Natural or Home Remedies for Constipation
Constipation is the most common digestive problem across the globe. It means different things for different people. For many, it simply means infrequent stools. For others, however, constipation means hard stools, difficulty in passing stools (straining), or a sense of incomplete emptying after a bowel movement. The normal frequency of bowel movements can vary widely from person to person from more than two times a day to three times a week.
We can conclude that one is suffering from constipation if he has to pass a hard, dry stool less than three times a week. Constipation can also make you feel bloated and uncomfortable and you may find yourself straining during bowel movements. Constipation causes abdominal pains, cramps and uneasy feeling in the stomach and abdominal cavity. Though constipation is one of those diseases that can affect anyone, it is more common in women and old aged people. It is also more common with certain medications such as opioid pain relievers, during pregnancy and after child birth or surgery. This article will help you avoid and come out of this digestive problem with the use of simple natural remedies for constipation.
Home Remedies For Constipation
Fiber rich diet: Fiber gives bulk to the stool and makes it easier to pass through. Fiber that is insoluble passes through the whole digestive system without undergoing any change. Thus a low fiber diet plays a major role in constipation. Foods that are high in insoluble fiber should be included in ones diet such as whole grains, fruits, vegetables, wheat bran, brown rice and whole grain bread. Soluble fiber that dissolves in water forms a gel-like substance in the intestine. Prunes and figs can be added to breakfast or eaten as a snack in the morning or evening breakfast to help. Another alternative is to dust one teaspoon of ground flaxseeds over any one meal of the day. The mild and nutty tasted flaxseeds are easily available in packets at each and every health food store or grocery store. Adding fiber suddenly is not advisable. One is advised to include fiber content slowly and gradually in the diet to avoid the chances of bloating and gas. Fiber content should be complemented with enough water intake, else the same can backfire with the opposite results as well.
Fluid intake: Ample fluid intake makes bowel movements softer and easier. Hence make sure you drink enough fluids such as water to help ease constipation. On the other hand, dehydrating liquids such as alcoholic beverages and caffeinated beverages such as coffee and cola drinks should be avoided.
Stimulant laxatives: Herbs like Cascara sagrada, Rhubarb, Aloe, Senna, Buckthorn and dieter’s tea fall in this category. Stimulant laxatives are also called anthranoid laxative. Some of these herbs, such as senna, are approved as OTC drug treatments for constipation. But, people become habitual to them and then keep on using them for years to have a daily bowel. These laxatives are meant to be short-term treatments and are not advised to be taken regularly. Unless medically advised, these should not be taken for more than a week at a stretch. Regular and prolonged usage of these laxatives can cause bowels to lose their ability to move on their own. Further damage has been assessed as chronic diarrhea and potassium depletion that may further lead to muscle weakness and dangerous irregularity in heart rhythms and even kidney and liver impairment.
Biofeedback therapy: Biofeedback therapists teach patients how to better coordinate their muscles that are used in defecation. Researchers claim that more than 70 per cent of the people who undergo the therapy have improved symptoms after biofeedback training. Biofeedback therapy may help people with constipation resulting from pelvic floor dysfunction, a condition in which the pelvic floor muscles do not function properly. It occurs because of obesity, an enlarged prostate or after childbirth. Biofeedback therapy has proved to be a treatment only for this type of constipation, but the results have been promising. For example, a study on comparison between biofeedback (one session a week for five weeks) and laxatives (polyethylene glycol 14.6 to 29.2 grams per day) has claimed that after six months, biofeedback sessions were more effective than the laxatives, with 43 of 54 (80%) of the biofeedback patients versus 12 out of 55 (22%) laxative-treated patients reporting major improvements. Benefits of the same have appeared to last at least two years.
Microbial organisms in the digestive system: Probiotics, such as lactobacillus acidophilus, are live microbial organisms present naturally in the digestive tract. They not only promote health benefits but also restrict the growth of potentially harmful bacteria resulting in improvement of immunity, protective barrier of the digestive tract and also help in producing vitamin-K. Some studies have claimed that there are some preliminary evidences that probiotic supplements may improve constipation. For example, one study judged the effect of a probiotic beverage containing a strain of beneficial bacteria Lactobacillus casei Shirota (65 milliliters a day) or a placebo in people with chronic constipation. The drink resulted in significant improvement in reducing constipation and stool inconsistency. Another similar study examined the effectiveness of another strain of probiotics on constipation in children and found that it was not effective. Eighty-four children between the age of two and 16 years suffering from constipation were given lactulose (a laxative) plus a probiotic supplement containing lactobacillus GG or lactulose alone. After 12 and 24 weeks, it was found that lactulose alone was more effective in treating constipation.
Acupressure: This traditional healing practice, which involves the application of finger pressure to specific acupuncture points on the body, is also effective in treating constipation. The acupressure point considered to be helpful in healing constipation is at the highest spot of the muscle between the thumb and index finger when they are brought close together. This treatment comes with a caution of not using it if one is pregnant.
Apart from the discussed remedies, engaging in regular physical activity is also helpful in avoiding constipation. It is also advised to not delay the urge of bowel movements. The longer one delays, the more water gets absorbed from stool and the harder it becomes to have a bowel movement. We can conclude by saying that though it is the commonest of the ailments, it can easily be avoided or kept under considerable control by acting on the above discussed points.
