Digestive and Bowel Disorders Forum - Chia Seeds and Salvia for constipation

Well, here is my slant on chia seeds. I am a 58 year old female, who has had cronic constipation for several years. I had had several ruptured disks in my lower back years ago, and had been put on narcotic painkillers for several months. I had heard they were constipating and assumed that was the cause. Looking back, I think the real cause was nerve damage, because prior to that I never experienced constipation, and after going off of the painkillers, the constipation got progressively worse until I was in agony with it. I had a stroke in Auguest of '07, and constipation took on a whole new dimension. I was having a bowel movement once every 6 days or so after 2 or 3 days of terrible pain and straining. I couldn't sit, I had no "push" or urge to go at all, just bloating, swelling and a terribly full rectum. The stool was invariably dry, and in little round pellets, kind of like deer droppings, even though I was taking 2 collace capsules every night. I tried Fiber Choice, bran cereal, prues, prune juice (I did hear taking a full glass of prune juice and lying on your left side for 30 minutes would really do the trick, and it did work once or twice, but then it didn't any more.) I tried lots of roughage (salad every day, sometimes twice a day), spinach, sour kraut, lots of home remedy suggestions, no results. My doctor suggested Milk of Magnesia, I gagged it down (why didn't she tell me it came in tablets?) and it worked. Once. Never again. I was looking for information of psyllium husks and Metimucil when I ran across an article about Salvia (Chia Seeds) ending constipation. They made it sound like a miracle. I ordered 3 one pound bags and made the gel. (1/3 cup of seeds, 2 cups of water, stir, wait 5 minutes, stir again.) The gel can be stored in the fridge, eat 2 heaping tablespoonsful every morning. Surprisingly, it isn't slimy, it is very enjoyable, fun to pop the little tender seeds. At first I was stirring it into bran cereal, it didn't taste bad, but looked awful. Then I just ate the gel. At first I thought it was another dud idea, and almost gave up. Nothing happened for about the usual 6 days, but then I had a very full, painless BM, almost no straining, and felt much better. Then nothing for 2 more days, then another large easy BM. Then a regular BM every day for the next 3 days. Two days more, no BM, then a BM every day for the next 3 days. All easy, fully formed. The next day I had 2 BMs. Today I had another. This works. It really does. Don't give up too soon, evidently it takes about a week or so to get going, then you're pretty much set. I had to pass this on as I know what the misery of constipation is, and if even one person benefits from what I have learned it will have been worthwhile. I am using the regular black seeds. Right after I ordered them, I saw lots of ads online that say only the white ones work. I also saw the articles that say that is so much hype, and both colors were tested and had identical properties. Of course, the white are about 4 times more expensive than the black, and if I hadn't already gotten the black ones I would have liked to try the white, but they are working for me just fine. I paid about $6 a pound for them online, lots of places sell them. They are the mysterious "SALVIA" you are hearing about, just another name for the same thing, a cheap, readily available seed grown in Mexico. Its even the same seeds used to grow the green stuff on Chia pets! Lots of Omega 3 oils, lots of other benefits supposedly, and I guess that is probably true, but they do put an end to constipation, at least for me. Until I found them I was considering dynamite! They can also be used in cooking, or just sprinkled over other foods, my husband likes it in oatmeal, I like the gel myself. If anybody has any questions about my experience with this stuff, I would be glad to help if I can.

Best wishes,

Missy