Iron out the problem. If your multivitamin contains iron, the most constipating mineral, try one without it. A supplement relieved all their symptoms. Nutritional medicine expert Melvyn Werbach, M.D., an assistant clinical professor at the UCLA School of Medicine, suggests taking up to 60 mg a day. It's a bulk-former, the most natural approach to getting things moving.
Psyllium seed contains a soluble fiber, mucilage, that expands a great deal in water.
In the digestive tract, psyllium increases stool bulk. Bulkier stools press on the colon wall and stimulate peristalsis. Psyllium usually works in 12 to 72 hours. However, Dr. Duke cautions, psyllium does not work by itself. It must be taken with lots of water.