Overview of Constipation With Symptoms & Techniques to Treat Constipation at Home

If a person gets three bowel movements in a week time period, it is considered as a condition of constipation. This condition is characterised by an infrequent bowel movement. An individual faces hard stool and difficulty in expelling feces from rectum. It is caused when a person’s colon is absorbing too much water from the food.

This happens because of slower movements of the food in the digestive tract. As a result, the removal process of stool becomes a difficult and painful situation. It occurs due to change in lifestyle of a person and can be cured if the lifestyle is restored.

Chronic constipation is a condition in which a person even face difficulties in performing their daily tasks. The reason behind occurrence of it is difficult to find and might vary from one person to another.

It is a condition where a person is facing difficulties in removal of feces from the body and the signs and symptoms of constipation are as mentioned below:

• Bowel movement which is less than 3 times in a week or fewer bowel movements as compared regular weeks time period movements.
• During the process of passing stool straining like conditions
• Loss of appetite and cramps in lower abdomen area
• Facing lumpy, hard and small stool
• Swollen belly or stomach aches
• Nauseous and belly bloating feeling
• Feeling in form of everything didn't come out and there is a blockage in rectum
• A condition arises when to remove stool from rectum, it is mandatory to press abdomen area or use fingers.

There are many possible causes behind occurrence of constipation in any person.Few of them are:

• Blockage in the colon or rectum due to anal fissures
• Bowel obstruction
• Colon or rectal cancer
• Narrowing of the colon
• Rectum bulge like conditions
• Certain neurological conditions that creates problems in nerve around the colon and rectum
• In activeness
• Not taking proper amount of fibres in diet
• Stress
• Extensive of laxatives
• Administration of antacids containing calcium and aluminium
• Issues in muscles involved in elimination like weakened pelvic muscles
• Disease conditions like diabetes
• Pregnancy
• Hyperparathyroidism affecting hormone of the body

Other systemic diseases affecting organs and tissues or whole body are the causes that can be considered as behind the development of chronic constipation.

• Being older with respect to age
• Dehydration
• Female gender
• Not drinking enough water daily
• Ignoring going to toilet
• Increased intake of milk or other dairy products are also some factors that increase the chances of it.

A person diagnosed with constipation should follow these steps:

• Beans, vegetables, fruits, whole grains like high-fiber foods should be included in daily diet plans.
• Start your day with warm liquids such as warm water.
• Increased intake of water and other forms of fluids.
• Limit intake of foods which have low amounts of fiber such as meat, milk etc.
• Improve physical activity and get regular exercise as this can increase muscles strength of intestine.
• Reduce factor leading to stress
• Stop ignoring urge of stool or poop.
• After every meal, create a schedule for bowel movement
• For ease of constipation, laxatives can be taken for a day or two."

Diagnosis of disease can be done by primarily conducting a physical examination, and understanding the medical history making clinician identify the type and cause of constipation. Healthcare professional will look after and inform patient about maintaining daily diet diary through which they can advise about intake of high –fiber foods.

By means of conducting blood tests of thyroid hormone and calcium, abdomen X-rays, liquid barium study to understand the anatomy of bowel and rectum, colonic motility and anorectal studies, defecography and magnetic resonance imaging defecography, medical professional can diagnose the severity of constipation for people who are not responding to treatment.

Treatment of any disease depends on its underlying cause and in case of it, it is important to identify whether it is acute or chronic constipation. Other factors needs to be considered before suggesting any treatment for constipation patients are recording their bowel movements, stool characteristics etc. For recurring constipation, doctors advice treatments like change in lifestyle by performing more exercise, drinking more water and eating more fiber.

Many treatment plans includes implementation of dietary fiber sources like fruits and vegetables, wheat or oat bran, polycarbophil, psyllium seed, synthetic methyl cellulose, lubricant laxatives such as mineral oils, emollient laxatives (stool softeners) like docusate, hyperosmolar laxatives such as lactulose, sorbitol, polyethylene glycol, over-the-counter like saline laxatives, stimulant laxatives, enemas, suppositories, combination products.

The eligibility criteria in case of constipation are mainly associated with the cause and severity of the condition. If the problem arises due to any abnormality in the diet and lifestyle, such as intake of less fibrous as well as processed food items and leading a static life with fewer body movements and lack of physical activities or exercises, the treatment usually involves some dietary changes as well as lifestyle modifications.

Hence such cases do not need a consultation with a doctor and can be self-treated by the application of laxatives and over-the-counter medicines. However, the cases which are accompanied by severe symptoms such as vomiting, bloating, bloody stool, and abdominal cramps as well as chronic or prolonged persistence of the symptoms, need to get urgent medical consultation and prescribed treatment.

• Drink warm beverages, more so in the morning
• Add vegetables and fruits in your diet
• Drink up to four more glasses full of water in a day, unless your doctor has limited fluid intake for some other reason
• Have fibrous cereals
• If you feel the need, take a mild stool softener or laxatives such as magnesium hydroxide. Don’t prolong laxative use for over two weeks without consulting your doctor. If the laxatives are overdone, then the symptoms may worsen.
• Have a wholesome diet rich in fiber. Good fiber sources are vegetables, legumes, fruits and multi grain bread like bran.
• Eat a well- balanced diet with plenty of fiber. Good sources of fiber are fruits, vegetables, legumes, and whole-grain bread and cereal (especially bran).
• Drink 1 1/2 to 2 quarts of water and other fluids a day (unless your doctor has you on a fluid-restricted diet). Fiber and water work together to keep you regular.
• Avoid caffeine. It can be dehydrating.
• Cut back on milk. Some people may need to avoid it because dairy products may be constipating for them.
• Exercise regularly. Do something active for at least 30 minutes a day, most days of the week.
• Go to the bathroom when you feel the urge.

The time duration for the recovery in most cases of constipation varies around a few days when the condition is not chronic or showing prolonged symptoms and gets away easily by the application of home remedies such as laxatives or over-the-counter medicines. However, it may take a time period of up to three weeks or more if certain severe symptoms are being shown and not getting controlled or managed easily.

The post-treatment guidelines in case of constipation usually depend upon the methods of the treatment. If the treatment methods involve lifestyle changes and dietary modifications, the post-treatment guidelines to be followed include the implementation of physical activities and exercises such as yoga as a part of the daily routine, avoiding a sedentary lifestyle, incorporation of fiber-rich foods in the diet, avoiding processed and junk foods and intake of plenty of fluid.

On the other hand, surgical treatment of constipation needs to follow precautionary measures such as proper rest and care, intake of prescribed medicines, and regular follow-up with the doctor.

The treatment cost for constipation in India includes the consultation fee of the physician or specialist, the cost for tests advised by the doctor, and the price of medications and laxatives prescribed. Combining all these expenses, it turns out to be an overall expense of Rs. 2000 approximately and even more.

For treating constipation, there are some other ways through which a person can deal without using medications as mentioned below:

• Increasing fiber intake - A person experiencing constipation can handle it by adding 18g to 30g of fresh fruits, fortified cereals and vegetables in every day food intake.

• Keep hydrated – drinking high amount of water can also give rid of it.

• Addition of bulking agents like wheat bran can help in softening stools and making it easier to pass.
• Performing regular exercise can help in regulating body processes including passing of stools.

• Avoid ignoring stools – It is prevented or treated if a person allows the body's natural urge to pass the stool.

• Use of homeopathic remedies like calcarea carbonica, nux vomica, silica bryonia and lycopodium are offered by many doctors for treating it.

It occurs when stool does not pass through easily and for resolving such issues medication like over-the-counter medication and other medication purchased on doctor’s prescription. Without consulting a doctor, it is not recommended to use any medication for constipation.

Fiber supplements like calcium polycarbophil, methylcellulose, fiber, psyllium, wheat dextrin can be prescribed for bulking stool and increase bowel movement. Magnesium citrate and hydroxide, and polyethylene glycol are examples of osmotic drugs that help in holding more fluid for stool. Stimulants like bisacodyl are used for squeezing the intestine and suppositories inserted into rectum provide ease in passing the stool.

The results of treatment in the condition of constipation basically depend upon the cause as well as the severity of the disease. In mild cases such as when the symptoms are mild and short-term, the treatment methods involve the application of home remedies as well as some lifestyle changes, or it may be managed or controlled by laxatives or over-the-counter medicines. These methods generally result in a relief of the symptoms as long as proper lifestyle measures and dietary changes are continuing to be followed.

However in some cases, if the reason involves a blockage in the gut as a result of an underlying systemic abnormality, it may not be treated permanently with these methods and symptoms will tend to reappear. Surgical methods are the only option in these cases for a complete cure.

Constipation seems like a small issue at first but it can be very harmful to your body if not taken care of on time. So side effects of frequent or prolonged Constipation include:

• Haemorrhoids
• Anal fissure
• Faecal impaction
• Rectal prolapse

Summary: Common complications associated with Constipation include wear and tear in the intestine muscles, accumulation of hard stool, and abnormal rectum stretch.

Food has an important link to irregular bowel movements as it is responsible for the digestion process being normal or abnormal. Several food items might play a role in the relief from such symptoms based on the concepts of stool softening, decrease of the gut transit time and increase in stool frequency. High fiber-rich foods are significant in such conditions.

Some of them include fresh fruits such as prunes, apple, pineapple, kiwi, citrus fruits, and pear, dry fruits such as figs, green and leafy vegetables like spinach, artichoke, and chicory, rhubarb, sweet potatoes, beans, peas, and lentils, seeds including chia seeds, flax seeds, cereals like whole grain, oat bran and kefir.