PHARMACY MATHS

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THE fats in olive oil can help make it easier for the stool to pass through the bowel and can also help it hold more water, making it softer.

Olive oil is a gentle alternative to shop-bought stool softeners, which contain docusate sodium. Extra-virgin olive oil and olive oil BP (refined olive oil you can buy from chemists) are considered to be the purest. Most people can consume the oil without experiencing any of the side-effects commonly associated with laxatives, such as abdominal cramping and gas. Take a 5 ml spoonful in juice or milk and increase as required.