Be careful where you use this ‘colonic sweep' hack — doctor warns you might poop right away
Dr. Jennale, a primary care doctor with over 275,000 followers on TikTok, recently shared a video that can help get things moving — but, fair warning, she cautions that the trick is dangerously effective.
'Be careful where you use this because you might poop right away or within 30 minutes,' she says.
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Dr. Jennale recently shared a video that can help get things moving — but, fair warning, she cautions that the trick is dangerously effective.
TikTok/@dr.jennale
It's called the 'colonic sweep' and it involves pressing and pushing along your lower abdomen in specific directions to mimic the natural movement of poop through your digestive system.
The maneuver helps guide stool along the transverse and descending colon, following the path of peristalsis — the wave-like muscle contractions that move waste along.
It's a hands-on approach to constipation relief that requires no laxatives — just fingers and finesse.
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To do it, Le recommends first 'opening the outlet' by pressing into the lower left abdomen and pushing down toward the pelvis.
Then, she advises moving to the transverse colon area — which is just under the ribs — and repeating the process.
The motion is meant to work with, not against, the colon's natural shape and the mesentery — a fold of tissue that holds the intestines in place.
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It's called the 'colonic sweep' and it involves pressing and pushing along your lower abdomen in specific directions to mimic the natural movement of poop through your digestive system.
comzeal – stock.adobe.com
In short: The right moves can help you go. The wrong ones could leave you bloated and backed up.
Viewers were quick to praise this oddly effective method for relief.
'I learned to do this years ago whenever I feel really bloated,' one wrote. 'Works like a charm most times.'
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@dr.jennale
Replying to @rlroshy colonic sweep. We are following the anatomy! I would make sure there's a washroom nearby ♬ original sound – Jenny | FM Physician
Some might even call it magical.
'I did that to my ex once and he went so much, he called me a witch,' another wrote.
'This did, in fact, work within 30 min,' was another matter-of-fact response.
Other poop hacks, courtesy of the internet, include taking an 'internal shower' by mixing chia seeds with water, letting them soak for about 20 minutes until they get their gel-like coating and drinking them.
Travel nurse Brooke Saprito shared her secret recipe for the Hot Buttered Prune — a heated mixture of butter and prunes than can help move things along.
And UK surgeon Dr. Karan Raj suggests sitting on the toilet with one leg crossed over the other to clear up any traffic in your colon.
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An estimated 16% of American adults — and up to one-third of those over 60 — regularly suffer from constipation.
It's often caused by a low-fiber diet, dehydration, lack of exercise or certain medications, according to the National Institutes of Health.
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