Constipation: Learn more about this common evil among women

Only the existence of market products designed to end constipation should already indicate how common the problem is. Even so, the subject is still taboo, with many people failing to seek treatment or even unaware that they suffer from the condition.

Constipation, or constipation, unlike most people imagine, is not just about evacuating a few times a day or not evacuating every day. Who has persistent difficulty to evacuate, with hardened stools, pain, or need to perform a lot of effort is also considered constipated ?, explains Dr. Marcos Belotto, gastro-surgeon of the Syrian Lebanese Hospital.

Causes

Constipation has to do with bowel movement, which in turn is directly linked to the good (or poor) functioning of the body. For this reason, constipation is usually associated with several factors, the main ones being behavioral, according to the expert. Check out the most important below:

• Fiber shortage diet: Found in vegetables, fruits and cereals, fibers are essential for faecal cake formation.
• Low water intake: While the fibers help in the formation of the fecal bolus, water is essential to hydrate it, preventing it from drying out and ensuring better intestinal transit.
• Sedentary lifestyle: Physical activities, especially aerobic ones, stimulate peristaltic movement. Your absence, therefore, may be behind the lazy bowel.
• Failure to meet urgency to evacuate: every time we stop going to the bathroom out of shame or laziness, we change the bowel habit, slowing it down. In addition, delaying going to the bathroom favors dryness of stools, causing difficulty and pain in the bowel movement.
• Use of some medicines: Antidepressants that slow down normal body processes can also slow down the muscles of the intestines.
• Anxiety, stress and depression: slow down intestinal transit due to the connection between the central nervous system and the enteric nervous system, a network of digestive system neurons linked to intestinal functions.

In addition to these causes, Dr. Marcos Belotto mentions that constipation may also be associated with more serious health problems. It may be secondary to anatomical, intestinal, metabolic, and neurological disorders. One very common cause is irritable bowel syndrome? Therefore, if you maintain healthy habits and still suffer from constipation, it is best to seek medical advice to rule out the possibility of more serious illnesses.

Symptoms

Despite being a very common problem, which affects about 30% of Brazilians, many people do not know or admit to having a bowel trapped. This is largely due to the shame of touching on an eschatological subject, but also because of the false idea that only the toilet can never be considered constipated.

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"Ideally, the frequency of bowel movements should be 3 to 12 times a week, but even within these values, it can be considered a constipation that needs to make a very significant or unproductive effort to evacuate," says Dr. Marcos. Belotto

To clear up doubts, he lists the main symptoms associated with constipation:

• 2 or less weekly bowel movements
• Dry and bulky stools
• Discomfort to evacuate
• Abdominal distension
• Excess Gases
• Feeling of incomplete emptying after bowel movement

Although these symptoms are strongly indicative of constipation, the doctor points out that there is no rule. What is important to differentiate whether it is a normal or abnormal variation of intestinal rhythm is the alteration of the individual standard rhythm and the well-being of the patient ?, he says. However, he warns that additional symptoms such as malaise, severe pain and bleeding should always be investigated as soon as possible.

Treatments

Because it is not a disease itself, constipation does not usually require specific treatment. "The vast majority of patients benefit from making lifestyle changes," explains the expert. Check out the main treatments for different conditions of constipation.

• Bet on foods that are natural laxatives: Adding fruits like plum and papaya, as well as fiber-rich bran, is a way to stimulate bowel function.
• Increase water consumption: Following the classic orientation of drinking two liters of water a day already helps to alleviate the problem.
• Suppositories and enemas: unique to the most severe cases of constipation, these two medicines make it easier to eliminate stools.
• Surgical intervention: The gastrosurgeon says only narrower cases may need intervention, but he says they are very infrequent.

According to experts, laxative drugs should be used only under medical guidance, as they act very punctually, irritate the intestines and in the long run, may even worsen the constipation.

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Homemade Recipes To Fight Constipation

For those who live daily with a stuck bowel, even adopting healthy lifestyle habits, the good news is that some natural home remedies can help improve intestinal transit. See below for two options recommended by the expert.

Flaxseed water

Ingredients:

• 1 glass of water
• 2 tablespoons flaxseed

Method of preparation:

Read also: 8 Natural Laxatives to Fight Constipation

1. At night, before bedtime, place the two tablespoons of flaxseed in a glass of water and set aside;
2. Take the water the next morning. The recipe can be consumed daily.

Plum Juice with Orange

Ingredients:

• 1 glass of water
• 3 plums
• 1 Orange Juice

Method of preparation:

1. Put the plums in a glass of water before bed and let the mixture rest until the next morning;
2. Beat water and plums in a blender;
3. Add the orange juice or half a glass of whole grape juice.
4. Drink the mixture then.

The advantage of these two recipes is that because they are light and natural, they have no side effects such as bowel irritation. Try to get away from teas that promise immediate remedy unless consumed under medical advice.

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Risk groups



Whether due to a trip or a temporary change in diet, it is possible for everyone to have at least one episode of constipation once in a lifetime. However, for hormonal, chemical, physical or even social reasons, some groups are more subject to chronic constipation. Are they:

Women: According to the expert, the big reason women are in the risk group is hormonal changes, which influence peristaltic movements. In addition, doctors also point out that women grow up with the idea that bowel movement is ugly, which leads us not to use the toilet at work, college, friends' houses, etc., facilitating dryness of stools and delayed bowel habit.

Seniors: As we age, our movements become slower, including the movements of the intestinal muscles responsible for conducting and eliminating the fecal bolus.

Bedridden People: Both because of the restricted movement and the low water intake they usually have, hospitalized or constantly resting people should pay extra attention to constipation.

Remembering that even outside the risk group, anyone can become constipated depending on the habits adopted in daily life.

How to prevent



As pointed out by the expert earlier, the stuck bowel is a sign that something is not going well in the body. So there is no way. Rather than making recipes that alleviate the problem, the solution to avoiding constipation is to maintain healthy habits in the routine and not just in times of crisis. Here's how to permanently prevent your condition:

Practicing physical activities: Aerobic exercises stimulate peristaltic movements, facilitating intestinal transit.

Increasing Fiber Intake: Fiber-rich fruits, vegetables and vegetables will help in the formation of fecal cake. Some fruits even function as natural laxatives.

Drinking more fluids: To moisturize the fecal cake, the ideal is to drink more water, but it is also worth betting on juices or teas that are not diuretics.

Answering the callings of nature: Jokes and euphemisms aside, evacuating when you feel like it is critical not to dry the stools and not to slow the bowel habit.

Managing stress: Our emotions are also linked to the functioning of the intestines. Therefore, seek to relax by investing in activities that give pleasure in everyday life.

Another tip to prevent constipation is to try to regulate the bowel to go to the bathroom at the same time, which can be done with the help of natural laxatives such as papaya or yoghurt with probiotics. This allows you to choose a time when you are usually available and comfortable to evacuate.

What to eat (and what to avoid) so as not to suffer from a trapped bowel



That maintaining a proper diet is essential to maintaining the proper functioning of the body is beyond doubt, but what exactly to eat and what to avoid in order to keep up with intestinal transit?

Bet on these foods?

• Laxative Fruits: plum and papaya have a high fiber content, in addition to sorbitol and papain, respectively, substances that stimulate peristalsis.
• Linseed: It has soluble and insoluble fibers that help increase the fecal bolus and improve bowel transit.
• Pumpkin: When consumed at least three times a week, it helps balance the intestinal flora thanks to the high concentration of fiber, iron, zinc and potassium.
• Dark Foliage Vegetables: lettuce, arugula, kale and watercress are rich in insoluble fibers that facilitate the formation of fecal cake;
• Fruits with the bagasse: The highest fiber concentration in fruits is in the peel and bagasse. For this reason, opt for fruits in which it is possible to eat these parts, such as bagasse orange.
• Whole Grains: Because they have much more insoluble fibers than their refined versions, they also help in the formation of fecal bolus and intestinal transit.

And stay away from these?

• Processed foods: Cookies, sodas, and other goodies are low in fiber, but they are rich in carbohydrates and sugars that prevent bacteria from working well for the intestines.
• Refined Cereals: White wheat flour, white rice and other refined cereals are low in fiber and contribute to intestinal contraction and ferment, producing gases.
• Guava: Despite being low in calories and high in fiber, its fibers are of the soluble type, known to slow intestinal functioning, especially when there is low water consumption.
• Apple: Like guava, it is rich in soluble fibers, which can absorb water from the fecal bolus, causing intestinal retardation.
• Greasy food: In addition to being low in fiber, foods such as fried salted foods make the pH of the intestine more acidic, making it difficult to function.
• Spicy foods: often poor in fiber, they still irritate the intestinal mucosa.

What about coffee? You may be wondering. Although many people report feeling their intestines loosen after consumption? fact explained by science by the presence of gastrin, hormone that stimulates the motor activity of the intestine? Excessive consumption may have a diuretic effect, causing dehydration, which in turn favors constipation.

Although not a disease, constipation creates a lot of discomfort and, if left untreated, can lead to more serious problems like hemorrhoids. Therefore, identifying and seeking treatment for the trapped bowel is essential for a healthier life and higher quality of life.

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