Categories: FoodHealth

Chronic Constipation

Constipation is a condition characterized by an extremely uncomfortable state of your body due to restricted bowel movements. Your body seems uptight and caged due to the inability to eliminate waste and there is a desperate need to relieve yourself.

SYMPTOMS of Chronic Constipation:

Passing fewer than three stools a week.
Having lumpy or hard stools
Straining and difficulty in bowel movements.
Uneasy feeling similar to a blockage in your rectum that interferes with bowel movements.
Needing help to empty your rectum, such as using your hands to press on your abdomen and using a finger to remove stool from your rectum.

Constipation may be considered as chronic if you have experienced two or more of these symptoms for the last 3 months.

Causes:

Diabetes
Pregnancy
Hypothyroidism
Blockages in the colon or rectum
Problems with the nerves around the colon and rectum
Multiple Sclerosis
Difficulty with the muscles involved in elimination.

Steps to relieve chronic constipation:

Get Regular: Go to the Bathroom at the same time every morning and make this a routine.
Listen to your Body: Do not ignore the urge to go.
Relax: Stress is your enemy, it disturbs your body processes and causes unwanted disturbance.

Let’s have a look at traditional home remedies that can help ease your constipated state:

Keeping yourself well hydrated and filling up one fluid, especially water is the most basic and simplest step to help prevent and cure constipation.

Ginger is an excellent laxative, which can help decrease the pressure on your intestines and facilitate bowel movements. Chewing on a small piece of ginger or having a cup of hot ginger tea (without milk) can help relieve allied symptoms of constipation like nausea, cramping, and bloating as well.
Lemon water can help you as it has a high amount of vitamin C and soluble fiber as well which stimulates your colon. Having a glass of warm water with a squeeze of lemon may help you get things moving.

Triphala is a herbal remedy that consists of amla. It works as a mild laxative in addition to having anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant properties. Triphala may be used to relieve occasional constipation. The herbal mixture is readily available in the market as a powder, liquid, or pill.
Consuming fiber-rich foods such as oatmeal, fruits, vegetables, bran, beans, whole grains, and seeds help prevent hard stool formation. Including both soluble and insoluble food sources in the diet is the best way to prevent and solve constipation.
Castor oil is also a natural laxative that can be taken orally to stimulate bowel movement. It helps lubricate the intestines and causes peristalsis which helps to push the food forward.

Coffee is a stimulant as well as a dehydrating agent. It does promote bowel movement by contracting intestinal muscles which helps release the stool, but one must remember to hydrate yourself well and have lots of water to replenish the lost water due to coffee’s dehydrating effect as well.
Coconut water can also be a good hydrating option to help with constipation. It is also a detoxifying fluid and helps improve kidney function as well.