What Is Black Poop A Sign Of?
Video Transcript:
Hi, and welcome back to our channel.
Today we're going to have a specific topic, and it's going to be all about black poop.
Answering the question of what is black poop the sign of?
Now, of course, black poop, the first time you see it or when you notice it is definitely going to be something that's going to be a little bit alarming and concerning to you.
But before you panic, it's really important just to understand what your body is actually trying to tell you.
So today I'm going to discuss the causes of what black poop may be.
Also, what are going to be some medical testing that you can get done, or diagnostic testing.
Of course, what is some preventative strategies as well as some treatment options.
So let's dig into our topic today, which is what is Black poop?
Hi my name is Marcie Vaske, and I'm a functional medicine nutritionist working with Oswald Digestive Clinic, where we see a lot of people who struggle with all different kinds of pooping and from constipation to diarrhea to different colors.
And so if this sounds like you or someone you know, I'm going to link our website down below where you can easily make an initial appointment.
And in addition to that, I'm also going to link our free guide, which is Five Ways to Improve Your Gut Health. So now that we're done with that, let's dig into black poop.
So of course, when we first might notice a black stool in the toilet bowl, we're thinking what might've caused this?
So that's what we're going to go through.
First, what are some causes of black poop?
And number one, it can be some dietary factors such as just changing your stool to a darkened color because you maybe ate a lot of blueberries or blackberries, or even consuming large amounts of grape juice can cause black stool in addition to beets and black licorice, if you're a fan of that.
So think about if you notice that in the stool, just think back and reflect on the foods that you might've eaten in the past couple days.
And if it's some of those darker-colored foods that I just talked about, then that might be the cause for your black stool.
And in addition, don't forget that also, artificial dyes can cause a darkened stool as well.
Now, in addition to some foods that might create a darker stool, there's also medications and supplements that do have a tendency to change your stool to a black color.
And for the supplements, a couple of those are going to be iron supplements and also activated charcoal.
So if you are anemic and you are taking iron supplements to increase your iron load in your body, then your stool might reflect that as well as if you're taking activated charcoal that also turn your stool black.
And oftentimes that's all it is. Now there is medications that do cause a blackened stool as well, and one of 'em you might, if you're taking Pepto-Bismol because you have a belly ache or you're trying to stop diarrhea for example, that will definitely change your stool to a darker color.
In addition to anti-diarrheal, there's also anti-acids that are also going to change your stool to that black color.
Again, upon reflection of what you might be taking in terms of supplementation or even in medications, that could be a cause for black stool.
Now another cause for black stool is going to be a upper gastrointestinal bleed.
And if you are struggling with any like an ulcer or just a gastric lining inflammation that might be creating more of a bleed, then you're going to find that your stool becomes more dark and tarry.
And the reason for that is because as it travels through the intestinal tract, it mixes with those digestive juices and makes a chemical change into a darker color.
And so if you're not eating foods on a regular basis that are dark like I talked about, or even taking those medications or supplements and you're still having dark stool, you might want to consider that it could be an upper GI bleed.
And of course, if this is the case, then you're really concerned about that.
Then seeking your primary care physician or checking in with a medical professional just to have some testing done would be a good idea.
Now, there are other medical conditions that can cause a black stool such as one of 'em.
I said the peptic ulcers are going to create that as well as even gastric erosions, as I said above.
And also if you have esophageal varices or even diverticulitis, those can all create a darkened stool in addition.
And in rare cases, a dark stool can be created from colon cancer. And so it's always best to seek some medical attention and help with that if some of these other things that I've talked about don't really resonate with you.
Now, as I mentioned, while black stool can be completely harmless, especially if it's from food that you've eaten or of course any kind of supplement or a medication that you might be taking, there is always the cause to seek medical help if you don't have any of those other things going on or if you've had a longstanding chronic gastrointestinal issues, it's always best to seek medical help and get some testing run.
And if you do go into the physician to get some additional testing done, they're likely going to do an upper endoscopy, a stool analysis, maybe even a colonoscopy or even an abdominal CT scan just to rule out serious that you would need to be more concerned about.
This way. It'll give you a good idea of what could be actually causing your black poop in the stool and due to the cause of what's causing the black poop will obviously be what treatment, what treatment kind of comes after that.
So if it is truly the food, then okay, well just maybe don't eat as much of it. Or when you do eat as many blueberries or blackberries or even beets that that's causing it, of course with any medications or supplementation, if you need to continue taking your iron supplements, which is completely healthy and fine, that that's causing the black stool, if you have more of a upper GI issue going on, then oftentimes there's sometimes the physician will recommend medications.
But if it's to kind of calm things down and then working more holistically with a practitioner such as myself to try to keep your gastrointestinal health healthy.
And some of the ways that we want to do that is not only through maybe other supplementation, but also we talk a lot about preventative care.
And in all preventative care, one of the main things is going to be what is your diet look like?
And really dialing in your foods to a whole food-based diet, which is full of healthy proteins, carbohydrates, plenty of vegetables, and of course fruits and healthy fats.
And that can keep your whole gastrointestinal system much healthier, much happier.
If you're eating a lot of toxic foods such as damaged fats or a lot of sugar that puts a lot of strain and inflammation into our GI tract, which just tend to exacerbate any of those symptoms that you might be having, which is causing black poop.
So to round out our topic on what is black poop a sign of, you can now understand a little bit better what your body is trying to tell you when you see that in the stool. And while it can be alarming, really, really reflect on what you've eaten, what kind of supplements or medications you've been taking before you jump to the next step of really worrying that there's something else wrong.
And of course, if there is, and that's none of those other things are resonating with you, definitely seek medical help just to rule out anything more serious.
So I hope that helped Understand, help you understand what black poop is, and do you need to be alarmed or not.
Now you'll know for yourself and be able to better create a better healthy lifestyle for yourself.
If you'd like to explore any of this information further or obtain an individualized nutrition plan, you can schedule an initial appointment at our clinic. We also take insurance and some of our clients get full coverage, which is great.
Or you can just start by downloading our FREE GUIDE: 5 WAYS TO IMPROVE GUT HEALTH
