HOW
TO AVOID CONSTIPATION While
some people can overcome constipation by eating large quantities of vegetables
every day, simply eating more fiber is not a guaranteed solution for every person
who suffers with chronic constipation. What follows are several action steps that
I have found to be helpful for most chronic cases of constipation:
Ensure Adequate Intake Of Healthy Fats.
All of your cells, including those of your digestive tract and nervous system,
require a constant influx of undamaged fatty acids and cholesterol to remain fully
functional. If you don't ensure adequate intake of healthy fats, your nervous
system and the smooth muscles that surround your digestive passageway - both of
which are responsible for creating peristaltic waves throughout your digestive
tract - may deteriorate in function.
Also, intake of healthy fats is necessary for optimal absorption of fat-soluble
vitamin A, which is critical to building and maintaining a healthy digestive tract
lining, which indirectly, is another key to promoting optimal bowel function.
Some healthy foods that are naturally rich in healthy fats include avocados, coconuts,
olives, organic eggs, oily fish like salmon and mackerel, nuts, and seeds.
Ensure Adequate Water Intake, Mainly Through Water-Rich Foods.
If reasonably healthy, your stools should contain just a few basic elements: fiber
in the foods that you eat, microorganisms, digestive juices, and water. As these
elements travel together through your large colon, water is reabsorbed into your
blood, which allows the other elements to come together to form stools by the
time they reach your rectal pouch.
If you do not ensure adequate water intake, by the time that waste materials reach
your rectal pouch, it is likely that there won't be enough moisture available
to create soft stools that can exit your body in comfortable fashion.
This does not mean that it is in your best interest to drink water all day long.
Doing so can actually cause more harm than good, especially to your kidneys. The
best action step is to eat plenty of water-rich foods, excellent choices being
raw vegetables, steamed vegetables, and fresh fruits.
Be Physically Active.
Being physically active is the most powerful way to keep your nervous system alert
and healthy. And a healthy nervous system is essential to regulating healthy bowel
movements.
Through the action of a pair of cranial nerves called your vagus nerves, your
central nervous system works together with the nervous system that is built into
your digestive passageway (your enteric nervous system) to promote healthy bowel
movements.
Raise Your Knees When You Have a Bowel Movement.
Your anatomical design is such that it is most natural to have a bowel movement
when you are squatting. Sitting or leaning forward while on a toilet are positions
that require more self-generated pressure within your abdominal and pelvic cavities
to produce a bowel movement.
A practical and cost effective way to create a squatting posture while you are
on the toilet is to bring your feet up onto a foot stool in front of you. If possible,
lean forward slightly while your feet are resting on the foot stool to simulate
a true squatting posture. It
is interesting that the vast majority of traditional cultures in the world, especially
Africa and Asia, before modern toilets came into wide use, used a hole in the
floor of an outhouse or rest room. Also, when in the woods all people will squat
to defecate. Trying to do so standing is rather messy. It is the natural manner
of relieving oneself. Also,
in old age, when seniors have the most trouble with constipation, they are often
forced to use boosters on the toilet seat. This makes elimination even more unnatural.
A stool should be provided for this situation.
Eat Substantial Meals.
When you eat substantial meals, the waste materials from each meal can travel
together through your digestive tract, which makes it easier for the smooth muscles
in your digestive tract to monitor and propel each bolus of waste materials. If
you eat small meals throughout the day, it's harder for your digestive tract to
create well formed stools.
Put another way, it's better to sit down two or three times a day and enjoy substantial
meals than it is to graze on smaller meals all day.
Avoid Specific Substances That Can Cause Constipation.
Synthetic nutritional supplements and opioids (pain-relieving medication) are
the two most commonly used substances that contribute to constipation.
Eat Plenty Of Plant Foods.
Fresh plant foods provide a wide variety of nutrients that can nourish the cells
of your digestive tract. Just as importantly, water and fiber that are naturally
abundant in fresh plant foods can contribute to the formation of stools that are
comfortable to pass. A
warning on fiber. Supplemental fiber, such as Metamucil and other such brands,
should be used with care. If enough water is not consumed with the supplement,
it can actually do the reverse and CAUSE constipation. Also, these supplemental
fiber products can absorb drugs taken for hypertension and many other ailments.
The supplements must be staggered between the drug taking.
Address Chronic Emotional Stressors.
Through the connection between your autonomic nervous system and your enteric
nervous system, your emotions are strongly tied to the quality of your bowel movements.
If you follow all of the other steps outlined in this article and continue to
suffer with constipation, consider daily relaxation and/or meditation sessions
to help promote a sense of emotional balance.
Don't Ignore The Urge To Have a Bowel Movement.
When you have the urge to go, try not to put it off. Suppressing bowel movements
will only put unnecessary burden on your digestive tract and nervous system. When
both have worked hard to give you the urge to go, reward their efforts by going
as soon as possible. Doing so will keep them alert and efficient.
Why is it important to overcome and prevent constipation? Because the health of
your entire body depends in large part on a clean and well functioning digestive
passageway. If your digestive passageway is blocked up and dysfunctional, you
increase your risk of developing a wide variety of health challenges, including
but not limited to the following:
Hemorrhoids -
enlarged veins in the rectal region
Anal Fissures -
cuts in and around the anal sphincter that can be extremely
painful and difficult to heal
Diverticulitis -
inflamed pockets of weakened lining throughout the colon
that can cause significant abdominal discomfort
Endogenous Toxicosis -
production of toxins from microbial action on undigested
food and waste materials that remain in the digestive tract for longer than is
normal
Please consider sharing this article with others who are not aware of how harmful
chronic constipation is to overall health. BACK BACK
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