Constipation Causes & Treatment

Constipation

In Ayurveda, it is believed a healthy digestive system is the key to a healthy life. A number of diseases in the body are because of improper digestive system. Constipation is the biggest indicator of an unhealthy digestive system and root cause of a number of diseases in the body. It is believed if one treats constipation, then his body is automatically cured of lot of other diseases.



Symptoms of Constipation:

  1. Fewer bowel movements.
  2. Difficulty in emptying bowels.
  3. Take lot of time in emptying bowels.
  4. Less and Hard faeces on excretion.
  5. Heaviness and hardness of stomach all the time.
  6. Untimely and unscheduled bowel movement.

Causes of Constipation:

  1. Unbalanced meal, eating less or more food than what is required by the body.
  2. Excessive intake of super fine flour: super fine variety of floor is more difficult to digest and has a tendency to get accumulated in the intestines.
  3. Untimely and irregular meals: Body needs 3 hours to complete the digestion process and disturbed eating schedule and untimely meals are another cause of improper digestion.
  4. Dehydration in body.
  5. Lack of exercise, exercise and physical work is very important for proper functioning of digestive system. Undigested food is the biggest cause of constipation.
  6. Intake of oily, fried and spicy food, all these type of foods damages the digestive system.

Treatment of constipation:

Constipation is a lifestyle disease and its effective treatment can only be done with change in lifestyle and eating habit.

  1. Fix a sleeping time and get up early in the morning. Our body’s biological clock has scheduled timing for every process. Digestive system is most active in the morning and it is easier to get bowel movements in the morning then during the day. So follow a set sleep cycle.
  2. Drink atleast 2 glasses of water after waking up. If the water has been stored overnight in copper container, then that is even more beneficial. Water hydrates the body and aides in efficient bowel movements.
  3. Drink atleast 12 glasses of water everyday for keeping the digestive system, body and food hydrated.
  4. Increase intake of fiber in food. Incorporate sprouts in breakfast, salad in meals and green leafy vegetables. Fiber forms the major part of stool, and is hence necessary for healthy digestive system.
  5. Multigrain flour is also a good source of fiber in food. It makes digestive system effective and prevents constipation.
  6. Intake of butter milk along with meals aides in better digestion of food and prevents constipation.
  7. Increase the intake of green leafy vegetable and vegetables with higher water content like gourd, carrot, cabbage etc. These on one hand rehydrates the digestive system for effective bowel movement and also gives required fiber to the food, thus proving effective in treating constipation.
  8. Fruits like Amla, orange, papaya, sweet lemon, Bael, guava, water chestnut (singhara) are known to have laxative effect and very beneficial for patients suffering from constipation.
  9. Take food at night, atleast 3 hours before sleeping. Also avoid taking spicy, heavy, oily and fried food at night.
  10. Take curd during the day with meals. Curd is very beneficial as it improves digestion. Avoid taking curd at night.