Dr. Susan Merrill, ND
ND, Naturopathic Medicine
Gut Motility Research
Microbiome Health
Chronic Constipation Protocols
Naturopathic Doctor · Digestive Health & Gut Motility Specialist
Dr. Susan Merrill is a licensed Naturopathic Doctor with over 16 years of clinical practice focused on digestive health, gut motility dysfunction, and natural approaches to chronic constipation. She completed her Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine degree and subsequently pursued advanced training in functional gastroenterology and the emerging science of the gut-brain axis and enteric nervous system.
Her clinical focus shifted after observing that the majority of her patients with chronic constipation had already tried standard interventions — fiber, hydration, laxatives — without lasting results. This led her to deeper research into gut motility dysfunction and the microbiome factors that support or undermine the enteric nervous system's ability to coordinate normal intestinal movement.
Dr. Merrill has collaborated on research into probiotic-based motility protocols and has presented at integrative medicine conferences on the limitations of fiber-based approaches to slow-transit constipation. She is a member of the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians (AANP) and the Gastroenterology Association of Naturopathic Physicians.
The gut's "second brain" and how neurological decline drives motility dysfunction and chronic constipation
How gut bacteria composition directly influences transit time, peristalsis, and constipation severity
Evidence-based probiotic, enzyme, and botanical approaches to restoring gut motility naturally
Why stimulant laxatives worsen long-term motility and what the research supports as an alternative
Dr. Merrill contributes to Natural Balance Way as a clinical reviewer and primary author for content related to digestive health, gut motility, and natural constipation protocols. Her goal is to help chronic constipation sufferers understand why the standard advice often fails — and what the published research actually supports as a path toward lasting relief rather than symptom management.
All content authored by Dr. Merrill is intended for educational purposes and does not constitute personalized medical advice.
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