What is chronic constipation?

Chronic constipation is the functional disorder of the intestine, so the dysfunction weakens the bowel movement and consequently it is difficult to fully and systematically excrete. Constipation affects more than 30% of the world's population according to the statistics of the World Health Organization and chronic constipation causes a feeling of severe pain and directly affects performing daily work comfortably, and we review in this article ways to deal with chronic constipation and the reasons for its occurrence in order to avoid it.

Symptoms of chronic constipation

There are several symptoms for chronic constipation numerous including:

 

Feeling difficulty in bowel movement or difficulty in excretion.

Abdominal distension and pain.

 

Recurrent vomiting.

Causes of chronic constipation:

There are many causes that lead to chronic constipation:

Lack of water intake

Drinking water is known to help digestion, so the water softens and helps digested food pass through the intestine easily.

Malnutrition:

Malnutrition, which is the failure to eat healthy and useful foods such as vegetables and fruits that contain a lot of fiber, leads to chronic constipation. The British Food Foundation has recommended that you eat eighteen grams of fiber daily because it helps digestion.

The desire to lose weight:

When following a specific diet, some meals that do not contain fiber may be prescribed, which leads to chronic constipation.

Lack of movement:

The lack of movement is one of the most important causes of constipation, as a person may experience situations that puts him to sleep or get bed ridden for a long time, which leads to impairment of the digestive process, or if the person is exposed to laziness and general inactivity.

Prescription of some drugs:

There are many drugs or medications that lead to chronic constipation, and among these drugs: (some analgesics, some antacids, some antidepressants, drugs with iron component, laxatives that lead to weakening the bowel muscle).

Infection with some diseases:

There are some diseases that cause chronic constipation, such as thyroid dysfunction, inflammation of the colon, inflammation of the intestine and hemorrhoids.

Pregnancy:

Some women, when pregnant, develop constipation, due to the occurrence of hormonal changes during pregnancy, which leads to a slowdown in the movement of the intestine.

Methods for treating chronic constipation:

Chronic constipation can be treated by following some habits, including:

Drink three or four additional cups of water daily (if this is not prohibited for any medical reason).

Some warm drinks are preferred when getting up in the morning.

Meals should include healthy food, fresh vegetables and fiber-rich fruits.

Some simple laxatives can be used, but they should not be taken until after consulting the treating doctor, and they should not be continued for more than 15 days.

- The individual must practice walking half an hour a day, or by practice any sport he prefers, such as soccer, running, or biking, because all of this helps in the digestion process and facilitates the passage of food to the intestine.

Diagnosis:

 A colposcope is recommended for patients who suffer from chronic constipation, to rule out the presence of any organic cause that may cause constipation, such as colon polyps or colon tumors, as well as to discover some diseases that may cause abdominal pain as well, such as colon diverticula.

Foods suitable for treating chronic constipation:

There are some healthy foods that help to facilitate bowel movement so that it works to get rid of chronic constipation, and these foods include the following:

Dried fruits are caltin, apricot, dates and raisins.

Dried fruits get rid of tummy waste easily because it is a type of food rich in fiber, and it contains natural laxatives such as sorbitol.

Brown bread

Contains a high content of fiber and complex carbohydrates and less fat, and if brown bread is eaten in all daily meals on a continuous basis, even a little, it helps to get rid of chronic constipation easily and in a quick time.

Lettuce or Capucci

It is always advisable in cases of constipation to eat lettuce, because it has a high fiber content, and it is also distinguished by the fact that it contains a percentage of natural oils that are useful to get rid of constipation and facilitates excretion, so it is preferable to eat a large dish of green salad, whose ingredients include lettuce daily at meal and dinner regularly, thus completely eliminates constipation.

Aniseed

It is one of the beneficial treatments that stimulate digestion and gets rid of gases and residues. It is recommended to drink a large cup of anise in the evening to treat chronic constipation.

Peaches

Peach is considered a rich fruit with a high percentage of natural fibers as (pectin), which works as a natural laxative. It is preferred not to peel peaches, pears and apples when consumed because the peels contain beneficial fibers.

Broccoli

It is a type of food rich in a large percentage of low-calorie fibers that acts as a natural laxative.

corn chips

It is a good source of a high percentage of natural fibers, in addition to that it is a saturated and nutritious meal because it contains antioxidants. Eating corn flakes in breakfast helps get rid of residues in the intestine and eliminates chronic constipation.

Berries:

A good remedy in the case of chronic constipation, and is characterized by its sweet taste and when eating half a cup of it, it helps to treat constipation, because it contains natural fibers.

Treating severe constipation with herbs

There are many plants that assist in the process of excretion and is the best treatment for chronic constipation. They are:

Cactuses

)Aloe vera contains (minerals, vitamins, salts

Castor oil

It is best not to eat it too often because it has side effects that may be harmful.

I also advise my patients not to get used to eating the soaked Senna herbs because the colon gets used to it after a while and its movement may slow down and stop working on its own, which makes the situation worse.

There are many medications to treat constipation, but we do not resort to them until after consulting the gastroenterologist who gives the proper diagnosis and the causes of chronic constipation.

And it must be emphasized that prevention is better than cure and it is always preferable to be careful to eat integrated meals that contain all the nutrients, eating fruits and caring for drinking fluids, especially water, to prevent chronic constipation