# Supplements that treat BOTH C AND D?



## hula girl (Oct 26, 2002)

Just wondering, how can a supplement work for BOTH C & D at the same time? I have IBS-C, and was thinking of trying some different supplements, such as Ibsacol or BowelSooth (Chinese herbs), but when I read info on the web about them, they both said they are good for treating BOTH C & D... how is that possible?


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## hanktotem (May 27, 2001)

I don't know anything about the specific supplements mentioned, but any supplement that contains fiber has the potential to treat both constipation and diarrhea because fiber absorbs water.Diarrhea occurs when the colon or large intestine becomes irritated. This can be caused by many things, including infection, chemical toxins, inflammation, stress, or anxiety. The colon responds to this irritation in these ways: The amount of water and mucus in the stool is increased; the amount of water the colon reabsorbs from the stool is decreased; and the intestine empties the stools from the body more often. Thus, a person with diarrhea because of too much water in the stool might be helped by fiber because the fiber absorbs the excess water that the colon is (for whatever reason) unable to reabsorb. A person with constipation because of too little water in the stool (small hard stools) might be helped by fiber because fiber absorbs water that would otherwise be reabsorbed by the colon, which increases stool bulk. The increased stool bulk presses against the colon wall, which stimulates motility (this explanation is somewhat speculative).Hence, simplistically, a person with D has too much water in the stool with not enough water being reabsorbed by the colon. A person with C has not enough water in the stool with too much water being reabsorbed by the colon. The presence of fiber helps both these conditions.I have simplified the explanation for the purposes of this post, and simplification causes inaccuracy.


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