Constipation Help

Chances are good that if you have never been constipated, you will eventually.  And while the majority of us only have to deal with it from time to time, there are many who suffer from acute constipation and have tried all the various medications, bother over the counter and prescribed.  This article is meant to aid those who need constipation help understand why they are constipated and what they can do to prevent further constipation.

There are many reasons why you may be constipated but the majority of people who suffer from this disorder, constipation could be cured with just a couple simple changes to their diet and lifestyle. I will go over this in a second, but for now, let's take a look at some of the not-so-common reasons that constipation occurs....

• Constipation as a side effect- One of the not so common reasons for this disorder is a side effect of the medication that you are on. Without getting into a lecture on what drugs do to your body (even the prescribed ones), if you take one medication, then it will have an effect on something else. This type of slippery slope is generally the reason why you have the elderly taking 10+ pills a day. Now all that said, some antidepressants can cause constipation as can iron supplements and painkillers. Medications such as cough syrups, pain meds that contain codeine, blood pressure and heart medication, calcium supplements and in some cases, antihistamines can cause constipation.
• Thyroid Problems can cause constipation- If you have hypothyroid symptoms or hyperthyroid symptoms, you should go to the doctor. A hyper thyroid will cause you gastrointestinal problems and a less than active thyroid will actually slow your body from releasing toxins, aka stool.
• If you have diabetes or have had problems with your kidneys, then you may have problems with constipation as well.
• In very rare cases, if you have had a spinal injury in which the nerves that regulate bowel movement, then you could have problems with constipation as well.
• Hirschprung's disease will cause chronic constipation because the nerves in the bowel are completely missing.

There are certain things that you can do that won't be as drastic as taking medications and will actually improve your life. These are health and lifestyle changes that will not only eradicate constipation from your life but will also make you healthier. For whatever reason, most don't like the natural solution to constipation but I will give it to you and see what you think.....

• Eat a high fiber diet- Vegetarians are rarely constipated and there is a reason for this. In most cases (assuming they aren't simply carb loading), a vegetarian's diet is full of fiber rich vegetables and fruits. Fiber comes in two varieties....soluble and insoluble and both are important to the bowels. The soluble fiber will act as a stool softener and help you pass waste easier without pain. Insoluble fiber actually will bulk up your stool (as it can't be digested) making it easier for your intestinal walls to contract and pass waste.

Back before the invention of fast and processed food, eating your vegetables was not a problem. In fact, in many cultures, meat was more of a condiment than anything else so your diet consisted largely of fresh vegetables. The dietary recommendations for daily fiber intake is something like 30 grams a day. This is actually too low. I typically aim for 60 grams a day.

**NOTE** If you aren't used to eating a lot of fiber, ease your way into it. Going from zero to 100 can create a ton of issues such as bloating and flatulance if your body isn't used to a lot of fiber.

• Drink Your Fill in Water-  This is especially true if you increase your fiber intake.  Water will help flush toxins from your body thus helping with eliminating constipation problems.  How much water should you drink?  The "10 glasses" is really just a dumbed down recommendation.  In reality, you should take your weight, divide it in half and drink that much in ounces.
• Exercise is the modern day cure for Constipation- The next time you are at a dog park, watch the dogs. They play and play hard and then they pass waste. If you ask a long distance runner about running and constipation, they will tell you that they wish they could be constipated until the end of the race. Many will have to take a bathroom break right in the middle. Exercise will help you speed the movement of waste through the intestines because exercise increases blood flow.

For most, constipation simply means a trip to the local drugstore in search of a laxative.  But are they good?  For limited use, they could be okay.  But regular laxative use can bring about more problems than they are worth.  The nerve cells in the colon walls can be damaged by habitual use of laxatives and creating a dependence on the laxative to defacate.  In addition to this, frequent use of laxatives can cause abdominal cramping, bloating, dehydration and diarrhea.

There is a natural laxative that you can use that will help constipation though.....

Eating prunes and figs will help with constipation and are considered nature's laxatives.