Constipation

Suffering from constipation is one of the most common ailments in the modern western world, and although normal western medicine does not see it as a serious problem, but rather considers it an inconvenience, naturopath and herbal health practitioners hold an opposite view.

on this page General information on constipation What is constipation? Side effects and symptoms of constipation When am I constipated? What causes constipation? Not enough fiber in the diet Milk products Too little fluids Too little exercise Pregnancy Aging Travel Medication Laxatives Disregarding the urge to defecate Stress Spinal injuries and neurological problems Metabolic imbalances Obstructions Preventing constipation Treatment for constipation Different types of laxatives

General information on constipation

In natural health and healing, it is held as a major contributory factor for a range of ills and ailments visiting the young and old equally.

If the colon cannot remove wastes properly, the other waste removal organs – be that the lungs, kidneys and skin are over-taxed, and toxins build up within the system, and it is these toxins in the colon, that are believed to be the instigators of so many health problems.

In order to avoid this, the answer is fairly straightforward – make sure that you do not get constipated, and that you have regular bowel movements, to remove waste materials and toxins from your body.

What is constipation?

It is described in the Webster’s New World Dictionary and Thesaurus, as “infrequent and difficult movements of the bowel”.

This would refer to dry, hard and knotty fecal matter that is being passed and it may also be painful when passing such stools.

Side effects and symptoms of constipation

Straining to pass hard stools is a major cause of internal and external hemorrhoids, and can also lead to anal bleeding caused by fissures (small tears) forming around the anus, but apart from this it can have a wide range of other side effects as well.

Other symptoms and side effects

• bloating and flatulence
• loss of appetite
• nausea
• indigestion
• headaches and migraines
• bad breath
• skin problems and eruptions
• coated tongue
• appendicitis
• depression
• diverticulitis (pouches forming in the large intestine)
• fatigue
• cellulite
• hemorrhoids (piles)
• hernia
• insomnia
• varicose veins
• tinnitus
• candidiasis

It can further be involved in far more serious problems, and can be a contributory factor in major degenerative diseases, such as:

• arthritis
• chronic fatigue syndrome
• diverticulitis
• various auto-immune diseases
• bowel cancer and other forms of cancer
• diabetes mellitus
• meningitis

When am I constipated?

If you look at western medicine, you will find that the medical fraternity will label you as “constipated” if you have less than three bowel movements per week.

Naturopathic and herbal health practitioners have a radically different view on this, and believe that you should have at least one bowel movement per day, as a healthy colon would eliminate solid wastes within 6 – 18 hours after eating.

What causes constipation?

There are many factors that can contribute to this problem, and to try and create a holistic view, we have listed, and briefly discussed them, point-for-point. But in summary, it can be said that if the peristaltic movements that move the waste materials become sluggish, or if too much water is absorbed from waste material (the stool) the result would be constipation.

• Not enough fiber in the diet
  • A healthy individual should consume 25 – 30 grams of fiber a day to ensure sufficient fiber in the digestive system to prevent being constipated. The colon, which moves the fecal matter to the rectum, does so with peristaltic motions, and fiber bulk is needed for the colon to do its job properly.
  • Following a too refined and fatty diet, and consuming a lot of sugar will cause sluggish peristaltic movements.
• Milk products
  • It has been found that cow’s milk often causes constipation in children. Should this be the case consider switching to goat milk or milk made from soy.
• Too little fluids
  • In order for waste material to move through the colon, it must be hydrated, otherwise it will become hard, and difficult to move. For this reason, enough water must be present in the body to be able to supply the colon with hydration.
  • A good rule of thumb is to take between 8 and 10 glasses of pure water per day not counting any other drinks that you may consume.
• Too little exercise
  • Although not all people may like doing vigorous exercise every day, the stomach and colon needs to have some movement of the body in order to work.
  • This is very evident in bed-ridden or wheelchair-bound patients, where this problem is a regular complaint.
  • The exercise required can be as little as a daily walk around the block – ever heard the term - "taking a constitutional walk"?
• Pregnancy
  • Pregnant women, due to their hormone levels, as well as the physical adaptation in their body to make space for the growing embryo, often become constipated.
  • When pregnant, a woman’s diet may be supplemented with iron pills or capsules, and this could make matters worse.
  • Taking a bulking agent, such as psyllium, to ensure proper bowel movements, can easily and safely rectify the problem.
• Aging
  • Some older people follow a very sedentary lifestyle, and it is this lack of movement that is a large contributory factor resulting in being constipated – coupled to the fact that metabolic processes have also slowed down.
  • Older people would be well advised to take regular gentle exercise – even if it means walking around the block, and also to look after their diet and fluid intake.
• Travel
  • Due to a disruption in daily routine, travelers sometimes experience short-term problems, and there are also those that feel uncomfortable using a different bathroom, and this can cause a psychosomatic form of being constipated.
• Medication
  • A variety of prescription, as well as over-the-counter medication, can contribute to this problem, and include:
    • iron pills
    • antacids
    • anticonvulsants
    • antispasmodics
    • muscle relaxants
    • blood pressure medication
    • diuretics
    • codeine
    • painkillers
    • antidepressants.
• Laxatives
  • The continuous use of laxatives, can cause the muscles in your colon to become “lazy” and a reliance and dependency on certain types of laxatives can occur.
  • The nerve endings in the rectum, that trigger the urge to defecate can be damaged and desensitized by continuous use of certain laxatives.
• Continuous disregard when getting the urge to defecate
  • If a person continuously ignores the urge to defecate, the body may respond by becoming constipated.
  • It is a good habit to try and regulate your bowel movements by setting aside a specific time each day for an unhurried, and unforced, attempt to have a bowel movement. The best time for this is normally about an hour after eating breakfast, but it may take your body some time to get into this routine.
• Stress
  • People with a high threshold of emotional or work stress are often constipated, which can be due to a variety of factors.
  • A helpful hint to try, is to lie down on the floor, and do breathing exercises, but instead of making your chest enlarge when inhaling, try and inhale with your stomach – that is push your stomach upwards when inhaling.
  • This will not only exercise your diaphragm, but will also cause your stomach muscles to move, and will reduce not only the tension held in your stomach muscles, but will also help the peristaltic movements of your colon.
• Spinal injuries and neurological problems
  • People with spinal injuries and certain neurological problems may have damaged the nerves that trigger the urge to have a bowel movement, and this can result in being chronically constipated.
• Metabolic imbalances
  • A low level of thyroid hormone can cause this problem, as well as a too high level of calcium.
• Obstructions
  • If there is any type of intestinal obstruction - be that scar tissue, diverticulosis, tumors, colorectal stricture, Hirschsprung's disease, or some forms of cancer, it can compress the intestines in such a way as to cause this problem, and intestinal obstruction needs to be referred to a medical practitioner as soon as possible.

Preventing constipation

If a diet with enough fiber is followed, together with adequate water intake, moderate exercise and good stress-management, normal healthy individuals should not suffer from this problem.

The diet should include fresh raw fruit and vegetables, wholegrain cereals as well as enough water.

Treatment for constipation

There are many natural dietary ways to prevent getting constipated – and they include items such as prunes, papayas, figs, gooseberries and raisins. Some people have relief when drinking a large amount of freshly squeezed orange juice.

The easiest is to soak 8 to 10 prunes overnight in water, and then to eat the prunes at breakfast.

Different types of laxatives

Taking certain laxatives and purging agents to help bowel movements must be one of the biggest mistaken believes held by people.

Although most laxative will cause a bowel movement, the long-term effect of some laxatives can be very negative and far-reaching.

Laxatives are divided into different categories, which are

• Stimulant laxatives
  • These irritate the intestinal wall and it is this irritation which will stimulate peristaltic movement and cause a bowel movement. The downside of this laxative is that it can damage the bowel with constant and habitual use, and can lead to laxative dependency and should be avoided if possible.
• Stool softeners
  • These are compounds such as mineral oil and docusate sodium, which can be helpful but should not be used regularly, as they can interfere with fat-soluble vitamin absorption and can also increase the toxicity of other drugs. Constant over-use may cause liver damage as well.
• Osmotic agents
  • These osmotic agents include compounds such as Milk of Magnesium (Magnesia) and Epsom salts. These are salts or special carbohydrates, which promote the secretion of water into the colon thereby promoting bowel movement, but these agents, can also cause dependency if used regularly.
• Bulk-forming agents
  • These bulk-forming agents on the other hand can be taken daily, without any dependency forming, and increase the bulk as well as the water content of the stools, thereby promoting regular and soft bowel movements and a well functioning digestive system. A very good bulk forming agent is psyllium.

Taking all of the above into consideration, it is easy to see why we used a "bulk-forming agent" when we developed a digestive aid, that will not only help your digestion, but will also assist in regular bowel movements.

• We have our Ageless herbal Digestive Aid Capsule available, that contains psyllium as well fenugreek, which is a digestive tonic.

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