1 - Fatigue
As food waste moves too slowly through your gut, the very toxins you’re desperately trying to excrete, risk being reabsorbed back into your system. This instantly puts added pressure on your liver – the detoxifying powerhouse which is responsible for processing all toxins that enter our bodies. So, you’re liver will not only have to deal with all the new toxins entering your system, but it would potentially have to deal with a historic toxic load, it thought it had got rid of.
If you’re feeling overly tired despite getting enough sleep, it can be a sure sign that your liver is under pressure; together with a sluggish gut, these three symptoms very often tend to go hand in hand.
Top tip:
Whilst aiming to get your gut moving adopting positive diet and lifestyle changes is vital, you can also help tackle fatigue by supplementing your diet with some additional nutrients. Balance Mineral Drink contains good levels of essential nutrients including vitamin D, magnesium and zinc which are important for digestion, as well as your overall health.
A.Vogel Balance Electrolyte Mineral Drink with Vitamin D3, Magnesium, Zinc, Potassium and Calcium.
£22.49 (21 x 5.5g sachets) In Stock
2 - Weight gain
Although there aren’t direct links with constipation and weight gain, as waste moves more slowly through your gut it could contribute to a low grade inflammatory response something that isn’t commonly recognised by allopathic medicine. 
With underlying inflammation comes an unfavourable balance in good gut bacteria and surprise, surprise, there is a strong link between gut bacteria and problems with maintaining a healthy body weight1.
Top tip:
Support your gut bacteria with a good quality prebiotic such as Molkosan. Once you’ve supported the internal environment sufficiently, you can even go one step further by introducing a probiotic, which helps to boost your bacteria numbers nicely.
3 - Headaches
Headaches can also be a warning sign that your liver is under pressure or you’re experiencing some degree of toxin overload. Candida overgrowth is also a common cause of headaches and so again, your balance of good gut bacteria may need some attention if this symptom troubles you regularly. 
Top tip:
Support your liver with some bitter herbs such as our Milk Thistle Complex to help it work through the backlog in your gut.
If your liver is working properly it will be more efficient at processes toxins but will also be successfully secreting bile which is an important ingredient for helping to keep your bowel moving along. Watch out for poor quality carbohydrates and caffeine which will only add to your problems and your delicate head.
4 - Haemorrhoids
Whilst it’s common for people to want a remedy to help manage the symptoms of haemorrhoids actually, getting your gut moving along that bit better can be a really positive start, as constipation is often a leading cause. 
If your poo is drier or more compact, excessive straining could be contributing to internal or external haemorrhoids.
Top tip:
Did you know that haemorrhoids are basically a form of varicose veins? Alongside drinking more water and getting your bowel moving, an internal dose of Venaforce Horse chestnut could also help prevent your symptoms spiralling out of control.
5 – Diarrhoea
If you struggle with alternating bouts of constipation and diarrhoea, it can be really tempting to solely focus on treating the diarrhoea, as generally it is the most debilitating symptom of the two. However, I’m here to tell you that it’s very often the constipation that’s at the root of the cause, so perhaps you should shift some of the attention to this symptom.
As your gut becomes compacted with old poo, an episode of diarrhoea could actually be the result of an involuntary overflow – nice! Getting your bowel moving more consistently could be the key to helping calm both conditions simultaneously.
6 – Acne
Again, although we’re often tempted to try and treat problem acne with topical treatments, we may be missing a trick by aiming to treat the underling source of the problem instead. Treating acne from within is often a much more effective approach.
See, your bowel is one of your most effective exit routes for toxins in your body and if these are failing to vacate quickly or efficiently enough, your poor skin can end up acting as an alternative exit route.
Top tip:
Your liver is very effective at cleansing your system; however you do need to help it out a little by helping to keep things moving along! Drinking plenty of water, having a diet rich in antioxidants and topping up with a probiotic are some top tips for feeling cleaner, after your initial clear out.
7 - Bad breath
I’ve recently written a blog on how bad breath could be linked to digestive malfunction and constipation could be a common coinciding symptom. As old poo clogs up your system, it can affect the balance of bad bacteria in your gut which in turn can give rise to a variety of troublesome symptoms. These bacteria are devious little critters and can secrete toxins which can end up being emitted elsewhere – yuck! 
Top tip:
By supporting strong stomach acid you could potentially help protect against bad breath and an imbalanced gut. Start your meals with a small bitter salad can be effective for supporting your digestive secretions, or if you’re not too good with your greens, why not opt for a bitter herb tincture instead, such as Digestisan.
1. Zhang et al. Effect of probiotics on body weight and body-mass index: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized, controlled trials, International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition (2016)
