I know this is an ickey subject but it is a highly important one. I'm going to make just a few points about poop that can speak to you about your health in general. Poop is not only a mirror to your digestive health but also a reflection of your entire body's health. Let’s start off by talking about color. A normal stool color should be brown, not tan, gray or even white which I have seen. A brown stool indicates a functioning gallbladder and common bile duct since bile is where the color originates. It can also indicate a proper transient time or constipation. A dark, almost tar colored stool, could mean bleeding high up in the GI tract, like say from an ulcer, and or a sluggishness in transient time. The longer a stool sits in the colon the darker and harder it gets due to the bowel extracting water from its contents. It also becomes difficult to pass.
Now let's talk about consistency. A normal stool should be well formed and fairly soft but not putty like. A putty-like stool indicates a quicker than normal transient time and may be related to gut inflammation, food allergies or sensitivities, stress or even GI microbiome changes. If the feces is moving through too quickly nutrients may not be readily absorbable and therefore may result in nutritional insufficiencies across the board. Diarrhea may be related to the same causative factors as just mentioned but more serious in nature. Diarrhea can also be related to or a symptom of chronic constipation.
If a large bullous of feces has remained in the large bowel too long, liquid will pass around it to thwart off a build up of pressure. This liquid feces will also gradually increase the size of this blockage creating even more problems. This person may think since they are expelling something that they are not constipated but in fact they actually are. This blockage can get very dark, hard, large and very difficult to pass. Many times,as it eventually nears the rectum for elimination, the colon produces copious amounts of mucus to lubricate and help with passing. Blood, occult or bright red in the stool can mean several things. Internal or external hemorrhoids, distal severe inflammation such as in IBD, carcinoma or ulceration of the bowel lining. Of course ruling out menstrual blood.
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Dr. Drew C. Duquette, before practicing Functional Medicine in Bloomington Illinois, began his career as a Chiropractic Physician in 1980. He hails from Michigan, where he studied chemistry and biology at the University of Michigan. Dr. Duquette also holds a BS degree in human biology. His post-graduate studies in Functional Medicine have led him to develop a break-through system of highly effective traditional and alternative methods designed to help patients with serious chronic health needs. Dr. Duquette is a dynamic voice in the Functional Medicine community. He is the leading expert on treating Fibromyalgia, Migraine Headaches, IBS, Thyroid issues and other Autoimmune and chronic conditions, without drugs or surgery, in the Central Illinois area.
