How to end the nightmare of colorectal disorders before they end you

Chronic gut disorders terrorize Americans like no other modern plague. They begin gradually with minor straining. Next comes intermittent constipation, the use of laxatives, and irritable bowel syndrome. Over time, hemorrhoidal disease and anal fissures rear their ugly heads, and by the age of fifty, this chain of events culminates in diverticular disease in every second adult.

For the less lucky, irritable bowel syndrome turns into inflammatory bowel disease, which is usually accompanied by chronic diarrhea and progresses to ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s disease. These conditions, in turn, increase the risk of colorectal cancer by up to eight times. And so it goes until the end.

Nowhere is this epidemic as noticeable as inside any "big chain" drugstore. At our local pharmacy, for example, the laxative department is one of the largest single-condition section in the entire store:

laxative section in the drugstore

So, ask yourself how it is possible that the same proud country that could fly people to the Moon and back in 1969 can't figure out half-a-century later how to prevent and resolve lifestyle-related colorectal disorders without resorting to a truckload of toxic laxatives?

The answer is simpler than you may think. American gastroenterologists, let alone rank-and-file family physicians, not only don't know how to treat these conditions without drugs but often cause even more harm by prescribing the wrong treatments and recommending the wrong diets.

With this in mind, suspend your judgment and study this site with the same effort you would apply to finding a “good doctor” who may not exist. It beats wearing a colostomy bag or a diaper for fecal incontinence after one too many “good” treatments.

Constipation

Moving bowels is an intrinsic instinct, not an acquired trait. You don't need to teach newborns to move their bowels — it comes to them just as naturally as breathing or crying. Similarly, some seniors have never had a problem moving their bowels regularly and are free from common colorectal disorders, such as enlarged hemorrhoids, diverticular disease, or incontinence. So, why, then, aren't so many other people as lucky? Continue reading...

Irritable Bowel Syndrome

This guide debunks the universally accepted view that the causes of irritable bowel syndrome are unknown, describes them one by one, and explains how to eliminate each one safely and permanently. This information is vital for persons in the high-risk group for ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease, and colon cancer because the IBS's conventional diagnostic and treatment raises these risks considerably. Continue reading...

Hemorrhoids and Anal Fissures

Hemorrhoidal disease and anal fissures start with a little "defect" in human anatomy — the anal canal that is too darn tight for large and/or hard stools to pass through. When these abnormal stools get stuck inside the colon or rectum, you may have no choice but to strain and gradually cause yourself hemorrhoidal disease, anal fissures, or other complications. Continue reading...

Diverticulosis and Diverticulitis

A high fiber diet is broadly recommended to prevent diverticular disease based on unconfirmed, unproven, untested, and speculative "theories" that a low fiber diet causes this pathology. It's the complete opposite — a high fiber diet is the primary cause of diverticular disease and related complications. Continue reading...

How to Revitalize Intestinal Flora

Healthy intestinal flora is vital for forming stools, maintaining immunity, synthesizing essential vitamins, and protecting the colon from cancer. The loss of these functions contributes to impaired immunity, diabetes, obesity, hair loss, eczema, seborrhea, anemia, internal bleeding, ulcers, strokes, cancers, and common gastrointestinal, respiratory, and autoimmune disorders. This page explains how to protect and revitalize intestinal flora. Continue reading...

How to Restore Anorectal Sensitivity

To preserve lifelong colorectal health and prevent colon cancer, a healthy person should move the bowels after each principal meal or at least twice daily. Because circumstances are rarely ideal, people tend to suppress urges and skip stools. When practiced long enough, this habit causes gradual anorectal nerve damage. Finally, one day, laxatives are needed to initiate a bowel movement because the urge sensation has gone for good. If this describes you, this page will help you restore anorectal sensitivity without resorting to laxatives. Continue reading...

How to Overcome Fiber Dependence

Fiber bulks up stools. Enlarged stools transform colorectal organs and cause a physical dependence on fiber to move the bowels. Fiber dependence is similar to drug, tobacco, or alcohol addiction: no fiber — no go! This page explains how to overcome fiber dependence without resorting to laxatives. It is essential for anyone who wants to reduce fiber consumption, and especially useful for people who wish to lose weight by following low-carb diets. Continue reading...

Colonoscopy: Is it Worth the Risk?

Each year, up to 15 million Americans undergo colonoscopy for colon cancer screening. According to the 2024 report “Adverse events after colonoscopy in a randomised colorectal cancer screening trial” [link], an estimated 2.4% (about 360,000 patients) experienced at least one adverse event, including approximately one death per 10,000 procedures. Continue reading...

How to Prevent Colon Cancer

Colon cancer is the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States. Each year, over 50,000 Americans are expected to die from colon cancer. Most people may not realize it, but just like any other non-hereditary cancer, colon cancer is eminently preventable and avoidable, assuming you know what to do, and have the discipline to do it. This guide will help you along. Continue reading...

I am not covering ulcerative colitis or Crohn's disease on this site because both are serious clinical conditions that require medical treatment and physician supervision. Ulcerative colitis affects about 1.25 million Americans, while Crohn's disease affects about 1.01 million.

Each year, up to 30,000 Americans undergo total abdominal colectomy, a surgical procedure that removes the entire large intestine. The primary causes for colectomy include severe ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease, colorectal cancer, complicated diverticulitis, toxic or idiopathic megacolon, intractable constipation from colonic inertia, and advanced pelvic floor dysfunction unresponsive to other treatments.

Of course, none of these conditions appears out of the blue. In most cases, they are preceded by the functional digestive disorders discussed on this site and by the side effects of their treatments. Don’t let it happen to you!

Author's note

Not so long ago, adult diapers existed primarily in Saturday Night Live skits. Today, bowel incontinence affects up to 10 percent of adult men and up to 15 percent of adult women [link].

By any measure, these numbers are shocking. I looked up the 1972 edition of The Merck Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy—the world's leading medical reference—and couldn't find a single mention of the term "fecal incontinence" there. Two generations later, adult diapers occupy one of the largest sections in our neighborhood drugstore:

adult diapers in the supermarket

There is no shortage of "fashionable" leak-proof undergarments for both genders.

And as Americans grow older, the extent of this problem becomes even more shocking: "Two nursing home studies have identified a 45.0% to 47.0% prevalence of bowel incontinence among residents" [link].

To better understand how to stop, reverse, and prevent the functional colorectal disorders described on this page and their potential complications, take time to study this site and apply my recommendations to your own situation.

If you plan to retire one day and would like to enjoy the spoils of your hard work and good luck, this site will help you get there without wearing a diaper. Never forget — your health, wealth, and longevity begin and end in the gut.

Konstantin Monastyrsky
Author of Fiber Menace and GutSense.org