Constipation and Its Treatment



Constipation is a condition in which the bowels are evacuated at a longer interval or with difficulty. What the right interval should be, is difficult to generalize since it varies from person to person. Some evacuate their bowels once, others twice a day, while there are others who seek this pleasure only once in 2 or 3 days and yet have sound health.


What Causes Constipation?


Some may have constipation on account of the change of enviornment, or emotional tension, but the normal rhythm returns after a few days, and should not be a source of worry. The most important causes of constipation are a disregard of the call to pass motion and an i mproper diet. When the rectum is full, it sends signal s to the intestines through the central nervous system for their movement and if this is repeatedly ignored it gradually leads to failure of the rectum to signal the urge. The diet should contain a reasonable amount of non absorbable material to form a bulk which acts as a stimulus for the intestinal movements. Highly spicy foodstuffs such as chaat, pickles and hot curries may stimulate the bowel to cause a complete evacuation, but this is followed by inactivity of the intestines and constipation. Similarly, purgatives also stimulate the intestines, to cause their evacuation and this is also followed by constipation. To treat this constipation, again a purgative is needed and this continues in the form of a constipation purgative constipation cycle. Other causes of constipation may be a disease or abnormality of gastrointestinal tract, adverse effects of drugs, drying of the stools (faecal impaction), obstruction of the intestines, and severe illness in which food intake is too small. In case of prolonged constipation in the infants or intermittent constipation with diarrhoea, the physician should be consulted to rule out surgical problems.

What Can Be Done About Constipation?

If you are suffering from constipation, and have been taking purgative, try to stop these gradually. Your system will probably return to normal if you take enough soups, vegetables, fruits etc. However, if you are the worrying type you may take milk laxative only as a temporary measure without making it a habit. Remember, disregarding the call for motion is the worst you can do to your consipation. Do not wait unnecessarily. Rush to the toilet wherever you are, whether at a party or in the kitchen. Your diets should be made up of high roughage foods containing a lot of whole grain cereals, leafy vegetables like spinach, raw carrots and cucumbers, salads, prunes, figs, papaya, water melon and other fresh fruits. Your intestines will soon gain the normal tone. If all these measures fail, you are a candidate for milk purgatives or laxatives. Never take strong purgatives. They are needed only under exceptional circumstances and should be used under the care of a doctor. The purgatives which are commonly used are described here.

Mild Purgatives

Mild purgatives or laxatives are those which promote defecation causing minimum adverse effects. Drugs included in this group are: