One of the most uncomfortable conditions that one person can suffer from is constipation. I personally have that problem, and I know how unpleasant can be.
Constipation’s definition is simple and well known: the impossibility of having enough bowel movements. When we don’t go to the bathroom enough, we feel bloated, full and even we can suffer from pain. Our stools, when we can dispose of them, are small and hard, and they hurt when we try to eliminate them.
It is not a rule of how many times we suppose to have bowel movements. It depends of the person: some people go to the bathroom until three times at day, and others use it one in three days. We are constipated when our routine in bowel movements is broken, and we feel discomfort.
Everybody gets constipation one time or other in their lives. In the United States, more than four million of Americans suffer from constipation and 2.5 million visit the doctor at year complaining about it. It is a very common problem, and we are surely worried about it.
We need to understand that constipation is not a disease by itself; constipation is a symptom of something that is not working right in or body at the time. Constipation may be the symptom of a disease, or the product of a bad nutritional habit.
I suffer from constipation, I must say. I had my hysterectomy about three years ago, and since then, my bowel movements are not as regular as they were before the surgery. This is one of the most common reasons why many people are seriously constipated. During my hysterectomy, my organs were replaced in different positions, and the intestines were affected.
Another very common reason to be constipated is a bad diet, poor in fiber. In America we eat too many fat saturated foods that are difficult to eliminate. We need to include more fruits and vegetables to make our bowel movements more regular, and add a fiber supplement if that is not enough.
A lack of enough exercise may be another cause for constipation, we need to move our bodies so the organs can function correctly, including the intestines.
Some people, as me, are using medication that affects the regularity of their bowel movements. We need to check out the information in our medications to know if their side effects include constipation. We can ask the doctor to change the medication, or we can add fiber to our diet and exercise more.
Our brain is powerful, and we can change the activities of our bodies with it. Some people ignored their need to go to the bathroom that after a while they suffer from constipation. Other people simply don’t feel the need to eliminate stools, and they stop doing it. These cases must be treated by a doctor, because may be a symptom of a serious mental condition.
The abuse of laxatives may be another reason why we are constipated; our body maybe doesn’t need to eliminate stools every day, but we think so, and we use too many laxatives, creating a habit.
Repeated constipation must be treated, a doctor must decide if it is the symptom for a serious condition. There are plenty of treatments for constipation, homemade and drugs. We must add fiber to our diet, exercise, use eventually laxatives and check with the experts if all these don’t work.
