Natural Supplement and Remedies for Constipation

Constipation
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Constipation, costiveness, or irregularity, is a condition of the digestive system where a person (or animal) experiences hard feces that are difficult to egest. It may be extremely painful, and in severe cases (fecal impaction) lead to symptoms of bowel obstruction. The term obstipation is used for severe constipation. Causes of constipation may be dietary, hormonal, anatomical, a side effect of medications (e.g. some painkillers), or an illness or disorder. Treatments consist of changes in dietary and exercise habits, the use of laxatives, and other medical interventions depending on the underlying cause.
Signs and Symptoms
Constipation is one of the most common digestive complaints. It varies greatly between different people, as each person's bowel movements differ. Rate of defecation is not in itself a problem, as infrequent defecation without problems is not abnormal. Constipation is most common in children and older people, and affects women more than men. In children, constipation can lead to soiling (enuresis and encopresis).

In common constipation, the stool is hard and difficult and painful to pass. Usually, there is an infrequent urge to void. Straining to pass stool may cause hemorrhoids and anal fissures, which are themselves painful. In later stages of constipation, the abdomen may become distended and diffusely tender and crampy, occasionally with enhanced bowel sounds.

The definition of constipation includes the following:

* infrequent bowel movements (typically 3 times or less per week)
* difficulty during defecation (straining during more than 25% of bowel movements or a subjective sensation of hard stools), or
* the sensation of incomplete bowel evacuation.

Severe cases ("fecal impaction") may feature symptoms of bowel obstruction (vomiting, very tender abdomen) and "paradoxical diarrhea", where soft stool from the small intestine bypasses the impacted matter in the colon.

Causes

The main causes of constipation include:

* Hardening of the feces
o Improper mastication (chewing) of food
o Insufficient intake of dietary fibre
o Dehydration from any cause or inadequate fluid intake
o Medication, e.g. diuretics and those containing iron, calcium, aluminium
* Paralysis or slowed transit, where peristaltic action is diminished or absent, so that feces are not moved along
o Hypothyroidism (slow-acting thyroid gland)
o Hypokalemia
o Injured anal sphincter (patulous anus)
o Medications, such as loperamide, opioids (e.g. codeine & morphine) and certain tricyclic antidepressants
o Severe illness due to other causes
o Acute porphyria (a rare inherited condition)
o Lead poisoning
* Dyschezia (usually the result of suppressing defecation)
* Constriction, where part of the intestine or rectum is narrowed or blocked, not allowing feces to pass
o Stenosis (Strictures)
o Diverticula
o Tumours, either of the bowel or surrounding tissues
o Retained foreign body or a bezoar
* Psychosomatic constipation, based on anxiety or unfamiliarity with surroundings.
o Functional constipation
o Constipation-predominant irritable bowel syndrome, characterized by a combination of constipation and abdominal discomfort and/or pain<Actinic:Variable Name = '6'/>
* Smoking cessation (nicotine has a laxative effect)
* Abdominal surgery, other types of surgery, childbirth

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constipation