Olive Oil for Constipation

First of all I am going to talk about the non oral use of olive oil. It is one of the ingredients in retention enemas - introduced into the rectum for the purpose of being retained for a specific period of time - to soften and lubricate impacted faeces.

True, it is very uncomfortable to have an enema staying for a while in a delicate spot of the body. A hundred years ago, it was even more uncomfortable when physicians would inject oil of olive into the...ahem!...of constipated patients.

In the process of preparing suppositories, managing the melting points is tricky as they tend to be harder during winters and softer during summers. Adding a little oil of the olive would help to soften the suppositories for winters.

When a baby accumulates stools causing the intestine to dilate and subsequently stomach pain, the baby will refrain from having bowel movements to avoid the pain. Massaging the baby's stomach with oil of the olive regularly helps to relieve this pain and thus encouraging him to poo.

OKay, for oral use - a quarter teaspoon of the oil of olive once a day helps for constipation ...of CATs.

Increase the dosage to a tablespoon of Extra Virgin voila, it becomes a prescription for human beings. Once in the morning for a few days. If there is still no relief, add another tablespoon in the evenings.

In the olden days, physicians would recommend oil of olive to "poorer patients". In this era of abundant fried foods, seriously are there that many people whose intestines need lubrication? On the contrary, many are in dire need of reducing oils in their diet!

To swallow extra virgin oil of olive from a tablespoon is a shameful waste for a foodie like me. It's much more enjoyable to eat it with a fruit or vegetable - for instance,drizzling it on cherry tomatoes, finely chopped shallots and spring onions. Nom, nom, noms!

This is one constipation remedy people shouldn't regret even if it doesn't work. It is a natural laxative which has no side effects. It will not aggravate constipation.

In fact, as it is assimilated into your blood stream, it is the mono saturated fatty acids essential to form the cell membrane which allows nutrients to enter the cells and waste to be expelled from the cells. In the brain, this would translate to clearer thinking and memory.

For old lady like me whose bad cholesterol level increases with age, olive oil is most welcome into my system to increase the good cholesterol and decrease the bad ones! One way cholesterol turned bad is when it oxidizes to become nasty plaques that clogs the arteries, so I want to avoid this as much as possible.

Oil of the olive also decreases stickiness of blood platelets, thus lowering risk of coronary thombosis and blood clots. This makes it a sort of natural blood thinner. No wonder doctors encourage consumption of this oil for heart patients. Incidentally, a friend of mine who survived heart attacks described his blood thinner prescription as "rat poison".

Coming to think of it, it's worth saving up to invest in quality olive oil, eh?

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