Why Gut Health Matters: A Look Inside Constipation Nation
What You’ll Learn in This Gut Health Book
Constipation Nation
What to Know When You Can't Go: Gut Health Book
Most Americans have had constipation symptoms at some point in their lives. Statistics show up to 30% of Americans are affected with chronic constipation. This number reaches 60% as we age. At any given time up to 100 million people in the United States experience constipation. During the pandemic, constipation and its related anorectal issues worsened because everyone was sitting at home.
Constipation has affected humans throughout history. Some called it “civilization’s curse.” Dr. John Harvey Kellogg (yes, of Kellogg’s cereal fame) promoted cold cereal as a constipation cure. Today, we have more probiotics and diets than you can shake your tushy at, and social media has popularized the Blue Poop Challenge to diagnose gut health. But what does it all mean?
After seeing thousands of patients in her practice as a colorectal surgeon, Dr. Fong realized that she was repeating the same information, sometimes twenty times a day. Yet, this information was not common knowledge. What was found on the Internet was confusing and conflicting, leaving people who Googled their symptoms with more questions than answers. As an academic clinician who has written peer-reviewed publications, Dr. Fong sought information beyond even what the medical textbooks taught her.
In my time as a medical student, I’ve come to the conclusion that the more perspectives I gain, the better doctor I can become. I know I am very fortunate to be a ‘generally healthy’ young adult at this point in my life. I recognize that when I encounter a patient with a chronic condition, such as constipation, they most likely are going to educate me more on what their associated symptoms are and what treatments are effective or not. Dr. Carmen Fong’s Constipation Nation is that book for the medical student looking to get the overview of how to diagnose and treat constipation when (not a question of if, given that ⅓-½ of the population will seek help for their constipation) they encounter it in a patient or themselves.
As with many chronic and prevalent conditions, there is a wealth of information about constipation both in scientific literature and in every-person's “bathroom reading.” Dr. Fong acknowledges this, explaining that she knows most of her patient population already has their own thoughts on what might be best to treat their constipation based on own information source. Constipation Nation is a concise, easily digestible (pun intended), yet effective summary of the wide-spanning history and documentation of the problem. Dr. Fong has indeed poured over literature. She has left no stone unturned in overviewing the research that has been done and is yet to be done about an “answer” of how to treat constipation. Each chapter, each subsection, warrants its own designated publication – from the gut-brain-axis and gut biome, to pruritus ani (I eagerly await your next book Dr. Fong!), to the relationship between COVID-19 and constipation, to the comparison of Western and Eastern medical treatment approaches. There is an intriguing chart that maps herbal medicines to brand name drugs with similar mechanisms of actions. I was also interested to learn about applications of a sacral nerve stimulator to treat constipation, or “cyborg pooping” as it is called. You name a constipation-related topic, and I bet that Dr. Fong discusses it in her book.
Additionally, Dr. Fong’s good-natured voice and humor are evident and make Constipation Nation a delightful read. It feels as if you are having an office conversation with Your Friendly Neighborhood Colorectal Surgeon™. She is open in sharing her own constipation stories, or lack thereof outside of pregnancy. Dr. Fong includes her Top 5 recommended recipes to keep her regular, which I am excited to try and elevate my already existing love of broccoli. I also felt seen by her comments on the taboo that can surround one’s personal gut and butt business. My childhood household held those ‘don’t tell’ sentiments about bowel habits. When I started medical school, it was an adjustment period for me to ask an ROS about the genitourinary system. I still have an awkward hesitation asking, “Does it hurt to poop?” After reading her book, I feel more empowered to talk about my bowel movements, and, more importantly, to have the conversation with my future patients. After all, “everyone has a butt and a gut.” I would recommend Constipation Nation to everyone.
― Hannah Eng, OMS-IV
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Constipation Nation is a deftly crafted and complete course of instructive information on the subject of the digestive system and gastroenterology that will be especially appreciated by anyone who has problems with chronic constipation. Exceptionally 'reader friendly' in organization and presentation, Constipation Nation is a unique and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, medical professional, community, and college/university, library, health/medicine collections, and supplemental curriculum studies lists.
― Midwest Book Review
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Colorectal surgeon Fong debuts with an informative guide to maintaining healthy bowel movements. She explains that the colon’s main job is to reabsorb water from digested food, and that constipation happens when it absorbs too much or struggles to contract. To keep things moving, she recommends drinking “at least sixty-four ounces of water” and consuming 25–35 grams of fiber daily. Fiber helps by bulking up stool and producing short-chain fatty acids that fuel the colon. Fong encourages getting fiber from food rather than supplements, sharing recipes like roast broccoli, pumpkin pasta, and egg drop soup with spinach and chicken meatballs. She notes that while “coffee stimulates enzymes in the saliva and stomach that help with digestion,” too much may cause dehydration. Exercise generally aids motility, but intense workouts can trigger a fight-or-flight response that “diverts blood flow from the gut.” Fong’s friendly tone makes it a helpful, approachable take on a sensitive topic.
― Publishers Weekly
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Dr. Fong has written an extraordinarily comprehensive book on a pervasively common concern—that of constipation. Her encyclopedic approach to this subject is truly remarkable. As a colon and rectal surgeon, myself, I learned considerably more about bowel evacuatory dysfunction than I had heretofore believed I understood. While written for a lay audience, it is at once a scientific, yet personal approach and is accompanied by an extensive bibliography. The author is to be congratulated on providing a worthy medical text for all individuals troubled by this condition.
-- Marvin L. Corman, Professor of Surgery, Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, M.D
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Dr. Carmen Fong makes talking about poop fun! This easy-to-read, helpful book is packed with medically backed information that helps patients poop better, start conversations with their doctors, and break the stigmas that keep so many silent.
-- Danielle Ripley-Burgess Vice President of Disease Awareness, Fight Colorectal Cancer, and author of Blush: How I Barely Survived 17
