The Dangers of Using Laxatives as Colon Cleansers

You may have heard of the term laxative or have read about it. In fact, there are a lot of online sites offering products and professing testimonial after testimonial of their effectiveness and of the absolute need for you to have them. But before you jump on the band wagon, you might want to take a precautionary step first.

What exactly are laxatives? Laxatives, sometimes called purgatives, are food or drugs that have the ability to stimulate bowel movement and are classified according to the mechanism by which bowel movement is induced. These include:

1. Bulk-producing agents: They cause stool to retain more water, thus adding to its volume and forms a gel around them making its passage easier. Bulking agents is the gentlest among all type of laxatives and can be used for maintenance. Examples of which would include dietary fiber, Metamucil, and methylcellulose.
2. Stool softeners: These allow water and fats to bind with the stool, again making passage easier. Stool softeners, however, have the disadvantage of losing its effectiveness with prolonged use. A good example of this is docusate.
3. Lubricants: As the name suggests, these simply coat the stool making it slippery so that it will slide through the tract but this may impede the absorption of vitamins and minerals that are fat soluble. Mineral oil belongs to this classification.
4. Osmotics: There are two principal types of osmotics: saline and hyperosmotic. But both act on the intestines to hold or retain more water thus softening the stool. These, however, may cause fluid and electrolyte imbalances in the body.
5. Stimulants: This is the last classification of laxatives and by far is the most severe among all the types and should only be used with extreme caution. These agents stimulate the smooth muscles of the intestines to contract and can be potentially fatal in the presence of certain preexisting health conditions. Examples of which would include cascara, senna, bisacodyl, and castor oil.

Laxatives are the mainstay treatment for chronic constipation and for elimination problems due to chronic immobility. These are also used to prepare the bowel for certain diagnostic procedures and operations. But as have been mentioned above, the use of laxatives comes with a word of caution. These should not be abused in any way as this would do to more harm than good to the body.

Prolonged use of laxatives may cause the tissues of the colon to be worn out and become dependent on an external source of stimulation. Laxative abuse can also lead to more serious conditions like intestinal paralysis, irritable bowel syndrome, kidney and heart problems, and fluid and electrolyte imbalances. Likewise, laxative abuse has also been observed in patients with eating disorders. People who are bulimic use laxatives to purge themselves after a binge in order to prevent weight gain. Dependency on laxatives by people with eating and gastrointestinal conditions may become quite the challenge to overcome. Let us not allow ourselves or our loved ones to fall into such trap.

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