What Is Constipation?
Constipation is a troublesome condition which saps the health of millions of people. Ideally, bowel movement should be twice a day (one for each main meal), of loose consistency (the stools break in water) and of inoffensive odour. Adequate transit time is considered to be between 12 – 24 hours. You can test your own transit time by eating non-digestible foods such as corn, whole peanuts or tomatoes skins and measuring the time it reappears in your stools.
Increased transit time leads to the stools becoming hard and more difficult to pass. Hardened stools indicate that the body has absorbed too much water long side various toxic substances. This leads to the vicious cycle of chronic constipation and its array of unpleasant symptoms such as:
- Coated tongue Lack of energy
- Bad breath Colic
- Headaches / Migraines Hemorrhoids and varicose veins
- Bloating, Gas, Acne and skin conditions
- Backache Chronic, respiratory conditions
- Mucous build up
If left untreated these symptoms may lead to more serious conditions such as:
- Colitis Diverticulitis / Diverticulitis
- Occlusion Bowel cancer
What causes Constipation?
Constipation may result from a poor diet, inadequate amounts of fibre less than (20-35grams daily) or an excessive intake of processed foods which hardens the stools making them difficult to pass. Constipation may also be due to a lack of water (2 litres per day). Continually ignoring or suppressing the normal urge to go to the toilet will result in constipation. A lack of bile production can also cause constipation.
Other effects causing constipation:
- Insufficient fluids
- Emotional stress
- Lack of exercise
- Side effects of drugs including pain killers, anti depressants, hypertensive medications and drugs used to treat Parkinson’s disease.
- Also included is pregnancy, iron supplements, laxative or enema abuse, elderly, hypothyroidism, bowel diseases including IBD (inflammatory bowel disease), diverticulitis, IBS, insecticide exposure and food allergies.
Alterations in the tone of the colon can also cause constipation. The end of the colon can become spastic (tightened) or the colon may become sluggish and lack any tone (flaccid), either of these will cause constipation.
How can inCleanse help you manage your Constipation symptoms?
Other useful tips include:
- Ground Linseeds (2 parts) mixed with ground sunflower seeds (1 part) sprinkled liberally on food. Linseeds should be soaked overnight in a large glass of water and taken first thing in the morning. As much as two tablespoons twice daily may be used. Both the water and seeds should be consumed.
- Fruits for breakfast particularly soaked prunes or figs as these are a good source of fibre.
