Constipation is having difficulty in bowel movements and more than 4 million people in the USA alone have constipation. It has become a major gastrointestinal problem for many people around the globe. Constipation occurs when the bowels move slowly losing liquidity becoming dry and hard. It can occur due to blockage in the colon, nervous problem in and around the rectum, problems in the pelvic muscles and conditions that can affect your hormone levels.
Treatment for constipation includes change in diet and lifestyle primarily and using laxatives and medications to relive the symptoms. Most of the cases of constipation can be due to choosing wrong diet pattern and stressful lifestyle. A number of home remedies exist to overcome constipation which is discussed here.
Read more on Home Remedies For Constipation – Relief, Symptoms, Treatment
1. Plenty Of Fiber
Include plenty of foods rich in fiber in your diet routine. Fiber can help you in many ways to get relief from the symptoms of constipation. It can speed up the bowel movements through intestine converting the stool into soft semisolid texture. Every adult can take up to 25 gm of fiber daily and that means you need to eat fresh fruits and vegetables with every meal. Fiber is richly found in whole grains, cereals, beans, oatmeal, barley and plenty of vegetables. Remember to increase the water intake after having fiber rich foods.
2. Psyllium Seeds
Prepare hot tea with 1-2 tsp of psyllium seeds and squeeze half a lemon in it and drink. Psyllium is enriched with fiber making the bowels soft facilitating quick movement through the gut.
3. Flaxseeds
Omega 3 fats present in the flaxseeds can give more advantage than you think. It keeps you healthy and glowing apart from aiding in the process of digestion and reliving constipation. You can use flaxseeds in any form like sprinkling it on the salad, adding 1-2 tsp on the side-dish or as powdered form.
4. Drinking Water
You should take at least 8 glasses of water daily to make your stool soft. Fiber actually cleanses your colon removing toxic elements and waste particles from the digestive tract adding weight to the bowel thus making it easy to pass through the rectum.
5. Castor Oil
Castor oil is an excellent home remedy for constipation. This has been used as a laxative in many countries for cleansing the digestive system once in a while. Take 2 tsp of castor oil in the morning (preferably empty stomach) and you can see the entire waste particles are expelled out shortly in few hours. Castor oil has the capacity of breaking down the stool into small pieces making it easy for flowing through the rectum.
6. Physical Exercise
Go for brisk walk daily for 30 minutes. This would make the muscles of the intestine active facilitating easy bowel movements. In addition doing regular exercise would speed up your metabolism and blood flow keeping your healthy. There is nothing wrong in moving around after a heavy meal and you can overcome that bloated feeling of the stomach by indulging in walking.
7. Sesame Seeds
Sesame seeds can be used in cereals or salads and as seasoning agent in many foods. The oily texture of the sesame helps in adding moisture in the colon moving stools faster than before. People having dry stools can use sesame seeds to get the best results in few days.
8. Ginger Tea
Ginger is an effective ingredient for solving many of the digestive problems including constipation, gas and bloated feeling. Add 1 tsp of ginger powder to a cup of boiling water and drink when it gets warm.
9. Mint Tea
Peppermint has the property of relaxing the muscles of the intestine aiding in the process of digestion. It can make the stools to move fast thus helping in overcoming constipation. Drinking a cup of hot water alone can help in loosening up the bowels.
10. Molasses
You can take a glass of molasses solution before going to bed for few days. Molasses can be made into thick decoction and taken daily for getting better results.
11. Healthy Fats
Products like nuts, olive oil and other pulses that contain healthy fats are useful in retaining the moisture of the intestine. This in turn prevents constipation. Include plenty of leafy greens in your diet and any kind of nuts daily.
12. Lemon Juice
Begin your day with a glass of lemon juice in the morning. Lemon juice is an excellent stimulant helping to flush out all the toxins from your abdomen. In addition it helps in digestion of food and in reducing constipation.
13. Raisins, Prune and Figs
Raisins have good laxative effect since it contains tartaric acid. Other dry fruits like apricots, almonds and cherries have all essential fiber and can fix many of the digestion problems aiding in fast movement of stools. Prunes contain plenty of fiber and you can take it in the form of juice. Similarly taking figs daily can help you with constipation problems.
Don’t Ignore :
- If you feel like going to toilet, don’t postpone it. This can make your stools dry and hard.
- People having constipation would tend to force their bowels through the rectum. This can cause complications like anal fissures or hemorrhoids making things worse.
Other Handy Methods :
- If natural fibers are not working for you, then you can take synthetic fiber like Metamucil or Citrucel daily. Alternatively try using Colace for softening the stool.
- Sometimes you can use laxatives but don’t make it a habit. Suppositories like rectal glycerin can be used once in a while.
- Osmotic laxatives like Milk of Magnesia or Fleet phospho-soda are effective in loosening the bowels. For speeding up the bowels you can try using stimulant laxatives like Feen-a-mint but never use it regularly since you may become addictive.
- Consult with your doctor if none of the above home remedies are making you comfortable.