More Natural Remedies

Constipation is one of the most common ailments in the U.S. It is a condition when a person has bowel movements that is less frequent than normal or when his stool is small, hard, and difficult or painful to pass.

In addition to infrequent bowel movements, other symptoms of constipation include bad breath, feeling constant fullness in the belly, loss of appetite, headaches and dizziness, and lower back pain. Constipation often causes other diseases and illnesses due to the back up of waste products in the body. Instead of being discharged during bowel movements, the toxins in the waste remain in the body too long and are re-absorbed by the body, leading to a number of ailments.

Constipation is defined as having a bowel movement fewer than three times per week. How many bowel movements a day or a week is normal differs from person to the person. Some people think they are constipated if they do not have a bowel movement every day. It is quite normal for some people to have bowel movements one or more times a day. While it is quite normal for other people to have bowel movements no more than three times a week. Constipation is not defined by the number of times that a person has a bowel movement but rather the consistent regularity of the bowel movements.

The high incidents of constipation are often blamed on the traditional Western diet that is common to most people. This diet is often high in fats and processed foods containing flour, sugar and additives, and low in vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds. Lack of exercise, not drinking enough water, drinking excessive amounts of coffee or tea, and stress and poor sleeping habits can also contribute to irregular bowel movements.

Although constipation can happen to anyone, it appears to more frequently afflict women and people over the age of 65. Women who are pregnant or who have just given childbirth, and anyone who just had surgery are at a higher risk of experiencing constipation. As we age, our bodies slows down and produces less of the digestive juices it normally needs to process the foods we eat and is a leading cause of constipation in older people. Reduced physical activity is also thought to be one of the reasons constipation is common in older people.

Medications such as painkillers and some physical conditions such as multiple sclerosis or spinal cord injuries will also place people at higher risk for developing constipation.

While there are many different medications on the market that offer temporary relief by inducing bowel movements, too much reliance on medication can have negative effect on you body such as dehydration, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting and stomach cramps, hemorrhoids and anal fissures.

If you are considering dealing with your constipation using over-the-counter medications, make sure that you really are constipated before taking constipation medication. Fortunately, there are natural remedies for constipation that does not involve over-the-counter or prescription laxatives, and will not negatively effect your health in any fashion. In fact, using these processes will only improve your overall health.

As with most natural remedies, a natural cure for constipation involves a combination of lifestyle and dietary changes. One of the easiest cures for your constipation that will get immediate results is to increase your fluid intake. If you don’t get enough fluids into your body, the body becomes dehydrated and it will try to recover and absorb as much excess water in the stool as possible for use to maintain the function of varies organs. The dry stool is what makes bowel movements difficult and less frequent.

Keeping adequately hydrated by drinking water or getting moisture from the foods you eat will keep your stools soft and help with your bowel movements. You should drink at least six to eight glasses of liquid a day, depending on you how active you are and the climate of where you live. While almost any fluid will do the trick the best one is water. Fluids that contain caffeine will actually do more to dehydrate you then they will to improve your condition. Alcohol is another drink that dehydrates the body. A note of caution: Don’t drink too much plain water at one time without also replacing your body’s electrolytes.

Most people that eat a traditional Western diet do not get enough fiber in their foods. The American Dietetic Association recommends at minimum of 20 to 35 grams of daily fiber a day for adults. It’s not difficult to get the recommended fiber serving size of 35 grams of fiber per day. For instance, one half cup of green peas will have about 5 grams, of fiber; one small apple supplies about 3 grams or fiber; and a bowl of bran cereal will give you as much as 13 grams of fiber. Cooked dried beans, prunes, figs, raisins, popcorn, oatmeal and nuts are also loaded with fiber.

If your diet is currently low in dietary fiber, don’t increase your fiber intake too quickly or you may experience flatulence, bloating and other side effects. Instead, slowly add one or two high fiber foods each day. Then, every three or four days, add another high fiber food, and so on, until you get the recommended 35 grams of fiber per day.

Another natural cure against constipation is exercise. Any form of regular exercise will help to alleviate constipation because the continued movement of your body helps to improve the peristalsis, or the rhythmic contraction of muscles to propel contents in the lower intestines. While any form of exercise is beneficial, walking appears to be the most effective and is especially helpful for pregnant women who experience constipation as their babies continue to grow.

Not answering the call of nature to go to the bathroom to have a bowel movement can lead to progressive constipation. People who constantly ignore the urge to have a bowel movement may eventually stop feeling the need to have one, which can lead to constipation. On the reverse side, we can also train ourselves to go to the bathroom by following a regular schedule of going to the bathroom whether or not we feel the need.

Our bodies have a gastric reflux, which is triggered approximately 20 minutes after each meal, especially heavy meals. You can pick a meal, any meal, and every day, wait between 20 or 30 minutes after the meal to go to the bathroom and sit on the toilet for at least 10 minutes. It won’t be long before your body begins to respond to the training and you will have regular bowel movements 20 minutes after your chosen meal.

If you don’t find these dietary and lifestyle changes working for you, you may consider adding a little help. Eat a healthy helping of sunflower seeds every day will help to increase the fiber and will help move the stool along. Eating extra helpings of whole wheat bread, brand, oatmeal, horseradish with your meals, dried figs and plums are also great for alleviating constipation.

Some people may also find that they suffer from pelvic floor dysfunction caused by a weakness of the muscles in the pelvis surrounding the anus and rectum, which do not allow the bowels to empty appropriately. However, because this group of muscles is voluntarily controlled to some extent, biofeedback therapy has shown some success in training people to control the muscles to function normally and improving the ability to have a bowel movement. For example, in a small study group of 54 constipation sufferers using biofeedback therapy for six months, 43 have shown to benefited more from biofeedback than from the use of laxatives. The benefits appeared to last for at least two years.

Constipation can lead to other complications such as hemorrhoids, caused by straining to have a bowel movement, or anal fissures or tears around the anus, caused by hard stool stretching the sphincter muscle. The hemorrhoids or anal fissures are not only painful but can also aggravate your constipation by narrowing the anal opening and restricting the amount of stool that can be passed. Straining to expel the stool can also raise your blood pressure and lower your heart rate, which can cause you to black out or faint, and fall off the toilet. This is especially dangerous for elderly people as they are more easily injured from falls.

Most people with mild constipation don’t need the help of laxatives or other medication, and should benefit from the natural remedies mentioned above. However, if these methods are not effective in helping to alleviate your constipation, you should seek the care and advice of your doctor or health care provider in order to decrease the problems associated with hemorrhoids and anal fissures, and also to rule out any other diseases and abnormalities that you may have.

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