Constipation

Constipation, Hard bowl , Bloating, Hard stool.

Root Cause of Disease

Eating a diet that’s low in fiber. Getting little or no physical activity. Taking certain medications, including sedatives, opioid pain medications, some antidepressants or medications to lower blood pressure. Having a mental health condition such as depression or an eating disorder.

Symptoms

• Having lumpy or hard stools.
• Straining to have bowel movements.
• Feeling as though there’s a blockage in your rectum that prevents bowel movements.
• Feeling as though you can’t completely empty the stool from your rectum.
• 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.
• Passing fewer than three stools a week.

Constipation may be considered chronic if you’ve experienced two or more of these symptoms for the last three months.

Causes

Constipation most commonly occurs when waste or stool moves too slowly through the digestive tract or cannot be eliminated effectively from the rectum, which may cause the stool to become hard and dry. Chronic constipation has many possible causes.

Blockages in the colon or rectum:

Blockages in the colon or rectum may slow or stop stool movement. Causes include:

• Tiny tears in the skin around the anus (anal fissure).
• A blockage in the intestines (bowel obstruction).
• Colon cancer.
• Narrowing of the colon (bowel structure).
• Other abdominal cancer that presses on the colon.
• Rectal cancer.
• Rectum bulge through the back wall of the vagina (rectocele).

Problems with the nerves around the colon and rectum:

Neurological problems can affect the nerves that cause muscles in the colon and rectum to contract and move stool through the intestines. Causes include:

• Damage to the nerves that control bodily functions (autonomic neuropathy).
• Multiple sclerosis.
• Parkinson’s disease.
• Spinal cord injury.
• Stroke.

Difficulty with the muscles involved in elimination:

Problems with the pelvic muscles involved in having a bowel movement may cause chronic constipation. These problems may include:

• The inability to relax the pelvic muscles to allow for a bowel movement (anismus).
• Pelvic muscles that don’t coordinate relaxation and contraction correctly (dyssynergia).
• Weakened pelvic muscles.

Conditions that affect hormones in the body:

Hormones help balance fluids in your body. Diseases and conditions that upset the balance of hormones may lead to constipation, including:

• Diabetes.
• Overactive parathyroid gland (hyperparathyroidism).
• Pregnancy.
• Underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism).

Home Remedies to treat Constipation

Remedy- 1: Jeera

Materials: Jeera, Sugar.

Procedure:

• Take 2 tablespoons of jeera.
• Pour 250ml of water in a vessel and add jeera in to it.
• Now boil the liquid until the water comes to 100ml.
• Add sugar and drink twice in a day for immediate results.

Importance of jeera: Cumin seeds are rich in iron. Iron is required for the formation of haemoglobin in the blood, which is further essential for the transport of oxygen in our body. Drinking jeera water regularly helps to prevent and reduce the symptoms of anaemia.

Product link: Jeera

Remedy- 2: Mint

Materials used: Mint leaves, Plain water.

Procedure:

• Take fresh mint leaves
• Extract them to get about a teaspoonful of juice.
• Mix this juice in a cup of plain water and drink instantly.
• Though this mixture does not taste good, it gives instant relief.

Importance Of Mint: Mint leaves are known as an amazing appetizer. It helps to promote the digestive system by stimulating digestive enzymes.Mint oil has antiseptic and antibacterial properties to relieve indigestion, stomach infections, etc.It acts as an anti-spasmodic remedy due to the presence of methanol.

Product link: Mint

Remedy – 3: Ajwain

Materials used: Ajwain (Carom) seeds.

• Boil about a teaspoonful of Ajwain seeds in 1 cup (about 125 ml) of water for 5 minutes.
• Strain it through the tea strainer and
• Add a pinch of common sugar . Taking this solution helps to get rid of the pain.

Product Link:- Ajwain

Preventions:

The following can help you avoid developing chronic constipation.

• Include plenty of high-fiber foods in your diet, including beans, vegetables, fruits, whole grain cereals and bran.
• Eat fewer foods with low amounts of fiber such as processed foods, and dairy and meat products.
• Drink plenty of fluids.
• Stay as active as possible and try to get regular exercise.
• Try to manage stress.
• Don’t ignore the urge to pass stool.
• Try to create a regular schedule for bowel movements, especially after a meal.
• Make sure children who begin to eat solid foods get plenty of fiber in their diets.

Complications:

Complications of chronic constipation include:

• Swollen veins in your anus (hemorrhoids).-Straining to have a bowel movement may cause swelling in the veins in and around your anus.
• Torn skin in your anus (anal fissure).A large or hard stool can cause tiny tears in the anus.
• Stool that can’t be expelled (fecal impaction).Chronic constipation may cause an accumulation of hardened stool that gets stuck in your intestines.
• Intestine that protrudes from the anus (rectal prolapse).Straining to have a bowel movement can cause a small amount of the rectum to stretch and protrude from the anus.

Other Remedies:

We can find more treatments in ayurveda for bowl movements and hard stool.

1. Nidana parivarjana (avoidance of aetiological factors) Incompatible diet, irregular food habits, low fiber diet, stress, and inadequate fluid intake should be avoided.

2. Samshodhana chikitsa (Bio-cleansing therapies) followed by Shamana chikitsa (Palliative therapy) should be advocated.

i. Snehapana (internal oleation) with Sukumara ghrita 50 ml with 2-3 gm saindhava lavana daily for 3-7 days before panchakarma (bio- cleansing procedure).

ii. Virechana (therapeutic purgation) with Draksha (Vitis vinifera) – 10 gm Aragvadha (Cassia fistula) -10 gm Haritaki (Terminalia chebula) – 10 gm

Kutaki (Picrorhiza curroa) – 5 gm along with 1 teaspoon full Eranda(Ricinus communis) taila or Eranda taila 10 – 20 ml with half glass of milk at night.

Other formula medication

Formulations

Product links:Triphala , Pancha sakar churna, Avipatti Churnam , Hingutriguna taila

Yogic Practices

The following yogic practices are beneficial in constipation; however, these should be performed only under the guidance of qualified Yoga therapist. Duration should be decided by the Yoga therapist.

1. Kurmasana, Vakrasana, Katichakrasana, Sarvangasana, shavasana, Pavanamuktasana,Mandukasana, Vajrasana, Merudandasanchalanasana etc.

2. Yogamudra, Shankha prakshlana, Nadishodhana

3. Surya anuloma viloma, deep relaxation technique.

When to see a doctor

Make an appointment with your doctor if you experience unexplained and persistent changes in your bowel habits. Ayurveda is a medical philosophy that takes a holistic approach to treating health issues such as constipation. Short-term relief can be achieved using natural Ayurvedic laxatives such as Triphala, senna, and Himalaya Herbolax. These remedies are plant-based, generally safe, and effective.

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