CONSTIPATION

Constipation

Constipation is defined as having a bowel movement fewer  than three times per week. With constipation stools are usually  hard, dry, small in size, and difficult to eliminate. Some people  who are constipated find it painful to have a bowel movement  and often experience straining, bloating, and the sensation of a full bowel.

Some people think they are constipated if they do not have a bowel movement every day. However, normal stool elimination may be three times a day or three times a week, depending on the person.

Constipation is a symptom, not a disease. Almost everyone experiences constipation at some point in their life, and a poor diet typically is the cause. Most constipation is temporary and not serious. Understanding its causes, prevention, and treatment will help most people find relief.

To understand constipation, it is important to know the role of the colon or large intestine in our body. The main job of the colon is to complete the digestion process. As food moves through the colon, the colon absorbs water from the food while it forms waste products or stool. Muscle contractions in the colon then push the stool toward the rectum. By the time stool reaches the rectum it becomes solid, because most of the water has been absorbed. Constipation occurs when the colon absorbs too much water or if the colon’s muscle contractions are very sluggish, causing the stool to move through the colon too slowly. As a result, stools can become hard and dry.

Causes of Constipation

• Poor dietary habits and lifestyle.
• Eating too much of proteins and less fiber.
• Not enough fluid intake leading to dehydration.
• Lack of physical activity.
• Changes in routine like travel, illness or sudden dietary changes, etc.
• Frequently ignoring the urge to have a bowel movement.
• Certain medications like pain medicines, antacids, Iron supplements and many other.
• Pregnancy – due to hormonal changes and also because the uterus compresses the intestine.
• Aging – due to slower metabolism which results in less intestinal activity and muscle tone.
• Abuse of laxatives.
• Certain diseases like Irritable Bowel Syndrome, stroke, intestinal obstruction, cancer and many more
• Stress

Symptoms of Constipation

• Straining during a bowel movement
• Hard stool
• Difficulty in passing stool
• Less than three bowel movements in a week
• Abdominal bloating with gas
• Blood in stool
• Abdominal and / or rectal pain
• Sensation of incomplete emptying of rectum
• Fatigue and lethargy
• Headaches
• Weight gain
• Body odor and bad breath
• Depression

Homeopathic Approach to Constipation

If you’re suffering from chronic constipation that does not respond to a healthy diet and lifestyle, Homeopathy may hold the answer for you. Homeopathy believes that favorable health and proper elimination of the bowels depends on the balance between mind, body and the environment. Homeopathy recognizes the strong connection between the mind, body and emotions and treats the individual holistically as a whole. Homeopathic remedies can help relieve constipation and help to move their bowels along in a more natural way by relieving the stress that may be underlying the constipation symptoms, leading to a permanent resolution of the problem. These natural remedies soften the stools so that they are passed more easily. These remedies stimulate contractions of the muscles in the colon to reduce the time it takes for the passage of waste material through the bowel. Homeopathic remedies can help cleanse a toxic colon. Homeopathic remedies are non-habit forming and safe for children and pregnant women. Hence, constitutional homeopathic treatment is an excellent choice for the treatment of constipation. Homeopathic remedies are prescribed on the basis of symptoms rather than conditions, as each case of a particular illness can manifest differently in different people. There are many symptoms which can be effectively treated by homoeopathy ­­­­­few symptoms are given below

1).Alumina hard knotty stool, with biliousness, or stool soft and difficult to expel. No urge to use the bowels. Must strain, and stool is unformed, soft and sticky, yet passes with difficulty. Poor memory with sluggishness of all the function and Dry skin; the skin itches but there is no skin eruptions feeling of blandness to everything, no passion for life, indolent. A gradual loss of identity. Seems hurried for no reason. The expression on the face is concerned and worried. Strange impulses when they see a knife.

2).constipation with a feeling of dryness in the rectum. Chronic constipation, often no urge to go for many days. Stools are large, hard, dry and painful; sufferer often has severe headache.

3).stool is difficult to pass, with lots of painful straining. The person’s face may turn red from effort, and more success may come from standing up. When it finally emerges, the stool will be narrow and full of mucus.

4). Feels better when constipated. Constipation with Easy perspiration of the hands and feet. Soft finger nails, they bend, peel and break easily. Chilly and sensitive to the cold; cold hands and feet. FATNESS WITHOUT FITNESS, SWEATING WITHOUT HEAT, BONES WITHOUT STRENGTH, TISSUES OF PLUS QUANTITY AND MINUS QUALITY MERE FLABBY AND BULKY WITH WEAKNESS AND WEARINESS

5).This remedy is indicated when large stools look like “sheep dung” or little balls stuck together with mucus. Aching often is felt in the anus after the bowels have moved. Tendency toward eczema.

6). Constipation with no desire for stool, alternating with loose stools or diarrhea. Foul coated tongue, headache and hemorrhoids.

7). Stool difficult to pass, with abdominal distension immediately after eating. No urge to defecate, but bowel is full. Rubbing the abdomen or drinking something warm may help to relieve the symptoms.  Craving for sweets and an energy slump in late afternoon and early evening are strong. Constipation with excessive gas.

8). Obstinate retention of stool–irregular, hard, unsatisfactory. Difficult expulsion, leaving a sensation of much soreness.

9). Constipation with hard, scanty stool, one session can last for hours, with severe burning in rectum and tendency to anal fissures.

10). Frequent and ineffectual desire to defecate, producing only a little at a time which relieves for a while. Particularly after abuse of laxatives. This remedy is often helpful to people who are impatient, tense, and ambitious—who work too hard and exercise too little, indulge in stimulants or alcohol Headaches, chilliness, and constricting pains in the bowels or rectal area often accompany constipation Alternate constipation and diarrhea, with irritability.

11). A heavy sensation in the rectum, remaining after a bowel movement. Stools can be hard and difficult to pass, although they may be small. The person often has cold hands and feet, and is weary and very irritable. Exercise may bring improvement, both to constipation and to mood and energy level. (Sepia is often useful to women who develop constipation just before or just after a menstrual period.) Feeling of ball in rectum. Constipation with pains after stool

12). Stool large, hard, and difficult to expel; may recede when partly expelled. People who need this remedy are nervous and mentally acute, but also chilly, physically frail, and easily fatigued. The child or adult goes many days with no bowel movement

13). Habitual constipation, with heat, discomfort, large and painful stools. Alternating constipation and diarrhea with heat or burning.

14).Dry, hard stools with reddish inflammation of the anus and offensive. Constipation may also alternate with diarrhea, Untidy person.

15). Inability of muscles to expel stool, muscles weak and relaxed, especially with anal fissure.

16). Stool like sheep’s dung, crumbles as if very dry.