Constipation - Remedies at Home

Most people, who consume food that is low in fiber content and high in fat, may have the problem of constipation. It is a disorder of the digestive and intestinal systems, in which a person experiences hard and dry stool. If you have constipation, you might experience dissatisfaction with bowel evacuation. According to physicians, a person suffers from constipation when he has less than three bowel movements per week. Generally, bowel movements decrease with age. The ideal bowel movement is one per day; however, bowel movements between three and 21 times per week are considered normal. Constipation takes its severe form when one experiences less than one bowel movement in a week. In the United States, mostly people suffer from constipation due to gastrointestinal disorder. This is caused due to high consumption of processed foods or fast foods, which are low in natural fiber content.

Causes of Constipation

You may have constipation due to low consumption of liquids, such as water and juice. Sufficient intake of water and juices adds liquids to your colon (the last part of the digestive system), which extracts water and salt from solid wastes before they are eliminated from the body. Constipation may occur when the colon absorbs excess water than the normal absorption. Slow muscle contraction of the colon can also cause constipation, as stools will take longer time to reach the rectum. As a result, hard and dry stools pass out.

Constipation occurs mainly due to poor diet and lack of exercise. To treat constipation, knowledge about its causes is essential. Constipation can be caused due to these factors:

• Poor diet having low fiber content, for example, fast or junk food
• Dehydration
• Stress
• Side effects of medicines like antacid
• Consumption of fats, such as eggs, meat, butter, cheese, etc.
• Resisting the urge to have a bowel movement
• Excessive use of stool softeners, such as chemical drugs, which have side effects, may lead to constipation
• Depression
• Irritable bowel syndrome
• Colon cancer
• Stroke
• Hypothyroidism
• Problems in intestinal function
• Over-consumption of tea, coffee and excess smoking

Home Remedies

Constipation is not a serious disease; often it may be a symptom of serious ailments such as hypothyroidism. In some cases, people may have constipation followed by headache and abdominal pain. This can be cured at home too. The homemade remedies or sometimes natural laxatives can help you to mitigate the problem of constipation. The homemade remedies are less harmful in comparison to other medicines.

Mixture of castor oil and milk: Mix two spoons of castor oil in warm milk and drink it every alternative day. It will improve your bowel movement and cure your chronic constipation problem.

Drink warm water: Try to get up early in the morning and drink maximum amount of lukewarm water. Make this your regular activity and you can get relief from constipation.

Mixture of triphala-churna: Triphala, an herb which is used as an Ayurvedic medicine. Mix it with water and drink it everyday in the morning. This will help you in cleaning your bowel.

Drink warm lemon water: Squeeze the juice of lemon into lukewarm water and drink it. This will provide you the necessary amount of fluids, which help in curing constipation.

Consumption of fiber-rich diet: Proper diet, rich in fiber content can help you in overcoming the problem of constipation. Fiber-rich food includes beans, cereals, fruits and vegetables.

Regular exercise: Constipation often occurs due to lack of physical activity. So do regular exercise to improve your bowel movement.

Change your lifestyle: Develop the habit of early sleeping and early rising. To keep your body sound, you should sleep for eight hours a day. Consume fresh vegetables and fruits when hungry and avoid overeating.

Use of asafetida, cumin powder, turmeric powder and coriander: While you are cooking, use cumin powder, turmeric powder, asafetida and coriander, which make the food easily digestible.

Consume pulses, cereals and vegetables at different meals: Do not consume pulses, cereals and vegetables at the same time. Make a balanced dietary list and follow it. It will help in softening the hard and stiff stool.

Besides these there are other natural treatments that will help you cure constipation.

• Consume fruits, which are high in fiber content, for example, apples and bananas.
• Drink a glass of warm water with two/three drops of honey every day.
• Drink two or three tablespoons of apple cider vinegar mixed with water every morning on an empty stomach.
• Reduce consumption of deep-fried foods and vegetables like cauliflower, which creates gas in our stomach.
• Opt for vegetarian diet rather than non-vegetarian diet.
• Two tablespoons of olive oil every morning on an empty stomach will improve your bowel movement.
• Consume plums, red beet and oatmeal to strengthen your digestive system.
• Drinking tomato juice is helpful to soften your feces.
• Grind potatoes and drink the liquid; this will help you solve your constipation problem.

These homemade remedies, which have no side effects, can cure your constipation problem. The important thing is that you should consume healthy foods and do regular physical activities. Drinking warm water on an empty stomach in the morning may also help you cure constipation.