That experience is one my co-founder Holly knows all too well. For nearly two decades, she went from GP appointments to gut-health specialists, repeatedly seeking answers for her chronic constipation – and repeatedly leaving without any lasting solutions. Like so many women, she was left to manage her symptoms rather than understand them.
The consequences of that dismissal can be serious. “Women wait longer for conditions like coeliac disease and inflammatory bowel disease to be recognised,” Dr Patel adds. “And in rare cases, early-onset bowel cancer can be mistaken for gynaecological or hormonal issues. Earlier, more open conversations genuinely help us diagnose sooner.”
When wellness goes too far
Of course, not everything flying under the banner of bowel health is helpful.
As with any booming category, caution tape appears. Colonics are rebranded as spa treatments. Viral hacks promise overnight relief. Quick-fix culture hasn’t disappeared – it’s just adopted more clinical language.
This is where medical clarity matters.
“From a clinical perspective, I don’t recommend colonic irrigation whatsoever as a wellness treatment,” says Dr Patel. “There’s no robust evidence it provides long-term gut-health benefits, and it carries risks – including dehydration, electrolyte imbalances and, in rare cases, bowel perforation or infection.”
She’s equally wary of shortcuts. “Overusing laxatives can cause dependency and dangerous imbalances. If you’re relying on hacks to keep your bowels moving, that’s a sign to seek proper medical advice.”
Laura agrees: “The question to ask is whether something supports physiology or just promises a shortcut. Bowel health isn’t fixed by hacks – it’s built through consistent, sustainable habits.”
And this is where my own story loops back in.
01. Bowel + Bloat Relief was born out of my co-founder Holly’s lifelong struggle with constipation. She discovered a combination of 10 all-natural vitamins, minerals and botanicals that genuinely changed her life – taking her from a once-a-week pooer to going every single day with ease.
So we did what we knew we had to do: we put all of those ingredients into one easy-to-take stick that didn’t cost a bomb. A fine powder you mix into water and drink daily – because it’s daily habits like these that make a long-term difference.
“WE ARE. REGULAR. 01 Bowel + Bloat Relief stands out in the crowded supplement space because it isn’t a probiotic or a harsh laxative,” Laura explains. “It’s a multi-ingredient formula designed to support the gut on multiple levels. By combining gentle osmotic magnesium for motility, gut-soothing botanicals like ginger and peppermint, and L-glutamine to help strengthen the gut lining, it works with your digestive system rather than forcing it.”
But the product was never the only goal. It was a response — to silence, dismissal, and the idea that women should simply put up with discomfort.
Let’s break the poo taboo together
Taking bowel health into the mainstream has an impact far beyond the bathroom. It means women feeling comfortable enough to acknowledge – and tend to – a part of their health that’s been wrapped in shame for too long.
Ultimately, bowel health’s rise isn’t another wellness cycle – it’s a cultural correction. It’s women refusing to accept discomfort as normal, and recognising that health doesn’t only live in green juices and reformer studios, but sometimes in the conversations we’ve avoided the longest.
If the next era of wellness means discussing stool consistency with the same ease we discuss skincare routines?
Now that’s poo progress.