A diet low in fibrous foods and high in refined foods coupled with lack of physical activity usually causes constipation. It is commonly disorder in the functioning of the digestive system that causes irregular bowel movements and difficulty in passing stools.

Constipation is of two types: Atonic and spastic. Atonic constipation is caused due to lack of muscle tone. It occurs when the diet has insufficient fiber along with fewer intakes of fluids and insufficient physical activity. Spastic constipation is differentiated by irregular bowel movements that may be due to nervous disorders, irritating foods or obstruction of the large bowels. Insufficient dietary roughage along with low intake of fluids causes the digested food in the colon to become dehydrated and dry, making it difficult to pass through the digestive system. This causes pressure inside the bowel and discomfort. More water is absorbed from it and harder it becomes and it is difficult in passing out .

Constipation is sometimes caused due to bad toilet habits, sitting still for long periods and long term use of laxatives. It is also a side effect of pregnancy as change in the hormonal levels has a relaxing effect on the intestines and it takes a long time for the stool to pass.

Constipation can be prevented by:

• Eat plenty of fruits, vegetables, wholegrain cereals and bread for insoluble fiber.
• Drink at least eight glasses of water per day.
• Certain foods like coffee, rhubarb and prunes helps to stimulate the muscles of the colon and act as natural stool softener.
• Avoid a high intake of refined carbohydrates.
• Regular physical activity like walking, swimming and jogging should be done.
• Doing activities like yoga can be helpful.
• Drinking a glass of hot milk regularly at night time before going to bed.
• Mixing 1 teaspoon of husk in a glass of water or hot milk should be taken at night time.
• Crushed black pepper taken with honey may relieve constipation.
• Dried prunes soaked in water could be used to help cure constipation.
• An extreme cure would be using enemas for constipation.

If prolonged constipation persists ,then one should consult a doctor.

This entry was posted on Friday, July 16th, 2010 at 1:46 pm and is filed under General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.