Constipation & Gut-Stones

By Atom Bergstrom

Atom’s Blog

Many gut-stones are composed of struvite (NH4MgPO4·6H2O).

A constipated pineal gland also accumulates struvite.

Gut-stones are common in horses due to their diet.

NOW it’s common in “modern” human beings” too.

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According to the Mayo Clinic …

“Constipation is generally described as having fewer than three bowel movements a week.”

NO WONDER so many intestinal illnesses exist — every disease from A to Z (Acid Reflux to Zollinger-Ellison syndrome).

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John F. Cowan, M.D. (1922) wrote …

“Persistent constipation is common to all [people with gut-stones], even the young. Following this, after varying periods, digestive disturbances, as anorexia, nausea, vomiting, flatulence, meteorism, long-continued colics, occasional attacks of diarrhea, general abdominal soreness or local sensitiveness to pressure and actual pain, exaggerated by the taking of food, are frequent complaints. Blood, mucus, or even pus may be observed in the motions. The patient may discover an enterolith in the stool, and subsequently pass a number of them, with relief of all symptoms.

“As the concretion increases in size by accretion it may act as a ball-valve, giving rise to intermittent obstruction, or by inducing enterospasm or becoming wedged at a flexure may cause an acute obstruction demanding prompt surgical relief, as many case reports show. It the enterolith arises in the small bowel the most common site of obstruction is the lower ilium as it ascends from the pelvis. In Anderson’s case two stones were present, the larger of which was fixed in the ileocecal valve, the other being free in the lower ileum. If situated in the large bowel it may be passed on by peristaltic action to the rectum and evacuated with or without discomfort, or remain above the sphincter and cause pain, a feeling of weight and tenesmus, with passage of blood and mucus. In the large bowel the cecum or flexures are favorite sites of arrest. Temperature, pulse, and respiration remain normal unless some complication arises. A study of the literature bears out Treves’ statement that the most important symptoms indicative of the presence of enteroliths are those of persisting, incomplete, and inert obstruction of the bowel which may continue for years.

“Physical examination often reveals a hard, palpable, freely movable mass with local tenderness to pressure. The mass has been discovered by the patient whose attention has been directed to it by local soreness or actual pain. Similar findings may be obtained by palpation per rectum or vaginam. Because of its free movement within a dilated portion of the bowel the elusive concretion may be found at one examination, missed on several subsequent ones, and finally appears at a later examination. The laboratory findings, when stated, have usually been negative.

“As many of the recorded cases came to operation because of acute obstruction, no Roentgen-ray examinations were made. In those with chronic obstruction, mention of such examination is made in but a few cases.”

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