, anxiety about explaining the condition, and the quiet resilience needed to manage (frequently toxic) medications, doctor visits, hospital recoveries, and lifestyle adjustments. Likewise, owing to their complexity and frequent severity, inflammatory bowel diseases are often quite challenging for physicians to manage, hence frequently requiring specialized care.<\/p>\n<p>Note: one highly under appreciated consequence of inflammatory bowel disorders is that they reduce the absorption of key nutrients (e.g., by up-regulating the liver\u2019s production of hepcidin or reducing the ability of the intestinal lining to transport nutrients into the bloodstream) and as such, effectively managing these conditions frequently requires an extensive micronutrient workup.<\/p>\n<p>Recently, I discussed the silent epidemic of chronic constipation (affecting 15-16% of adults), and the remarkable fact that almost all of it (14% of adults) is constipation that has no known cause\u2014resulting in millions being placed on a lifetime of laxatives rather than the actual causes of their constipation being diagnosed and addressed.<\/p>\n<p>Note: after publication, that article was significantly revised with additional treatments for constipation.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/danellaconsulting.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Screenshot-from-2025-09-08-00-51-22.png\" width=\"725\" height=\"481\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-987610824 aligncenter size-full\" srcset=\"https:\/\/danellaconsulting.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Screenshot-from-2025-09-08-00-51-22.png 725w, https:\/\/danellaconsulting.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Screenshot-from-2025-09-08-00-51-22-480x318.png 480w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 0px) and (max-width: 480px) 480px, (min-width: 481px) 725px, 100vw\" \/><\/p>\n<p>I would argue the situation with inflammatory bowel diseases (which affect approximately 1.17% of adults) is quite similar, as the rate of it keeps increasing. Yet, no one knows what causes it, allowing a costly status quo to perpetuate (where patients have no option except to spend thousands each year on the IBD drugs).<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/danellaconsulting.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Screenshot-from-2025-09-08-00-52-40.png\" width=\"725\" height=\"358\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-987610823 aligncenter size-full\" srcset=\"https:\/\/danellaconsulting.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Screenshot-from-2025-09-08-00-52-40.png 725w, https:\/\/danellaconsulting.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Screenshot-from-2025-09-08-00-52-40-480x237.png 480w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 0px) and (max-width: 480px) 480px, (min-width: 481px) 725px, 100vw\" \/><\/p>\n<p>As such, this greatly disincentivizes research into the actual causes of them (e.g., specific pesticides and herbicides\u2014like glyphosate\u2014have been repeatedly linked to IBD\u2014as have junk food diets1,2,3 and food allergies1,2). Likewise, we\u2019ve seen numerous children who get their meningococcal vaccine for college develop Crohn\u2019s disease but never seen this link be discussed\u2014which may, in part, be due to Wakefield\u2019s infamous 1998 paper showing that children who developed autism after the MMR had significant inflammatory bowel diseases (along with three earlier ones linking the measles vaccine virus to IBD1,2,3) making this topic be taboo to research further (despite numerous therapies being discovered which were able to improve autism by reducing bowel inflammation).<\/p>\n<p>Note: the only research I know of on this topic was a large survey Steve Kirsch conducted, which found vaccinated children were 3.5X more likely to develop Crohn\u2019s disease.<\/p>\n<p>Likewise, one of the most common side effects of the COVID vaccines was an exacerbation of a pre-existing autoimmune disorder (e.g., an Israeli government study which found that 24.2% of those receiving a booster developed an exacerbation of a pre-existing autoimmune condition), and throughout the vaccine campaign, I saw numerous cases where this happened with IBD (including cases where vaccine supporting medical students and physicians acknowledged their issues were likely due the vaccine).<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/danellaconsulting.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Screenshot-from-2025-09-08-00-53-30.png\" width=\"725\" height=\"313\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-987610822 aligncenter size-full\" srcset=\"https:\/\/danellaconsulting.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Screenshot-from-2025-09-08-00-53-30.png 725w, https:\/\/danellaconsulting.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Screenshot-from-2025-09-08-00-53-30-480x207.png 480w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 0px) and (max-width: 480px) 480px, (min-width: 481px) 725px, 100vw\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Note: the more severe a reaction is to a pharmaceutical, the rarer it is, and as such, the COVID vaccines disabled far more than they killed. While investigating the economic cost of the COVID vaccines, Ed Dowd\u2019s team made the horrific discovery that the vaccines caused a massive spike in disability in America (16% more Americans are now disabled than they were at the start of COVID)\u2014and this increase shows no signs of stopping (it\u2019s actually beginning to accelerate). The above chart came from their investigation of England\u2019s disability data (and virtually mirrors England\u2019s increase in disability for immunological diseases).<\/p>\n<p>Finally, as severe illnesses are rarer than mild ones, a much larger portion of adults are affected by chronic gut inflammation (e.g., 6.1% of Americans have irritable bowel syndrome)\u2014with many of these disorders (e.g., leaky gut syndrome or moderate gluten sensitivity) being either understudied or outright dismissed by the medical system.<\/p>\n<p>Note: we find irritable bowel disorders are frequently missed (e.g., because the scopes gastroenterologists use don\u2019t reach much of the small intestine, and capsule endoscopies, which can do so are rarely used now). As IBD often occurs concurrently with rheumatologic disorders (particularly spondyloarthropathies), and many rheumatologic medications make IBD worse, it is often quite helpful to screen those patients for an antibody test for Crohn\u2019s beforehand, and if positive, give them a rheumatologic drug that improves rather than worsens IBD\u2014all of which is discussed further in this article on natural and pharmaceutical treatments for autoimmune disorders.<\/p>\n<p>As such, while reviewing the literature on DMSO, I was immediately struck by the rapid and dramatic IBD improvements reported in many cases. These reports included diagnostic testing confirming complete remission of Crohn\u2019s disease or ulcerative colitis, consistent and rapid relief of the colicky pain commonly associated with IBD, and successful treatment of an intermittent, severe colonic paralysis following colon cancer surgery alongside progressing scleroderma. Several authors specifically noted that IBD responded exceptionally well to DMSO\u2014something one reader here also observed in their own ulcerative colitis patients.<\/p>\n<p>Likewise, I periodically have exchanges like this (which I was given permission to share):<\/p>\n<p>Hi! I\u2019m desperately hoping you can help me. How would I take DMSO to help a diverticulitis flare up? Thank you so so much! I don\u2019t trust anyone else but you!<\/p>\n<p>I wrote a quick reply 19 minutes later, and then two hours and 12 minutes later received this reply.<\/p>\n<p>Thank you from the bottom of my heart!!! You saved me.<\/p>\n<p>Then, I asked how fast the response was:<\/p>\n<p>It actually helped a lot very quickly!! I think taking it really helped to decrease the pain and inflammation.<\/p>\n<p>I was ready to go to the hospital! Thank you again from the bottom of my heart!<\/p>\n<p>Note: since I receive dozens of correspondences each day, I can&#8217;t respond to most of them. For this reason, I maintain monthly open threads where readers can ask any lingering questions from the previous month, and everyone else can also view the answers. Likewise, I try to answer all the questions I expect to arise in each article (e.g., 95% of the DMSO questions I receive are answered within the articles) or write new ones to address recurring questions I receive (e.g., how do you use DMSO for gastrointestinal disorders).<\/p>\n<p>The Forgotten Side of Medicine is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. To learn more about the newsletter and how how readers have benefitted from it, click here!<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.midwesterndoctor.com\/\"> https:\/\/www.midwesterndoctor.com\/<\/a><\/p>\n<p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.4&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; text_font_size=&#8221;18px&#8221; header_2_text_color=&#8221;#E02B20&#8243; custom_margin=&#8221;20px||20px||true|false&#8221; header_2_text_shadow_style=&#8221;preset3&#8243; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;]<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\">Restoring Healthy Bowel Movements<\/h2>\n<p>Over the last year, I\u2019ve received quite a few correspondences from readers asking me to write about constipation. This I believe is reflective of how widespread but rarely discussed constipation is, especially as one becomes older (where it often becomes a primary concern of everyday life). Likewise, the primary diagnosis for constipation is \u201cchronic idiopathic constipation\u201d (CIC). Idiopathic, for reference, means \u201cno one knows why\u201d which is remarkable given that existing studies find between 9-20% of adults (averaging at 14%) have CIC. This figure in turn varies greatly by country:<\/p>\n<p>In tandem, there is no clear consensus on how to treat CIC (e.g., if you review the treatment guidelines, you will see they vary greatly depending on which country they were made in).<\/p>\n<p>Likewise, the majority of patients do not even discuss their condition with their doctors:<\/p>\n<p>Overall, 4,702 participants had experienced constipation (24.0% met the Rome IV CIC criteria). Among all respondents with previous constipation, 37.6% discussed their symptoms with a clinician (primary care provider 87.6%, gastroenterologist 26.0%, and urgent care\/emergency room physician 7.7%).<\/p>\n<p>We found that the locus of control\u2014the extent to which individuals believe they can control events that affect them\u2014is associated with constipation healthcare seeking. Namely, those with lower locus of control (i.e., believe symptoms are driven by others, chance, or fate) are more likely to consult with providers regarding their symptoms. However, individuals experiencing this maladaptive cognition may be resistant to both undergoing indicated diagnostic testing and accepting and adhering to treatments, thereby undercutting treatment success and reducing patient satisfaction.<\/p>\n<p>Additionally, many who seek out medical help end up getting colonoscopy, a procedure which carries real risks and has no benefit here:<\/p>\n<p>Among those who sought care, 54% reported previous diagnostic testing. Colonoscopy was the most commonly performed test; 46% of health seekers specifically underwent the procedure to evaluate their constipation. Although we did not ask the respondents about alarm features or have access to their medical records to confirm the \u201ctrue\u201d indication for the procedure, this suggests potential overuse of endoscopy in the evaluation of constipation. This is an issue because the diagnostic yield of colonoscopy for constipation is limited.<\/p>\n<p>Pepin and Ladabaum noted that in 234 individuals undergoing lower endoscopy solely for constipation, no cancers were found and only 3% had advanced lesions. The American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy states that colonoscopy should not be performed in the initial evaluation of constipated patients without alarm features or suspicion of organic disease. The high usage of endoscopy and other tests seen in our study, in combination with the high prevalence of constipation, further reinforces the significant impact of constipation on population health and healthcare costs and emphasizes that efforts to reduce unnecessary testing are needed.<\/p>\n<p>In short, there is a surprising gap of knowledge in this area, which I believe is best demonstrated by how many times I\u2019ve been asked to admit a patient to a hospital who was essentially just severely constipated.<\/p>\n<p>Note: the current research shows constipation hospitalizes 92,000 Americans each year and results in 1.3 million visits to American emergency rooms, which again illustrates our society\u2019s lack of knowledge in this area, especially as the rate of this is increasing (e.g., from 2006 to 2011, there was a 42 percent rise in ER visits for constipation).<\/p>\n<p><strong>The Effects of Constipation<\/strong><br \/>While it is relatively unlikely one will be hospitalized for constipation, the condition nonetheless has a significant effect on their quality of life as it is stressful to be unable to defecate when you attempt to and often quite uncomfortable once too much has built up inside you. Conversely, after a large bowel movement (especially if they\u2019ve been constipated), individuals often feel much better and clear headed.<\/p>\n<p>Note: I always wondered why the sense of well-being followed passing a large stool (especially a \u201ctoxic\u201d one). Presently, I suspect Gerald Pollack\u2019s model provides the answer. In it, he argues that the body is constantly forming a fourth phase of water (H\u2083O\u2082) that behaves like a liquid crystal and is formed by eliminating protons from H\u2082O, and that this fourth phase of water makes much of life possible (e.g., it\u2019s responsible for the structural integrity of the body and generating the flow of fluids through the body). This process however creates a large number of protons the body must excrete to maintain its negative charge, which Pollack argues occurs through the breath, sweat, feces and urine. I, in turn, suspect that the rapid sense of well being individuals feel after certain bowel movements is a result of the electrical charge gradient of the body normalizing, as many of the descriptions I\u2019ve heard match what happens when there is an improvement of the physiologic zeta potential (which likewise comes from increasing the net negative charge of the body).<\/p>\n<p>Furthermore, constipation frequently results in a variety of significant issues. Most commonly, we recognize its connection to the fact the pressure created by strained bowel movements can lead to hemorrhoids, rectal prolapse, and anal fissures (all of which make bowel movements much more challenging).<\/p>\n<p>However, it also can lead to a variety of less appreciated issues. These include:<\/p>\n<p>\u2022Dysbiosis within the gut microbiome (and the variety of complex issues which can accompany it). In many cases, the gut dysbiosis which leads to constipation results from the foods you digest not being fully digested.<br \/>Note: one of the most interesting things I learned relating to this is that SIBO (one of the more challenging gut dysbioses) often results from slowed bowel transit time, and in turn, the practitioners who I find are the most successful with treating SIBO focus on increasing peristalsis.<\/p>\n<p>\u2022Fatigue (e.g., consider this study in the elderly), headaches, abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting.<\/p>\n<p>\u2022Chronic constipation being linked to a variety of progressively more severe illnesses including diverticulitis, kidney disease, gastric and colorectal cancer, ischemic colitis, and Parkinson\u2019s disease.<\/p>\n<p>Note: certain chronic illnesses (e.g., multiple sclerosis) can cause constipation (e.g., MS does it by interfering with the normal function of nerves within the body) which is unfortunate as constipation and a dysfunctional microbiome increases one\u2019s risk for these degenerative conditions.<\/p>\n<p><strong>The Dangers of Laxatives<\/strong><br \/>Since most constipation is labeled as \u201cidiopathic\u201d treatments to constipation are typically symptom based (which many are happy to do for the rest of their lives given how challenging constipation is to deal with). Unfortunately, while laxatives are relatively benign if used occasionally, over time, they can impair the normal function of the GI tract (e.g., they can alter the gut microbiome) and hence create a situation where one requires chronic laxative use.<br \/>Note: clinicians have also reported instances where laxatives destroyed the normal functioning of the colon which then required part of the colon to be surgically removed.<\/p>\n<p>Additionally, we find one of the most commonly used laxatives (MiraLAX) can create issues because a surprising number of people have sensitivities or allergies to polyethylene glycol (e.g., I know people who were unaware they had the allergy and then had anaphylaxis after they took it as preparation for a colonoscopy along with patients who developed neurological complication from it). Furthermore, when individuals have a delayed bowel transit time (e.g., anyone who is constipated), individuals are more likely to systemically absorb MiraLAX and experience toxicity from it.<\/p>\n<p>Note: one of the major concerns with the COVID vaccines was that fact the lipid nanoparticles contained within it had polyethylene glycol (PEG) and hence would affect those within the population who had an undiagnosed allergy to it. Sadly, because the medical field believes \u201cvaccines are 100% safe and effective,\u201d even people I know who had documented anaphylactic PEG allergies predating COVID-19 were not given exemptions from COVID vaccination (and neither were those who had documented anaphylactic reactions to the first shot).<\/p>\n<p>As such, it is critical to identify the actual cause of constipation rather than just trying to perpetually treat the symptoms (especially since the condition will frequently worsen over time and one of the most challenging issues older adults frequently face is significant chronic constipation).<\/p>\n<p><strong>Conventional Causes of Constipation<\/strong><br \/>When evaluating the root cause of someone\u2019s constipation, it is critical to never forget constipation can also be a symptom of a more serious illness.<\/p>\n<p>For example, when a tumor grows in the colon, it progressively blocks transit through the colon, which in turn leads to the feces which get through becoming narrower and narrower (along with abnormal weight loss, anemia and rectal bleeding). Because of this, if you notice that gradually happening to you, it is worth getting a preliminary test to see if you made have a cancer (there are simple and complex ways to test the stools for colon cancer).<br \/>Note: red meat (especially for those who do not eat it frequently) and beet juice (which also reddens the urine) can also make the stools turn red. Because of this, I\u2019ve had numerous panicked people contact me over the years about rectal \u201cbleeding\u201d they thought was a cancer which in reality was due to drinking beet juice.<\/p>\n<p>Other diseases which can frequently cause constipation include:<\/p>\n<p>\u2022Hypothyroidism\u2014One of the common symptoms of hypothyroidism (beyond hair loss, coldness, fatigue, and weight gain) is delayed bowel transit time. As such, if you are constipated, you need to consider if you are hypothyroid.<\/p>\n<p>\u2022Hyperparathyroidism\u2014This is a surprisingly common but unrecognized condition which can make individuals feel quite ill (e.g., it can cause pain throughout the body, cognitive issues, arrhythmias, kidney stones, unexpected fractures and a variety of gastro intestinal issues).<\/p>\n<p>Note: endometriosis can also sometimes cause constipation. Likewise, a variety of neurological disorders can affect the normal motility of the gastrointestinal tract .<\/p>\n<p>\u2022Anxiety or Depression\u2014Many report stress and anxiety causes constipation, and extensive data supports this. For example, a large study found anxiety was significantly more common in constipated patients, another found 65% of constipated patients had psychiatric conditions\u2014most frequently anxiety or depression (with a third more detailed study yielding similar results).<\/p>\n<p>Proposed mechanisms include brain-gut axis dysfunction, increased pelvic floor muscle tension due to anxiety, altered gut microbiota in anxiety, and hormonal pathways affected by stress\u2014and my leading hypothesis\u2014sympathetic activation directly reducing bowel transit. Because of this, mind-body practices which relax the body can sometimes be quite helpful, as is psychological support which can allow the constipated individual to relieve or resolve the underlying emotional distress causing the constipation. Likewise, addressing sources of depression can be extremely helpful when depression exists alongside constipation.<\/p>\n<p>Note: the natural treatments for anxiety (and the dangers of benzodiazepines, which are routinely misprescribed for anxiety) are discussed further here. The natural treatments for depression (and the dangers of antidepressants) are discussed here.<\/p>\n<p>Additionally, many medications, particularly opioids, can cause constipation, with potential offenders also including antacids, anticholinergics (such as those taken for incontinence) antidepressants, antihistamines, antipsychotics, calcium channel blockers, certain blood pressure medications, and NSAIDs. Because of this, if you develop constipation after starting a new prescription, it is always important to see if that drug is linked to impaired bowel movements.<\/p>\n<p>Note: iron and calcium supplements can sometimes cause constipation (e.g., iron supplements cause constipation for approximately 10% of users).<\/p>\n<p><strong>Other Causes of Constipation<\/strong><br \/>Unfortunately, in most cases , the cause of constipation remains unknown (e.g., outside of opioid induced constipation, providers rarely evaluate if a pharmaceutical drug is contributing to it) and typically the advice given is to \u201ceat more fiber,\u201d which while sometimes helpful often is not. Additionally, in some cases, the benefits of fiber are not due to their stool bulking activity but rather than they directly stimulate peristalsis.<\/p>\n<p>Note: conditions like slow intestinal transit or defecation disorders (such as rectocele, internal prolapse, or rectal hyposensitivity) often show limited improvement with fiber alone. Additionally, chronic fiber consumption can bind essential minerals, so it is sometimes necessary to also take an appropriate multivitamin.<\/p>\n<p>Presently, I believe there are a few major contributors to the epidemic of constipation we face that are largely overlooked.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Dietary Causes<\/strong><br \/>\u2022Dairy consumption (particularly in children)\u2014which has been shown in many studies (e.g., this randomized trial found that 71.4% of children with chronic constipation not responding to laxatives significantly improved within 4 weeks of stopping dairy whereas only 11.4% of the control group, with similar results seen in this blinded crossover trial).<\/p>\n<p>Note: while this is often attributed to food allergies, it may also due to the opioid-like substances in dairy (e.g., beta-casomorphin) as individuals often improve on milk lacking these substances and severe constipation (without opioid use) has been found to be reversed by naloxone (an opioid blocker). Likewise, gluten (another common cause of constipation) contains opioid like peptides (gluten exorphins) which have been shown to slow bowel transit time and cause constipation. Lastly, the variable sensitivity to these compounds (and being predisposed to constipation) may be a result of genetic susceptibility (e.g., OPRM1 A118G polymorphisms have been repeatedly shown to influence sensitivity to opioids).<\/p>\n<p>\u2022Poor diet and food triggers of constipation. Beyond dairy, we find the constipation causing agents often vary person to person (making it necessary to evaluate how each alters your bowel transit time), with the most commonly reported (ordered by the most frequent first) being cow dairy, gluten, goat&#8217;s milk, beef (red meat), legumes, eggs, fried foods, rice (white), bananas (unripe), chocolate, caffeine (excess), alcohol (excess), tea (excess). Additionally, refined grains frequently lack the fiber needed to facilitate healthy bowel movements and many readers have found using freshly milled whole grain flour (e.g., wheat, within 24 hours of milling) cured their constipation.<\/p>\n<p>Note: within Chinese medicine, they have an entire diagnostic model based on looking at the characteristics of one\u2019s stools. While this is largely avoided in our society (due to the disgust it will often illicit), I have often found it to be extremely useful, and I often monitor my own stools to assess how my body is handling my current diet (or how long it takes food to transit my GI tract). Likewise, I have had many patients who found the Chinese medicine approach to treating constipation quite helpful for them.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Nutrition and Hydration<\/strong><br \/>In addition to certain foods causing constipation, a lack of critical substances can as well.<\/p>\n<p>For example, chronic dehydration is widely recognized to be a cause of constipation (due to it drying out the stools and making them harder to push through. Additionally, I strongly suspect dehydration causes peristalsis (bowel motion) to shut down, as I\u2019ve seen numerous cases where \u201cfrozen bowels\u201d rapidly softened and resumed their normal function once the individuals received either a saline infusion or a zeta potential restoring treatment (which to some extent occurs from saline infusions)\u2014all of which I attribute to the bowels not properly functioning with insufficient blood flow (something zeta potential treatments and saline infusions restore by eliminating microclots). Likewise, ultraviolet blood irradiation (a highly effective suppressed natural therapy that shares many of these mechanisms) has been repeatedly observed to rapidly restore bowel function.<br \/>Note: older adults often have much worse constipation and while many likely mechanisms have been identified, I suspect it is also tied to gradual loss of zeta potential with age (which also predisposes them to cognitive impairment or dementia and serious injury from trauma).<\/p>\n<p>Likewise, mineral deficiencies (primarily magnesium and in some cases potassium can sometimes cause constipation.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Gastrointestinal Dysfunction<\/strong><br \/>As we rely on the gastrointestinal tract to push food along (through a process known as peristalsis), constipation can also signal gastrointestinal dysfunction is occurring. Some of the most common causes of this include:<\/p>\n<p>\u2022Low stomach acid creates a variety of other digestive issues such as pathogenic bowel colonization, acid reflux, food allergies, and severe nutritional deficiencies). Stomach acid restoration protocols, in addition to treating acid reflux can also be extremely helpful for constipation.<br \/>Note: symptomatic low stomach acid is extremely common (e.g., Senator Ron Johnson recently shared that learning about this allowed how to treat his chronic acid reflux).<\/p>\n<p>\u2022A disrupted gut microbiome (which conversely often becomes disrupted by bowel stasis).<\/p>\n<p>\u2022Hormonal shifts (e.g., some women develop constipation during pregnancy, menopause, or with hormone replacement therapy). Because of this it is vital to be aware of this issue, and if applicable, work with a hormone specialist who can address it.<\/p>\n<p>\u2022Dysfunction within the autonomic nervous system (which amongst other things is a common consequence of many of the constipation triggering drugs and psychiatric states I discussed above.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Habit and Exercise<\/strong><br \/>Our modern lifestyle (e.g., with its constant stress) sets many of us to be constipated. Fortunately, once we recognize what\u2019s happening, one can easily address much of it. In turn, wwe find the following are the most problematic:<\/p>\n<p>\u2022Individuals not allowing themselves the time to go to the bathroom when they need to defecate as once they miss this window, they often subsequently cannot.<br \/>Note: within Chinese medicine, it is believed that different organs activate at certain times in the day. In that system, the colon activates between 5-7 AM, and I\u2019ve had numerous patients who have found if they do not use that time to have a bowel movement at that time, it\u2019s often quite difficult to for the rest of the day. While the time varies from person to person, I believe it is important to prioritize listening to the defecation signals your body gives you and not putting off going to the toilet.<\/p>\n<p>\u2022Peristalsis depends upon movement within the rest of the body. For this reason, sedentary lifestyles greatly reduce the inherent motion within the gastrointestinal tract and treating constipation often requires addressing a lack of physical activity.<\/p>\n<p>\u2022The position we go to the toilet on.<\/p>\n<p>[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n<span class=\"et_bloom_bottom_trigger\"><\/span>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>SOURCE:\u00a0https:\/\/www.midwesterndoctor.com\/p\/how-dmso-heals-the-gut-and-cures Many common and debilitating GI conditions have rapid and dramatic responses to DMSO \u2022Inflammatory bowel diseases, due to a reluctance to examine their root causes, remain an area that medicine struggles with. As such many who suffer from them are subjected to a life of costly healthcare expenses and debilitating complications. \u2022DMSO is an [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":987594533,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_eb_attr":"","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[11,60,28,21,7,5,85,6,10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-987610818","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-action-steps","category-editors-choice","category-great-awakening","category-health","category-hidden-secrets","category-history-reveled","category-omg","category-revelations","category-winning"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>How DMSO Heals the Gut and Cures Gastrointestinal Diseases - Danella Consulting<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/danellaconsulting.net\/index.php\/2025\/09\/08\/how-dmso-heals-the-gut-and-cures-gastrointestinal-diseases\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How DMSO Heals the Gut and Cures Gastrointestinal Diseases - Danella Consulting\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"SOURCE:\u00a0https:\/\/www.midwesterndoctor.com\/p\/how-dmso-heals-the-gut-and-cures Many common and debilitating GI conditions have rapid and dramatic responses to DMSO \u2022Inflammatory bowel diseases, due to a reluctance to examine their root causes, remain an area that medicine struggles with. 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