Ground Flaxseeds To Ease Constipation
Flaxseeds are an excellent natural ingredient to improve conditions in the digestive tract and treat chronic constipation. If you have indigestion, irritable bowel syndrome, or stomach bloating, flaxseeds can help to improve your digestive health.
A study from 2015 in the Journal of Ethnopharmacology reported that flaxseeds have both a laxative and anti-diarrhea effect. The researchers concluded that flaxseeds can help to treat constipation and diarrhea.12
You can add ground flaxseeds to plain yogurt, cereals, or other foods to help improve the symptoms of constipation. To find out more about the benefits of consuming more flaxseeds, please read my article on the many reasons to eat flaxseeds daily.
How Is Constipation Treated
Self-care
Most cases of mild to moderate constipation can be managed by you at home. Self-care starts by taking an inventory of what you eat and drink and then making changes.
Some recommendations to help relieve your constipation include:
- Drink two to four extra glasses of water a day. Avoid caffeine-containing drinks and alcohol, which can cause dehydration.
- Add fruits, vegetables whole grains and other high-fiber foods to your diet. Eat fewer high-fat foods, like meat, eggs and cheese.
- Eat prunes and/or bran cereal.
- Keep a food diary and single out foods that constipate you.
- Get moving, exercise.
- Check how you sit on the toilet. Raising your feet, leaning back or squatting may make having a bowel movement easier.
- Add an over-the-counter supplemental fiber to your diet .
- If needed, take a very mild over-the-counter stool softener or laxative . Mineral oil enemas, like Fleet®, and stimulant laxatives, like bisacodyl or senna , are other options. There are many laxative choices. Ask your pharmacist or doctor for help in making a choice. Do not use laxatives for more than two weeks without calling your doctor. Overuse of laxatives can worsen your symptoms.
- Do not read, use your phone or other devices while trying to move your bowels.
Medication/supplement review
Prescription medications
Surgery
When To See A Doctor For Constipation
Most individuals have experienced some form of constipation in their lifetime. While constipation can go away on its own, it is helpful to know what can ease the discomfort of this common ailment. If home remedies for constipation or OTC products do not produce a bowel movement, an individual may need to seek medical attention. Untreated constipation can lead to an impacted bowel.
Constipation may be a symptom of a greater health concern, consult your doctor or healthcare professional if you have not had a bowel movement within a two- to three-week period of time. Furthermore, medical assistance may be needed if you are experiencing severe abdominal pain or concerning blood in the constipated stool. Ask your doctor about recommended home remedies for constipation and prevention of constipation in the future.
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Constipation Remedy: Mint Or Ginger Tea
Mint and ginger are both proven home remedies to help alleviate a slew of digestive problems. Peppermint contains menthol, which has an antispasmodic effect that relaxes the muscles of the digestive tract. Ginger is a warming herb that causes the inside of the body to generate more heat herbalists say this can help speed up sluggish digestion. Stephen Sinatra, MD, of HeartMD Institute recommends ginger in either capsule or tea form. In tea, the hot water will also stimulate digestion and provide constipation relief. Dandelion tea is also a gentle laxative and detoxifier. While these are the good guys, youll want to watch out for these foods that actually make constipation worse.
Aloe Vera As A Natural Laxative
Consuming aloe vera juice is very beneficial to help to pass stool more frequently and ease the symptoms of constipation. Many people who have constipation from irritable bowel syndrome or other digestive problems take aloe vera juice to ease their symptoms.
The book Herbal Medicine reports that aloe vera is commonly used to treat constipation and many natural constipation remedies contain extracts from aloe vera. Research has found that using aloe vera as a laxative can increase the frequency of bowel movement and make feces softer.11
People who have constipation from taking too many laxatives can also use aloe vera to regulate the bowel movements naturally and reduce dependence on laxatives.
To help get rid of constipation, you can try consuming 100 to 200 milliliters of aloe vera juice daily. Continue doing this until you can pass stool easily. After that, you should reduce the dose to 50 milliliters a day for constipation prevention, otherwise, you may end up with the opposite problem diarrhea!
If you cannot get aloe vera juice, you can consider taking aloe vera as a supplement in a tablet or capsule form. This can be a quick and easy way to get your dose of daily goodness, but you need to check the quality of the supplements and make sure it doesnt contain any harmful additives.
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Home Remedies For Constipation Are By Far Your Safest Andbest Option
To prevent and treat constipation effectively, you needremedies that will help things along in a non-harming and gentle way withoutside effects. These top 10 home remedies for constipation do this very effectively.They’re also safe for the whole family to use . For babies andtoddlers though, its advised that you always check with your health careprofessional first before administering any type of home treatment or remedy.
So here they are in our order of importance
What Are The Best Constipation Treatments For The Elderly
If you are having a hard time emptying your bowels when you are an elderly, you will need to consider looking for the best treatment for constipation as soon as possible. The problem, however, is that there are dozens of options to consider which means that it may be confusing as to which one to get. We have rounded up five of the best treatments that we think will aid you with your constipation problem.
- Dulcolax Laxative Tablets
- Genuine Phillip’s Laxative Dietary Supplement
- Our rating
- Brandon Sciences Triphala Extract Dietary Supplement
- Our rating
- King’s Natural Medicine Constipation Relief Fluid Ounce
- Our rating
Overview:
If you are looking for the best treatment for constipation, you can start with Dulcolax Laxative Tablets. This medication can help with bowel irregularity and constipation overnight with the tablet comfort-coated so to provide relief from constipation in a safe and gentle manner. What makes this medicine effective is that it contains bisacodyl as its active ingredient. This brand has been the go-to choose by many for decades.
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What Is The Best Juice To Drink For Constipation
Juices and dosage
- Prune juice. The most popular juice to relieve constipation is prune juice.
- Apple juice. Apple juice may provide you with a very gentle laxative effect.
- Pear juice. Another great option is pear juice, which contains four times more sorbitol than apple juice.
Similarly, you may ask, what drinks help with constipation?
Here are 13 natural home remedies to relieve constipation.
- Drink more water.
- Eat more fiber, especially soluble, non-fermentable fiber.
- Exercise more.
- Drink coffee, especially caffeinated coffee.
- Take Senna, an herbal laxative.
- Eat probiotic foods or take probiotic supplements.
- Over-the-counter or prescription laxatives.
Beside above, is Orange Juice Good for constipation? Orange juiceOrange juice is very rich in vitamin C and it has fibres that add bulk to the stool and it makes it easy to pass. Vitamin C also helps in improving your digestive cycle.
Subsequently, one may also ask, what vegetable juice is good for constipation?
All fruit and vegetable juices contain water and nutrients, and some also contain fiber. Since hydration can relieve or improve many cases of constipation, certain juices are an excellent option.
Ingredients:
Use A Toilet Footstool
Type toilet footstool into Google and youll be inundated with options, from a sleek wooden design, to a £3 white plastic stool. But why do we need one?
If youre constipated I suggest raising your feet onto a footstool while you are on the loo. This mimics the squatting position that is a more natural defecating position for humans than sitting on a toilet ever was. Thats what we did in the jungle and its what were designed to do, says Simon Smale, a consultant gastroenterologist and advisor to the IBS Network.
Giulia Enders, author of Charming Bowels, also says weve been going to the toilet all wrong. She told the Guardian that squatting is much more effective, and helps constipation, because the closure mechanism of the gut is not designed to open the hatch completely when were sitting down: its like a kinked hose. We can iron out this kink by sitting with our feet on a little stool and leaning forward.
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Add Probiotics To Your Diet
Probiotics are living microorganisms that naturally exist in your gut and occur in some foods, and some research taps probiotics as a home remedy for constipation.
An October 2014 meta-analysis in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that probiotics may help with constipation relief. After reviewing 14 studies, researchers concluded that probiotics helped soften stools, making them easier to pass. And in the sample they analyzed, probiotics increased the number of weekly bowel movements by 1.3.
In another study, published January 2015 in the Journal of Neurogastroenterology and Motility, researchers said probiotics produce short-chain fatty acids that may improve gut movements, making it easier to poop.
What Counts As Constipation Anyway
Its a myth that a daily bowel movement is essential to good health, Wald says. But having fewer than three bowel movements per week, excessive straining, a sense of not being finished, or having hard, lumpy stools are signals you may have constipation.
About 15 percent of Americans suffer from the condition for months and even years, studies show. Women are three times as likely as men to experience constipation, and seniors are also at high risk.
Occasional constipation is quite common, says Brian Lacy, MD, a gastroenterologist at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Fla., and co-editor in chief of The American Journal of Gastroenterology. Many patients note a change in their usual bowel habits when they change their daily routine, travel, change their diet , or reduce their level of activity.
But for some people the condition becomes chronic, with uncomfortable symptoms lasting three months or longer.
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How Common Is Constipation
You are not alone if you have constipation. Constipation is one of the most frequent gastrointestinal complaints in the United States. At least 2.5 million people see their doctor each year due to constipation.
People of all ages can have an occasional bout of constipation. There are also certain people and situations that are more likely to lead to becoming more consistently constipated . These include:
- Older age. Older people tend to be less active, have a slower metabolism and less muscle contraction strength along their digestive tract than when they were younger.
- Being a woman, especially while you are pregnant and after childbirth. Changes in a womans hormones make them more prone to constipation. The baby inside the womb squishes the intestines, slowing down the passage of stool.
- Not eating enough high-fiber foods. High-fiber foods keep food moving through the digestive system.
- Taking certain medications .
- Having certain neurological and digestive disorders .
Further Information On Constipation Relief
If you do notice a change, and it continues for an extended period of time despite dietary changes, you should see your GP or healthcare professional to find out if there is anything they can suggest to help relieve your constipation.
You may also find it helpful to read the resources below, to help you manage your bowel movements.
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Allow Yourself One Cup Of Coffee
Theres a tricky balancing act with caffeine and its effects on our digestive system.
Caffeine is a diuretic by nature, which means that having too much of it can make you wee more. And this in turn leads to dehydration, which leads to an increased chance of constipation . But research has shown that in small doses it can actually aid bowel movements.
One study noted that caffeine was a natural stimulant for the colon. With results showing an increase in digestive movement within four minutes of drinking coffee lasting for around 30 minutes. This is in addition to 63% of women surveyed in the study who claimed that coffee induced their desire to want to go.
The way to approach this natural remedy is to stick with one cup and see how your body reacts. After all everyone is different and what doesnt work for some can do wonders for others.
Increase Dietary Fibre For Constipation Relief
Fibre acts like a pipe cleaner, scrubbing food and waste particles from your digestive tract and soaking up water. It adds bulk to your stool, giving the muscles of your GI tract something to grab on to, so they can keep food moving along. The Mayo Clinic suggests aiming for 20 to 35 grams of fibre a day to stay regular. Foods particularly high in fibre include bran cereals, beans, lentils, oatmeal, almonds, barley, many vegetables, and fresh and dried fruits. All of these things can be home remedies for constipation. If youre constipated and taking in additional fibre, be sure to drink more water than usual to keep your stool soft and easy to pass.
Check out these painless ways to increase your dietary fibre.
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How To Empty Your Bowels Every Morning
If you are in need of immediate constipation relief, you may consider one or more of the following to encourage your gut to get back to normal .
Prunes Figs And Raisins
Eating prunes have been the standard home remedy for constipation, says Leann Poston, MD, the assistant dean at Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine and a contributor for Ikon Health. Besides their fiber content, they contain sorbitol, which seems to have a laxative effect.
Dried plums or prunes have always been on the list for keeping bowel movements regular. Eating prunes or drinking prune juice is not just for senior citizens. A six-ounce glass of prune juice every morning could be the remedy to end constipation. If you dont like prunes, eating raisins or figs will provide a similar function. Dried fruit has more fiber than drinking prune juice, but both have a natural laxative quality.
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/9suffering From Constipation These 6 Kitchen Ingredients Will Help You Get Rid Of It
Extremely common and frustrating, constipation can affect anyone. It is estimated that about 20% of the people suffer through the silent problem. Often caused by constant lifestyle changes and the binge eating that sometimes follow, there are also times that people suffer from chronic constipation which has no particular cause associated with it but has people clutching the pill box for a remedy all the time. Before rushing to find the perfect medicine, try these tested home remedies to treat constipation which will help you give quick relief in no time.
How Does Constipation Happen
Constipation happens because your colon absorbs too much water from waste , which dries out the stool making it hard in consistency and difficult to push out of the body.
To back up a bit, as food normally moves through the digestive tract, nutrients are absorbed. The partially digested food that remains moves from the small intestine to the large intestine, also called the colon. The colon absorbs water from this waste, which creates a solid matter called stool. If you have constipation, food may move too slowly through the digestive tract. This gives the colon more time too much time to absorb water from the waste. The stool becomes dry, hard, and difficult to push out.
Pathway of food waste through colon, rectum and anus.
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Molasses Makes The World Go Round
Blackstrap molasses has been a sweet savior for more than a few sufferers of constipation, be it chronic or occasional. The reason blackstrap molasses works so well is because of how it is made. Regular molasses is essentially pure cane sugar juice boiled to concentrate and crystallize the sugar. The third boiling results in blackstrap molasses, which is crystallized but contains significant amounts of vitamins and minerals, specifically magnesium, which is what helps the constipation. Its natural, tasty, and while you thank goodness someone decided to repeatedly boil a bunch of sugar, your body will thank you for the natural remedy.
You will need-1 teaspoon of blackstrap molasses-warm water or tea
DirectionsConsume one teaspoon of blackstrap molasses. Start slow and small here-if you dont like the flavor of molasses, you can add it to a cup of warm water or tea to dilute the taste. If you find that a teaspoon has not been effective, you can go as high as 1-2 tablespoons, but try less at first.