Stricture Emergency! Natural Remedies For Colonic Stricture.

QUESTION: Please Help. About 2 months ago my colon constricted and tightened up and I couldn’t have a bowel movement.  I have a home colonic kit and would do one everyday to get the waste out.  This is the only way I could.

I was on antibiotics for 12 years that destroyed my gut flora.  From that, I acquired multiple food intolerances (around 30) and looked for a good way to rebuild my gut flora and stop leaky gut. I started making dairy kefir, water kefir, and coconut kefir.  I started making the fermented vegetables of all kinds.  I was consuming these items quite frequently everyday.  I had face acne and inflammation before and could see it disappearing slowing and my skin looking better and better all the time.

However, what I wasn’t paying attention to, although I should have, is that my bowel movements were getting less frequent.  It’s strange because I didn’t have enough flora before the fermentation (I know this because I had it tested) but I had good bowel movements.  But now, I was getting slight bowel spasms, something I don’t remember getting too much before.  After that, it just got totally worse.  Right now I can’t even go take a number 2.  My colon has narrowed down small where nothing will come out of it.

I now have more pain all along my left side; and it feels tight and stringy, if that makes sense.  I assume there are some colon strictures and/or diverticulitis.  Now, when I do the colonics, I am having a harder time getting the waste out.  I can feel more blockages.  I am getting very scared! I have an appointment for a colonoscopy coming up.  Any natural remedies for colonic stricture? What do you suggest?

ANSWER: Please note that in Listen To Your Gut, I do not advise people to ingest fermented foods – I tell them to use the Natren probiotics (and many people have to start very gradually and often with one species). Fermented foods come in way down the road when you have your digestive flora stabilized. At that point, people can usually tolerate them and benefit from them. But again, you need to test and go slowly to see what your individual body likes and dislikes.

Regarding strictures, we have a number of options you can try that readers have experimented with. The first one involves a liquid, elemental diet to rest and flush the colon (be sure and sign up for the free report there as it has full info on how to do the clearance diet). Keep in mind, when you read about the 3 dietary options on this page, that you still need to test for your own sensitivities – some people do not tolerate raw milk, others do not tolerate raw vegetable juices, etc.

I am in the testing phase of my final formula/protocol for healing both intestinal strictures and abdominal adhesions: StrictureHeal. If you’ve been following my blog, or a member of JPT Wellness Circle, you know this has been a 3-year process thus far.

However, as a reader of my books, you also know that I never release anything that I have not tested first on myself and then numerous friends, family members and lastly readers and JPT Wellness Circle members. So for StrictureHeal, we’re completing the friends/family phase of testing and will shortly be entering the reader/JPT members phase of final testing. If all continues to go well – and along the way we usually make refinements to the formula to either expand the range of tolerance, or turbo-charge the efficacy – it will then be made available here.

In the meantime, we do have a tried and tested procedure you can use for abdominal strictures and adhesions that has worked for many to relieve pain and release an obstruction (especially when paired with the liquid or elemental diet for a few days).

NOTE: Great news! You no longer have to monitor your thyroid on these StrictureHeal protocols (unless you have a known overactive thyroid – hyperthyroid), CLICK HERE and Dr. Tyler will explain why even high-dose, ongoing iodine supplementation is perfectly safe.

1. Apply DMSO / Aloe Vera Solution to Abdomen:

Make up a 50% dilution of DMSO with Aloe Vera Juice – this means you combine 2 tbsp. 99% DMSO and 2 tbsp. aloe vera in a glass bottle, shake well.

Apply to your abdomen (or wherever your stricture/pain/cramping is) using your fingers or a natural hair paintbrush.

Do not use synthetic anything with DMSO as it will pick up and transport everything it contacts into your skin/bloodstream. Make sure hands and abdomen have been washed with plain soap and water and do not have any creams or fragrance on them.

Allow to dry. Then apply a hot castor oil pack to your abdomen.

Note: After you have done this protocol a few times, if you think your skin will tolerate a higher DMSO content, then try a solution of 70% DMSO to 30% aloe vera. DMSO tolerance varies widely (with redheads being the most sensitive), so the 50/50 ratio is likely to be tolerated by most, but feel free to adjust up or down as you desire.

2. Apply a Hot Castor Oil Pack to Abdomen:

A castor oil pack is placed on the skin to increase circulation and to promote elimination and healing of the tissues and organs underneath the skin. It is often used to stimulate the liver, relieve pain, increase lymphatic circulation, reduce inflammation, and improve digestion. Just remember to use a cold-pressed castor oil and 100% cotton flannel (or wool) – no synthetics. You can use either a hot water bottle or a heating pad as the heat source. Here are detailed instructions:

Castor Oil Pack Components

•    Castor oil.
•    Two sheets of plastic (garbage bags OK).
•    1 yard cotton or wool flannel.
•    Heating pad (if indicated).
•    Large old bath towel.
•    3 safety pins.

Preparing a Castor Oil Pack

1. Fold flannel into three thicknesses to fit over your whole abdomen.

2. Cut a piece of plastic 1-2 inches larger than flannel.

3. Saturate the flannel with gently heated oil, but not so much that it is drippy. Fold it over and squeeze until it is oozing. Unfold.

4. Place plastic and old towel over flannel to prevent staining of surface you will be lying on.

5. Lie down, placing flannel over abdomen, putting fitted plastic over the flannel.

6. Now wrap the towel under you, around your torso and pin with safety pins (or just tuck in tightly).

7. Place a heating pad (low heat) or hot water bottle on top of the towel.

8. Rest for 30-60 minutes. Use visualization, meditation, or just sleep. A good time to use castor oil packs is just before bedtime.

9. When finished, it’s best if you don’t get up and walk around and be busy (except to go to the bathroom). Try to stay still and relaxed.

If you are doing your pack at bedtime, have a zip-lock baggie next to your bed, and a towel to remove any excess oil and protect your bed sheets. Fold the oily pack up and put it into the baggie, then drop it to the floor till morning. In the morning, put it in the refrigerator.

11. Store the pack in the covered container or baggie in the refrigerator. Remove it from the refrigerator 1-3 hours before you plan to use it, so that it is at room temperature when you are ready to use it.

12. Each pack may be used repeatedly. When it starts to smell stale, throw it out (don’t try to wash it) and make a new pack.

Note: If this procedure is way too complicated for you, apply a generous amount of castor oil to the skin of your abdomen. Cover that with an old cotton t-shirt or other cloth you won’t mind eventually discarding. Lay your heat source (hot water bottle, heating pad) on top of that. Keep the cloth you use to protect your heat source from the oil to reuse. Eventually it will smell like stale oil, but can be kept for a few weeks at least in a plastic bag. Rest for 30-60 minutes. Stay covered and warm so you can relax. Have a soft cloth or rag handy to catch any oil dripping off your body. You may want to put a towel or plastic underneath your body so your bed doesn’t get oily. It’s not necessary to have a castor oil pack that you keep in the refrigerator. Just do what works for you.

Frequency of Use

To be effective, a castor oil pack must be used at least 3 times a week, although 5 times a week is better. In cases of long-term chronic pain or acute stricture/obstruction, it works best to commit to a 6 week treatment period using the DMSO solution in combination with a castor oil pack 5-7 times per week, then as needed. Full healing may require 3 months of treatment.

If you don’t want to use the DMSO solution first, the hot castor oil pack on its own will provide significant relief from pain and softening of tissues. To actually begin to break down the scar tissue though, you’ll want to combine it with the DMSO solution.

Colonic Massage for Obstruction

If your intestine is obstructed, it is a good idea to also do this colonic massage after the DMSO / Castor Oil treatment – while the abdomen is soft and you are relaxed – to help massage the stuck food through the stricture:

Lastly, you can listen to this podcast with Larry Wurn from Clear Passage Therapy, who works manually to soften strictures and adhesions.

Let us know what works for you in the COMMENTS section below….