The Poop on MiraLAX

Is MiraLAX the New Vioxx?  That’s the provocative title of an article by Konstantin Monastyrsky, the author of Fiber Menace.

As of March 2012, the FDA’s Adverse Event Reporting System showed 2,257 “adverse events” ranging from forgetfulness to death caused by MiraLAX and other polyethylene glycol-containing “block buster” laxative drugs.    Movicol, Dulcolax, LAX-a-Day and a host of other over-the-counter “super poopers” have also been implicated.

The problem is “neuropsychiatric events.”    So far, FDA — in its usual “lax” fashion — has decided “no action is necessary at this time.”  Yet the laxatives could be contributing to a long list of central and peripheral nervous system disorders, including autism, dementia, depression, schizophrenia, multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.

What’s the problem?   “Collateral damage” from polyethylene glycol,” which “shouldn’t surprise anyone, least of all seasoned pharmacists and medical doctors,” says Monastyrsky. “This industrial chemical is manufactured by Dow Chemical Company for use in wood treatments, paints, coatings, rubber, textiles, detergents and  toilet bowl cleaners.”

Toilet bowl cleaners?   Yes.  Shocking but true .   Could it be that Big Pharm has come out with a product that not only acts as an effective laxative but produces poop with its own built-in toilet cleaner!    (The Naughty Nutritionist here just can’t understand how Merck missed the opportunity to market it as a cost-effective  “two-for-the-price-of-one” product.)

Sadly, it’s not a joking matter.   As Monastyrsky explains:

“The same properties of PEG that make it an excellent toilet bowl cleaner, also wipe clean the mucosal membrane of the large intestine, leaving the colon unprotected and cancer-prone, a situation similar to a dry mouth.   On top of the mucosal membrane damage, a high osmotic gradient of polyethlene glycol solution decimates intestinal bacteria — decimates intestinal bacteria — single cell organisms — just as mercilessly as antibacterial soaps, antibiotics, or heavy metals.

“The resulting death of intestinal bacteria is called dysbiosis in the United States and disbacteriosis in the rest of the world.    Dysbiosis reduces primary immunity, causes a broad range of neurological and blood disorders, makes occasional constipation chronic and more severe, ensures lifelong dependence on laxatives, and is behind ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease and colorectal cancer.”

And you thought laxatives just helped you poop!

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For more information, read Konstantin Monastyrsky’s article “Is MiraLAX the New Vioxx?” posted at:

http://www.gutsense.org/gutsense/the-role-of-miralax-laxative-in-autism-dementia-alzheimer.html#.UQ8Qs6VlQc

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