There is a capsule that can be swallowed. It vibrates and helps alleviate constipation. Randomized Placebo-Controlled Phase 3 Trial of Vibrating Capsule for Chronic Constipation - PubMed
To me, it seems a bit late to be swallowing a capsule. If there is no bowel movement, how does it get to where it is needed? A bit catch-22.
My suggestion: apply vibration externally.
I have made a small battery operated device, which clips to the underpants elastic. I don’t suffer from constipation (usually) but I have noticed an improvement in motions.
It is using a small vibrating motor and an AA battery.
Any thougts? Why is this not a thing already?
Hmm… the gut is quite a complex thing, with lots of nerves, muscles, blood supply. It might be that influence at the top end has some effect - hence the randomised trial I suppose. I think it’s true that breakfast, especially hot food and drink, can get things moving. (I think it’s also true that the active ingredients of prune juice can have an effect quite quickly - absorbed into the bloodstream and having a systemic effect - the gut is not merely a very long tube.)
Abdominal massage seems to be helpful but perhaps in a more directly mechanical way than vibration.
(Somewhat akin to vibration, the brown note is apparently not a real thing.)
My gut feel(!) is that vibration will be transmitted reasonably well through the body, which is not entirely unlike a big bag of water. So it’s not too surprising, perhaps, to find an effect at some distance from the point of application. That applies both to the capsule and to your gadget, perhaps?
Thanks for the reply Ed. Yes I do notice the vibrations transmit quite well in the gut area. They are fairly small, similar amplitude to a mobile phone vibration. Operating the motor at 1.5 V rather than its rated 3 V.
I once attended an airshow at Staverton, near Gloucester. Not wanting to pay to enter, I stood on the public road near the end of the runway. A Harrier flew over low and slow. I never experienced such a deep vibration before or since! It only lasted a few seconds though, and I don’t recall an effect on bowel movement.