According to Norman Walker, Ph.D., author of Colon Health: The Key to a Vibrant Life, “The most prevalent ailment afflicting civilized people is constipation!” How do you know if you’re constipated? If you’re experiencing bloating in your belly… embarrassing gas… bad breath… body odor… back pain… irritable bowels… fatigue… cramping… or even diarrhea, then it’s highly likely that you’re suffering from this condition. And unfortunately, if you have mucus and toxic waste building up in your colon, you may also experience hay fever, colds, sore throats, pimples, sinus infections and eye and ear problems as a result.

But that’s just the beginning of your health problems. “In addition to physical ailments, it is almost impossible to maintain a clear mind and proper mental and spiritual equilibrium when we allow the colon to go unattended for too long a time,” states author Michael Dye in his book, God’s Way to Ultimate Health.

However, there are safe and natural ways to ensure that you don’t have to suffer from the pain, discomfort and health problems associated with constipation. To keep your colon free from fecal matter, you should…

• Drink plenty of water each day to help rehydrate your digestive system. To determine the appropriate amount of water your body needs, divide your body weight by half and that will give you the number of ounces of water you should intake per day.
• Exercise regularly to increase your blood flow, which will aid your body in the elimination of waste.
• Consume plenty of fiber every day through supplementation and a whole foods diet consisting of fruits, vegetables, dried beans, wheat bran, flaxseed, oat bran, oatmeal, dried beans, barley and rye.
• Consume plenty of essential fatty acids like krill oil, flax and borage to lubricate your digestive system and smooth the way for proper elimination.
• Supplement with nutrients such as aloe ferox, peppermint leaf, ginger root extract, deglycyrrhizinated licorice root, bacteria coagulans (BC30) and digestive enzymes such as amylase, protease and lipase.

By taking these steps to promote increased colon and digestive health, you can save yourself from the misery of constipation. And with healthier bowels and proper elimination, you may find that there is an improvement in your overall quality of life.

And what makes a parasite infestation possible? Impacted, clogged colons and intestines filled with sugar and filth. And these parasitic invaders can range from tiny, microscopic organisms to 15-foot-long tapeworms living inside your body and robbing you of life-sustaining nutrients.

These leeches not only invade your body, but cause damage to the areas they invade. Their infestation can happen with or without symptoms. You may experience worsening…

• Constipation and foul-smelling diarrhea
• Gastrointestinal upset
• Vaginal irritation
• Joint pain
• Chronic fatigue

And your misery may also include mucous or blood in your stools… abdominal cramps and gas… burning sensations and an urge to eliminate… loss of appetite or hunger despite how much you eat… vomiting… itching in the moist areas such as the nose, eyes, ears and anus… or even skin irritations such as a rash, eczema-like conditions or serious eruptions.

But you can save yourself from needless suffering by maintaining proper digestion and healthy elimination. To ensure this, you should…

• Chew each bite of food slowly and carefully—25 times or more. Large chunks are hard to digest and sit in your stomach where bacteria feed on them.
• Eat nutritious whole fruits and vegetables—with at least 50 percent in their raw form—as well as other foods high in fiber to promote two to three bowel movements per day.
• Drink six-to-eight, 8-ounce glasses of water. This “colon juice” can help flush toxins and waste products out of your body.
• Take natural digestive aids such as L-glutamic acid, an amino acid which helps your body absorb protein and betaine hydrochloride (HCl), a beneficial stomach acid necessary to digest food. Taken together, these digestive aids help balance the pH in your complete digestive tract.

Although many environmental factors can also contribute to parasites, keep in mind what opened the door in the first place—allowing your colon and intestines to get clogged with rotting filth and refuse. Clean up your digestive tract and don’t give those nasty invaders a place to call home!

Denis Burkitt, M.D., British physician and surgeon, indicated that folks who eat more fiber have regular and daily bowel movements and avoid getting many of the health problems plaguing Americans today. Plus, they live longer! Although you should try to reach a goal of 75 to 100 grams of fiber per day, the average American barely consumes 10 to 15 grams daily through diet.

However, increasing fiber in your diet is easy and tasty. Just add more apples, apricots, berries, beans, bran, oats, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, legumes, seeds and nuts, plus choose whole grains such as barley, brown rice, millet, rolled oats, spelt, rye, cracked wheat and buckwheat for the flour to make great-tasting breads.

For digestive help once you’ve consumed the nutritious foods, try gentian root. This herb encourages the flow of saliva, gastric juices and bile. Also add probiotics, or the “good” bacteria that break down food and assist your small intestinal lining to absorb essential nutrients. Digestive enzymes such as amylase, protease and lipase can promote healthy digestion, as well.

With the combination of these all-natural solutions, you can decrease the pain and discomfort of poor digestion… the embarrassment of gas and bloating… and prevent digestive problems from affecting your pleasure in life now and in your later years.