 The Bristol stool scale was developed at the Bristol Royal Infirmary in 1997 and is based on the poops of approximately 2,000 people. Developed by Dr. Ken Heaton, this scale makes it a little easier for people to discuss what comes out the other end. One way of looking at this scale is to think about how much water is in each type of poop. 1 & 2 are very dry and may be seen when one is constipated. 6 & 7 are considered diarrhea — plenty of water in these poops. #4 is Goldilocks (Goldilogs?!) and 3 & 5 are either side of “just right” and considered pretty good. NOTE: if you consistently pass either the hard poops or the mushy poops, OR, if you switch back and forth between the two, then you may want to speak with a physician.  Let’s talk about how these poops come about. For this information, I’m going to rely primarily on Gut: The Inside Story of our Body’s Most Underrated Organ by Giulia Enders* (2015). (Sometimes word for word and sometimes paraphrased. Rest assured, all this technical info is coming from here, unless otherwise mentioned.) Poops are 3/4 water. 1/3 of the solids are bacteria. Another 1/3 is indigestible vegetable fiber. (The more fruit and veg you eat, the more feces you excrete per bowel movement.) The last 1/3 is stuff your body wants out: remains of medicines, food coloring or cholesterol. Enders says the type of poop can indicate how long it takes for the indigestible particles to pass through one’s gut. With this in mind, she says Type 1, the rabbit pellets — the hard, little lumps — can take around 100 hours to pass through the system. On the other end, Type 7 — the diarrhea — can whiz through in 10 hours (or less!). Let me add here that Lewis and Heaton (1997) found the Bristol Stool Scale is a useful guide to intestinal transit time. If you are in the envied position of regularly doing 3s and 4s, Enders says to make sure to observe how quickly they sink. If they sink too quickly it may indicate they still contain nutrients that weren’t digested properly. Kate Deering, author of How to Heal Your Metabolism (2015) describes a healthy feces as "firm, about 6-8 inches in length and about an inch in diameter." She continues: "If you are having a hard time eliminating you may be dehydrated and need to add in more minerals (primarily salt), fruit and water-containing foods to your diet." How long should it take to poop? That’s a trickier question than it first appears to be. Soft Matter journal (Yang et al. 2017) says the average mammal — regardless of size — takes just 12 seconds to poop. According to Mayo Clinic (Rajan 2019), it takes about 6-8 hours for food to pass through the stomach and small intestine. Then it moves into the large intestine for further digestion, absorption of water … taking about 36 hours to get all the way through the system. Dr. Sonpal (Migala 2020) says it should take no more than 5-10 minutes to complete a poop with “minimal straining.” What’s the best way to get the poop out? Back to Gut again, an Israeli doctor, Dov Sikirov, had 28 test subjects poop in three different positions (normal toilet, half sit/half squat on a low toilet and squatting without a seat) and recorded how long they each took and recorded how much straining each position required: “The results were clear. In a squatting position, the subjects took an average of 50 seconds and reported a feeling of full, satisfaction bowel emptying. The average time when seated was 130 seconds and the resulting feeling was deemed to be not quite so satisfactory.” Japanese researchers wanted a bit more assurance and they actually fed their volunteers “luminous substances” and x-rayed them while pooping in various positions. Again from Gut, “squatting does indeed lead to a nice, straight intestinal tract, allowing for a direct, easy exit.” Long story short here: if you have problems getting the poop out, try a squatting stool* (Do a quick search for “squat” and “toilet” and see the options available.) OK, back to the Bristol Stool Scale… NOTE: If you experience the following symptoms during bowel movements (pain, blood, excessive mucus), especially if they are ongoing, or, if you have recently had a change in bowel habits, be sure to seek professional medical advice. Homeopathy is all about balancing the entire system. The best way to do this is with a full consultation with a professional homeopath who is taking all sorts of everything into consideration. With that in mind, a good stool remedy is a good stool remedy. Bryonia may be my go-to remedy to think about for constipation (a “3” in Murphy’s repertory), but it’s also listed under the opposite: forcible, sudden, gushing, but this time it is a “1”. I am putting out a few remedies to consider for various stool issues, but don’t lock yourself into a hard-line of thinking here — there is flexibility. Don’t get stuck into, “but Bryonia is a dry poop remedy” way of thinking — Bryonia can be a good remedy for stools, in general. Type 1: also known as rabbit droppings. I have known young mothers who didn’t mind when their little ones had these — they could skip the diaper change and literally just pull the little pellets out of the diaper and carry on with the day. Easy? I suppose so. But if your little one is popping out this kind of poop, there might be some dehydration issues going on. Seriously. Don’t take this as normal. Homeopathically, we could look at rubrics such as: Stool, Balls, Stools like; or, like small balls; or, like laurel berries. There are lots of good remedies listed for this, but I would start with Alumina, Bryonia, Nat mur or Plumbum. (Can I just say how much I love the name Plumbum? It’s Latin for lead and I think it’s just perfect — it’s helpful for plumbing the bum and getting the lead out when one is all bunged up 🤣.) Dry stool is an even bigger rubric with a lot of the above-repeating rubrics. However, I would start with Bryonia or Nux vomica. If it’s a dry and crumbling stool, Alumina. If it’s a dry stool which kind of starts and stops and then recedes, start with Silica. Type 2: still dry, but this time the pebbles have been fused together. For this one, all of the above dry stool remedies are worth considering, but I would probably start with Nux vomica. If it’s a lumpy stool covered with mucus**, start with Alumina. A dry and crumbling stool, Alumina or Nat mur. A lovely rubric: Stool, Sheep, dung, like - agglutinated, masses of: Plumbum. Type 3: is a little tougher to distinguish, homeopathically speaking. 3 is moving toward the “Goldilog” so perhaps just a little more fluid in your diet should do the trick? Type 4: smooth sailing — keep up the good work! Type 5: the pediatric Bristol Stool Form Scale describes this as “chicken nuggets” — soft blobs with clear-cut edges (passed easily). Like Type 3, I think we’re hovering around “good to go” — there may not be an issue here that needs to be addressed. Type 6: A mushy stool — not formed. If it looks like corn meal: Bryonia. Other remedies to consider: Rhus tox and Podophyllum. If it’s an involuntary soft stool, start with Aloe. Type 7: entirely liquid — now we’re moving into total diarrhea territory and there are many, many remedies to address this. I will be writing more in-depth about diarrhea shortly, but for today, let’s just start with Arsenicum album, China officinalis or Phosphoric acid. Once again, if your regular stool is not hovering around 3, 4, and 5, please seek a professional medical opinion. Don’t forget to check out the deposits you make into the porcelain bank! Any regular stools on either end of this scale should be evaluated by a medical professional. Julia Coyte, CHom Classically Practical homeopath #wellnessawaits * I have no affiliation with this book, I just really like it — very fun and highly readable! ** (Note: A small amount of mucus on the stool is usually not a cause for concern. Mucus lines your intestines to keep your colon running smoothly, among other tasks. However, if there is excessive mucus in or on the stool it may be a sign of an underlying condition such as: Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Crohn’s Disease, Ulcerative Colitis, food poisoning, bowel obstruction or blockage, cancer of the rectum or colon. If you have excessive mucus or even a small amount of mucus which is on-going, seek professional medical advice, especially if it is accompanied by abdominal pain, bloody stools, fever or weight loss (Mayo Clinic). Check out this article for more information.) REFERENCES:
Deering, K., 2015. How to heal your metabolism : stop blaming aging for your slowing metabolism! : learn how the right foods, sleep, the right amount of exercise, and happiness can increase your metabolic rate and help heal your broken metabolism. United States: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform. Enders, G., 2015. Gut : the Inside Story of Our Body’s Most Underrated Organ. Greystone Books. Lewis, S. J. and Heaton, K. W. (1997) ‘Stool Form Scale as a Useful Guide to Intestinal Transit Time’, Scandinavian Journal of Gastroenterology, 32(9), pp. 920–924. Migala, J., 2020. How Long It Should Take to Have a Healthy Poop, According to Gastroenterologists [online]. Livestrong.com. Yang, P. J., LaMarca, M., Kaminski, C., Chu, D. I. and Hu, D. L., 2017. Hydrodynamics of defecation. Soft Matter, 13 (29), 4960–4970.
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 As seen many, many months ago in my news feed. I have no idea where it comes from, but I like it. Anybody out there getting stressed out watching the news?
I suppose this post could have been written at any point in history, but 2024 seems to be gearing up for a new level of stressful watching/listening/reading. If you find yourself getting upset by the news, have a think about a few of these homeopathic remedies: Ignatia is a good place to start. (SEE: Homeopathy Can Make a Heavy World a Little Lighter) Homeopathic Ignatia can be found in the following rubrics:
Now, a short list of a few other remedies which may be applicable (as found in a quick look of Robin Murphy's Repertory): Obsessive compulsive disorder (as may be acutely exhibited through an irrepressible need to keep checking the updated news feeds): Nux vomica or Argentum nitricum Trembling with anger: Staphysagria or Gelsemium Trembling from anxiety: Gelsemium or Argentum nitricum Trembling as if frightened: start with Gelsemium but also Aconite, Coffea, Ignatia Headaches following depressing or sad news: Gelsemium or Ignatia Shock from hearing bad news: Gelsemium, Ignatia or Calc carb Vertigo from bad news: Calc carb Obsessed with justice: Causticum If all these thoughts are creating anxiety: Argentum nitricum If all of these stories and images and thoughts keep you from sleeping: Coffea If all these thoughts are keeping you from concentrating: Nux vomica If your mind is preoccupied with thoughts of the future: Argentum nitricum. Persistent thoughts: Argentum nitricum is the place to start, but also: Calc carb or Nat mur. Witnessing traumatic events: Aconite Rapid thoughts: Coffea Repetition of thoughts: Argentum nitricum Shock from bad news: Calc carb, Gelsemium and Ignatia One more thing to do, as seen on many on-line posts… unclench your jaw. soften your forehead. relax your shoulders. breathe. Julia Coyte, CHom Classically Practical homeopath #wellnessawaits  We are more than half way through 2024 (!) and I wanted to take a minute to check in to see how you’re doing in this Year to Embrace Homeopathy
To keep the information flowing your way, I will take this momentous half-way mark to share the contents of my in-box. Where does time go? No, seriously — where does it go?! When I sat down to collate these goodies, I was very pleasantly surprised to see that there are so many homeopathy-related emails that appear in inbox. Some are weekly, some sporadic, all of them are terrific! Some are brand new, some are brand new to me and some have been around for quite a while. Let’s dive in (I have arranged them alphabetically by last name or by organization name for easy reference): The Aurum Project out of Australia “dedicated to improving the health and wellbeing of children through natural medicine research.” Latest blog. Australian Homeopathic Association Joette Calabrese — this is where I got started in homeopathy and her blog is chock-a-block full of good, practical, sound homeopathy suggestions! Kristína Colli Chrasteková is brand new to me. Latest blog: Emotional Injury Melanie Creedy, “in love with homeopathy for nearly 40 years!” — Australian homeopath offering kits and remedies in addition to her blog: Elements of Health Directly from Nature — given there are only 38 Bach Flower Essences, there is repetition in this email, but that doesn’t matter! It’s always good to have a reminder of what these lovely things can do pop up in your email. Jayne Evans, another brand new to me newsletter. Latest blog: Rumex Caroline Gaskin, a UK homeopath, writes blogs sporadically but also offers courses and workshops. Homeopathy Course Online provides links to J. Ellis Barker’s Heal Thyself. The latest issue is from November 1944 and includes the following articles: The Potency Question (Barker); A Case History which Teaches Much (W. W. Young); The Case for Homeopathy (G. D. Pettitt): Diseases of the Kidney (Dr. W. Karo); Practical Experience with Homeopathic Remedies (William A. Humphrey, M.D.); The Future of Homeopathy (Dr. Dorothy Shepherd); Homeopathy and Orthodox Medicine (Barker) Hpathy publishes their Ejournal monthly. Latest ejournal: Homeopathy for Everyone Lauren Hubele is without question the best place to get information on Gemmos. Lauren writes a sporadic newsletter on gemmos and her life but if you want frequent information on the Gemmos, you’ll need to subscribe to Gemmos with Lauren Hubele. Ton Jansen — not a blog, but regular updates on his (excellent!) course offerings. Paula Jeffrey another new find for me. In addition to some good homeopathic reading, (and a recipe now and again), Paula also offers courses, her latest is Matridonals for the Fourth Trimester Tracy Karkut-Law with helpful tips on keeping your homeopathic practice running smoothly in Radiant Business Newsletter. She also offers classes. Wren Lloyd & Leslie Anderson have just begun a Substack Podcast. Lotus Wellness Cottage is Judith Toscano’s monthly newsletter which doesn’t have a big focus on homeopathy but always has links to Robin Murphy’s books and Judith’s recipes as well as links to their courses. Jenny Marks offers quick reads on various topics. Latest blog: Belladona vs Aconite Emily Marshall writes in-depth pieces primarily centered on the Banerji Protocols. Latest blog: Homeopathy for Pain Minerva Books offers “the largest selection of homeopathic titles available in the United Kingdom.” They don’t have a blog, but they do have “Mailshots” highlighting discounted homeopathy books. (The last order I placed with them arrived to the US very quickly!) Sarah Penrose offers Evidence Based Homeopathy. Latest blog: Homeopathy & the Plagiarist Barbara Roberts writes Homeopathy and Integrative Health. Her latest article on her recent experience with shingles was posted on June 12th but prior to that, it appears she hasn’t written since 2022. Lisa Robbins is one of the newest additions to my inbox. She is an American homeopath living in Italy and she has a nice backlog of blogs to search and it appears she publishes about monthly. Latest blog: Remedies for your travel kit Lynne Russell caught my attention with her recent blog, Surviving the Election — a Homeopathic Remedy Guide The School of Homeopathy pretty much just talking about their upcoming webinars. Heather Shepard offers Study Homeopathy Substack. This is apparently a brand new Substack, beginning just in June of this year — videos, not writings. Most recent: Why disease diagnosis are unhelpful Lisa Strbac a UK homeopath offering pretty in-depth articles about weekly, it seems. Latest blog: The Emotional Meaning Behind Physical Symptoms Will Taylor “retired from a life of service in healthcare and teaching” is a prolific writer of Notes from a life spent in healthcare. At the time of this writing, he is up to installment 30 in Mapping out Materia Medica, part 7 in Case Receiving, part 4 in Case Analysis, #15 in Chronic Disease installment… I may be missing some of the pieces here but suffice it to say, Will will keep your head filled with homeopathic wonderment. He also offers courses on his site. (This is where I originally found him years ago when I began his 120+ hour course in Anatomy, Physiology and Pathology.) Sarah Thompson, The Big At Large, is also a brand new discovery for me and I have not yet had a chance to look into it. Latest blog: Preppies and Peppers Trinity Health Hub is Karen Allen’s jam-packed website. The latest email I received from them has a discount code for half price for the year subscription! Gina Tyler another recent addition for me. An American homeopath out of California, she also writes about essential oils and herbs. Latest blog: Essential Oils Dana Ullman is the author of many books on homeopathy and publishes a Substack, Dana Ullman’s Homeopathy, Nanomedicine, & Maxi-science … with a very active “Notes” section linking to all sorts of other Substacks. Whole Health Now is Kim Elia’s website — not a blog, but regular newsletters keeping you up to date with their latest (excellent!) course offerings. Have I missed anything? I’m sure I have (and, I hope you let me know what else is out there). As I said, this is just what appears in my inbox regularly as well as a couple of blogs that have just now reached my radar. Most of what I have included are free, though some require payment to get the full experience. Happy Reading! Julia Coyte, CHom Classically Practical homeopath #wellnessawaits |
Julia Coyte, CHomI am passionate about homeopathy and I love sharing this passion. Having a working knowledge of homeopathy shouldn't be kept a secret. If people have the ability to help themselves, their children and their friends when they have minor ailments, life just gets better for everyone. That is the purpose behind Ruminating on Remedies. Archives
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