Not Regular? GoChi™ Helps to Get You Moving!

In our Health Watch articles, we have focused on many of today’s most frequently discussed health topics. In this issue, we would like to explore another area that is of equal importance, even though it’s not something that’s likely to come up during dinner conversation or around the office water cooler. Today’s topic is constipation, and although it may sound like the stuff of jokes, bowel irregularity is anything but funny for those who suffer from it.

You may be surprised to know that governments keep constipation statistics, but they do, and perhaps that is because it’s one of the most common gastrointestinal complaints worldwide. In North America, more than 4 million Americans and a half-million Canadians have frequent constipation, accounting for 3 million physician visits a year.

Some people think they are constipated if they do not have a bowel movement every day. However, normal stool elimination may be three times a day or three times a week, depending on the person. But if your frequency is less than this – or if you’re experiencing painful or difficult elimination – then you may indeed have a problem.

To understand constipation, it helps to know how the colon, or large intestine, works. As food moves through the colon, the colon absorbs water from the food while it forms waste products, or stool. Constipation occurs when the colon absorbs too much water or if the colon’s muscle contractions are too slow or sluggish. Common causes of constipation include:

• Not enough fiber in the diet
• Lack of physical activity
• Medications, including pain relievers, antacids, and some iron supplements
• Irritable bowel syndrome
• Changes in life or routine such as pregnancy, aging, and travel
• Abuse of laxatives
• Ignoring the urge to have a bowel movement
• Insufficient water or fluid intake

How can you help yourself to become more regular? The experts at the U.S. National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse recommend that you follow these simple tips to help relieve symptoms and to prevent the recurrence of constipation:

• Eat a well-balanced, high-fiber diet that includes beans, bran, whole grains, fresh fruits, and vegetables. Most North Americans eat less than half of the 20–35 grams of fiber recommended by government authorities, so there’s plenty of room for improvement!
• Drink plenty of liquids. Water and other liquids add fluid to the colon and bulk to stools, making bowel movements softer and easier to pass.
• Exercise regularly. If you get your body moving, your bowels will follow!
• Set aside time after breakfast or dinner for undisturbed visits to the toilet.
• Do not ignore the urge to have a bowel movement. If you do, your body will simply stop sending the message.
• Understand that normal bowel habits vary. Don’t stress out over temporary changes.
• Whenever a significant or prolonged change in bowel habits occurs, check with a doctor.

To these great tips, we’d like to add our own scientifically supported recommendation:

Drink 4 oz. (120 ml) of GoChi™ every day!

For countless generations, the goji berry has been helping the people of Asia to find optimal health and wellness. Today, the Asian secret is out, and FreeLife’s GoChi is validating goji’s legendary benefits in human clinical studies. In a recent randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial, participants drinking a daily serving of just 4 ounces (120 ml) of GoChi reported experiencing significant improvement in bowel regularity in as little as 14 days!

This groundbreaking clinical study has been published in the highly regarded Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine (JACM), and it can also be viewed on the US Government’s encyclopedic PubMed website at www.pubmed.gov. The acceptance of our study by the independent experts of a peer-reviewed publication such as JACM represents a first for a functional juice beverage in the Direct Selling Industry, and it demonstrates FreeLife’s ongoing commitment to supporting its claims with solid scientific research.

Drink GoChi every day. It’s a moving experience!

Your FreeLife Science Team

“Constipation.” NIH Publication No. 07-2754 (July 2007). National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse, a service of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) and National Institutes of Health (NIH). Bethesda, MD. Retrieved August 15, 2008. Available at http: //digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/constipation/

“Statistics by Country for Constipation.” CureResearch.com website. Retrieved August 15, 2008. Available at http://www.cureresearch.com/c/constipation/stats-country.htm

“Medline Plus: Constipation.” U.S. National Library of Medicine and National Institutes of Health. Bethesda, MD. Retrieved August 15, 2008. Available at http://www.n lm.nih.gov/medlineplus/constipation.html