The following is a conversation I had with Dr. Ron Mariotti about whether the colon can heal from chronic laxative abuse. I studied Visceral Manipulation™ (levels 1-5) with Dr. Mariotti. He is a natural teacher and skilled therapist. Seriously, I’m in awe of this man’s proficiency and generosity.
I asked Dr. Mariotti if Visceral Manipulation™ could increase colon motility in someone whose enteric nerve cells were destroyed through chronic laxative abuse and if the enteric nerve cells could be restored. What prompted me to ask was that I had read in The Second Brain: A Groundbreaking New Understanding of Nervous Disorders of the Stomach and Intestine (1998) by Michael D. Gershon, M.D., that, in autopsies of chronic laxative users, they found that the enteric nerve cells were destroyed.
Now, I have no way of knowing if someone’s enteric nerves have been destroyed or restored, but I do know many of my clients have restored their gut motility after years of struggling with constipation.
The enteric nerve cells are the nerve cells of the gastrointestinal tract. They are part of a complex system that detects the condition of the gastrointestinal tract and exchanges signals that control gut movement, fluid exchange, and local blood flow.
Dr. Ron Mariotti:
“I love this question. Thank you very much for asking it because it brings up an entirely larger topic about what it is we are actually doing with our hands and what kind of changes we can make.
I love the quote from Jean Pierre: “You do more than you know.” I think about all the patients I’ve seen over the years I’ve been in practice, and about my patients who have been told by some “specialist” that nothing can be done to change their situation.
I think of all the patients who have been told that their sliding Hiatal hernia will never improve, that their gastroparesis will never change, that the pain pattern they are experiencing is something they will “just have to learn to live with”.
It seems incredibly arrogant to claim that nothing can change after certain types of damage have been done.
Now, if you were to lose a limb, it is seriously doubtful that you would be able to grow it back. However, the body’s tissues are incredibly resilient and capable of changing… especially nerve tissue.
A couple of years ago, I had the incredible honor of giving a presentation to the Australian Osteopathic Association. The topic of discussion was the neural plasticity of the gut. I ended up writing a paper on this which I’m hoping to have out to the public soon.
The whole topic of study was quite fascinating. You can always see those videos if you want by going to my website and checking them out. [see link below]
But in a nutshell… yes, I do believe that things can change, and no, I do not believe that abuse of certain medications such as laxatives is going to irreparably damage the tissues to such a degree that they will not be able to recover.
I’m sure I’m not alone in saying this, but we have all seen patients who have “miraculously”; recovered in situations where they were told that nothing would ever change. To my mind, that is just simply ludicrous. Everything changes! From one second to the next nothing is the same and isn’t that the thing that makes our wonderful life worth living, always giving hope where there seems to be no hope.
More specifically to your question…Jean Pierre teaches us how to work on the Cannon Bohm area of the colon. This area marks the border between the SMA [superior mesenteric artery] and IMA [inferior mesenteric artery], and the tissues they supply. It lies very close to the splenic flexure…maybe a bit medial from this along the transverse colon. It’s a site on the transverse colon that also marks the boundary between the proximal and distal territories of the autonomic nervous system.” Treat this and see what happens. You might be very surprised!!”
Approximate area of Cannon Bohm area of the colon.
Dr. Mariotti is a board-certified naturopathic physician who graduated from Bastyr University. He is a member of the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians, the Washington Association of Naturopathic Physicians, and the American Society for Nutrition. Dr. Mariotti has over 24 years of clinical experience and has studied extensively with Dr. Barral, the originator of Visceral Manipulation, and Dr. Upledger, the originator of CranioSacral Therapy. Dr. Mariotti works with people of all ages, from newborns to the elderly. He is recognized as an expert in visceral manipulation by other physicians and practitioners who routinely seek him out to study and enhance their own skills in this work. Currently, Dr. Mariotti is working on the second volume of his three-volume set of books to aid practitioners in using visceral manipulation in their clinical practice. Dr. Mariotti is a certified teacher for the Barral Institute and holds a Barral Institute Diplomate certification.
Dr. Mariotti’s website: Visceral Synergy
To find a practitioner trained in Visceral Manipulation™ for a laxative abuse treatment, visit the Barral Institute’s website.
To learn more about Barbara Horsley’s online self-care course for relieving constipation, click here>> Make Shift Happen.
Author: Barbara Horsley has more than 26 years of experience as a licensed massage therapist. She specializes in abdominal massage and Visceral Manipulation™ and is an NCBTMB-approved educator. In addition to being certified in abdominal massage, she also studied biomechanics and restorative exercise. She is also a Certified Women’s Herbal Educator and a graduate of the IWHI Perimenopause & Menopause Certificate Program.