Constipation occurs when a person has three or fewer bowel movements (passage of stool) a week. In some cases, the stool can be hard and dry, making the evacuation very painful. It is usually not a serious condition and its duration is short.
Mayo Clinica non-profit organization dedicated to clinical practice, education and research, explains some of its symptoms:
- Defecate less than three times a week.
- Having lumpy or hard stools.
- Requirement of an exaggerated effort to defecate.
- Sensation of obstruction in the rectum that prevents being able to defecate.
- Sensation of not being able to completely empty the rectum.
- Feeling as if the rectum cannot be completely emptied.
- 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.
How to prevent constipation?
Medline Plus, The US National Library of Medicine website provides some tips for preventing constipation:
- Increase the consumption of fruits, vegetables and grains, which are characterized by being rich in fiber.
- Stay hydrated with water and other fluids.
- Accomplish physical activity.
- Go to the bathroom when you feel like it.
- Take laxatives only when prescribed by a doctor.
- Verify that the medications taken do not cause constipation. The doctor should be asked regarding this.
Ángela Quintas, graduate in Chemical Sciences and master’s degree in Dietetics and Human Nutrition, author of the book Why does my stomach hurt? In which he dedicated a chapter to talk regarding constipation, he explains how to fight constipation naturally without laxatives:
- Drink a glass of warm water on an empty stomach.
- Put your feet up on a high bench while having breakfast. According to the author, this helps to facilitate transit and evacuation following eating.
- Be careful with your posture on the toilet. “It turns out that posture does matter when going to the bathroom and the one that is usually adopted in the toilet does not exactly help to facilitate evacuation because we curve the end of the intestine and that makes defecation complicated. To try to help, a recommendation is to place your feet up on a stool and position your body slightly leaning forward.”, explains the expert.
- No force should be used to help expel stool. This can cause hemorrhoids.
- The moment of evacuation of feces should not be delayed. When you feel the need to go to the bathroom, you should go and have a bowel movement.
Be careful with some foods!
A healthy diet is the key to the overall well-being of the human body. Experts recommend reducing, but not eliminating, the consumption of some foods and meals, because they can cause constipation problems. The portal Men’s Health mention several of them:
- White rice
- Banana
- Café
- White bread
- dairy
- Fast food
- ultra processed foods
- fried
- red meat
- soft drinks
- cooked carrots
- Non-wholemeal pasta
- sausages
- alcoholic drinks
- Chocolate
- apple without skin
- Black tea
- Eggs
- Pumpkin
When should you go to a medical center?
The National Institutes of Health of the United States explain that in case constipation does not improve, you should go to a medical center to receive adequate care, especially if the following symptoms occur:
Home remedies
The portal Medical News Today, specialized health website, points out two remedies that can work to relieve constipation.
- Café: in some people this drink can increase the desire to go to the bathroom.
- Prunes: this fruit and its juice are a popular remedy for the treatment of constipation. This is because “they contain sorbitol. This is a sugary alcohol that has a laxative effect”, details Medical News Today.
