How to treat constipation? This is a common question. Let's figure it out in this article.
Constipation is a very unpleasant problem with which many patients are embarrassed to seek professional help and try to cope with it on their own. The causes of this phenomenon may be different, but in most cases they are malnutrition, nervous strain and a sedentary lifestyle.
A doctor can tell you how to treat constipation in adults and children.
What is constipation?
Delaying the act of defecation negatively affects the general well-being of a person and his mood. To treat this pathology and restore stool regularity, many resort to the use of a variety of laxative medications that have a quick effect, but during constant use they can cause addiction and all kinds of digestive disorders. In addition, this group of medicines has somecontraindications and side effects, as a result of which the use of these drugs in some cases only aggravates the situation.
An alternative to drug therapy is to eliminate constipation at home by adjusting the diet and diet, changing the rhythm of life and folk remedies.
Before you start using any methods to eliminate the delay in bowel movements, you must definitely find out the reason that contributed to the occurrence of such a condition. So, how to treat constipation?
Food and drinking regimen
Incorrect as well as irregular eating, which includes a high content of high-calorie foods, is the most common cause of constipation. The same can be said about insufficient fluid intake, in particular ordinary drinking water. For the normal functioning of the intestines, the diet must necessarily include coarse dietary fibers or fiber, which are not digested during digestion, but have a good ability to absorb water in the intestines, which creates the necessary volume, as well as the consistency of stool and stimulates their passage through the large intestine. How to treat constipation at home?
Important changes
Treatment of such a pathology at home should begin with changes in diet. This aspect is very important, because it helps not only to eliminate the existing problem, but also to prevent its manifestations in the future. Tobran can be added to food to increase the amount of dietary fiber entering the intestines. Also, the diet should include foods that are rich in fiber, as this contributes to regular bowel movements. These products include:
- Rye bread.
- Various cereals (barley, oatmeal, buckwheat, corn).
- Vegetables, mostly raw.
- Green.
- Fruits.
- Berries.
- Dried fruits.
- Meat containing connective tissue.
- Freshly squeezed vegetable (potato, pumpkin, carrot, beet, tomato) and fruit juices.
In order to normalize the functioning of the intestines, various fermented milk products should be added to the human diet daily.
How to treat constipation at home, we will tell below.
Drinking mode
The drinking regimen is of primary importance for constipation. With a lack of water in the body, an increase in the degree of absorption of fluid in the intestine develops. Consequently, dry and hard feces are formed. The total volume of fluid that you need to drink per day in the absence of any contraindications from the urinary or cardiovascular system should be at least two liters. Non-carbonated mineral water, green or herbal tea are also recommended. Such drinks should be consumed before meals or an hour after them.
For constipation of any etiology, you should eat often, but portions of the consumedfood should be small. It is desirable to do this according to a specially developed mode - at the same time. Such schemes contribute to the gradual normalization of the cleansing function of the intestine.
How to treat constipation with exercise?
Physical activity for constipation
People who are used to leading a sedentary lifestyle are usually at risk for such an unpleasant phenomenon as constipation. If you perform a simple set of special exercises for the abdominal muscles daily for 15 minutes, this will help activate the motor-evacuation functions of the intestine and normalize defecation.
So, how to treat chronic constipation?
The most effective exercises
The following types of exercises are very effective for constipation:
- Lying on your back, alternately press your legs to your stomach, bending them at the knees
- A quick step in place when a person raises a leg bent at the knee high: first the right, then the left.
- Squats.
- The so-called "bicycle" is an exercise known to almost everyone. It should be performed lying on your back.
- Standing on all fours, you should alternately blow out and then retract the stomach.
- In the prone position, slowly raise and lower the upper body.
Hiking has a very positive effect, as well as swimming, morning jogging, cycling and exercise bikes.
For constipation, which is caused by spasm in the colon,intense physical exercise is not recommended, as it can further aggravate the person's condition and this problem.
How to treat constipation in a person is interesting to many.
Massage
In the form of a folk remedy for constipation, massage of the abdomen can be performed. To do this, it is necessary to perform circular movements clockwise with a warm palm, slightly pressing on the stomach. After that, you can use your hands to make stroking movements on both sides from above - from the ribs, towards the lower abdomen. The duration of such a massage should be no more than 10 minutes. Massage should not be performed after meals.
How to treat constipation with folk remedies?
Folk methods to eliminate constipation
To eliminate the problem of delayed bowel movements, there are many different time-tested recipes that are based on the use of plant products - fruits, berries, vegetables, milk. Bran, freshly squeezed juices and vegetable oils have good properties in this aspect. Long-term use of such funds, despite their safety, is undesirable.
Treatment of such pathologies at home is permissible only when there are no organic disorders in the intestines and other serious diseases of the digestive system.
Kefir-based recipes
Kefir has a good laxative effect for constipation. With regular use, it helps to improve the functioning of the digestive process andensure the regularity of the allocation of metabolic products. The composition of kefir includes enzymes that can thin the stool and increase intestinal motility. In addition, regular use of this product contributes to the colonization of beneficial bacteria on the intestinal mucosa. Everyone can treat constipation with folk methods.
The following recipes based on kefir will help:
- Take 1 glass of kefir in the evening with the addition of a tablespoon of vegetable oil to the product, and if there is no effect, treatment should be continued in the morning until the onset of defecation.
- A mixture of a glass of kefir and a tablespoon of bran. This product is insisted for 5 minutes and drunk before going to bed.
Dried fruits
Dried fruits also give a good laxative effect. With chronic constipation, treatment with such remedies will not only be as effective as possible, but also very tasty. To cleanse the intestines, as a rule, prunes, dried apricots, raisins and figs are used. You can use them separately, or you can use them as a mixture with the addition of medicinal herbs.
Folk medicine knows the following recipes for constipation:
- Mixture of crushed dried apricots, prunes, raisins, honey and vegetable oil.
- Homemade candies made from figs, prunes and coriander mixed in equal proportions.
- Decoction of oats with prunes.
- Meat grinder blend of figs, raisins, prunes, dried apricots and senna leaves.
- Infusion of prunes with senna leaves.
- Decoction of dried apricots.
- Dried fruit compote with freshapples.
Effective prevention of constipation is the daily consumption of dried apricots and prunes (2-3 pieces).
Vegetable oils
To eliminate the problem of constipation, you can widely use various vegetable oils. They are used orally or included in the composition for enemas. The oil has a laxative effect, as well as a choleretic effect, as it facilitates the excretion of feces.
The following oils can be used for constipation:
- sunflower;
- olive;
- linen;
- pumpkin;
- sea buckthorn;
- castor.
Inside sunflower oil is consumed in the amount of 1 tbsp. spoons on an empty stomach, gradually reducing the dose. In addition, it is useful to add it to salads and cereals. Olive oil is taken orally 1 tbsp. spoon, washed down with a glass of water with the addition of a few milliliters of lemon juice. With long delays in defecation, special enemas with the addition of this remedy help to cleanse the intestines.
We looked at how to treat constipation in adults at home.
Child Constipation
It is very important to follow the child's stool from the first days after his birth. This helps to prevent various serious consequences, such as indigestion, decreased appetite, allergic reactions.
This pathology in children in the first year of life is due to the fact that the digestive system at this age is not yet sufficiently developed. Food may not be fully digested. If the child is onbreastfeeding, the increased fat content of mother's milk can contribute to constipation. In order to eliminate this circumstance, a nursing mother should consume more foods that are rich in fiber and complex carbohydrates. Simple carbohydrates, as well as fried and too fatty foods contribute to the formation of constipation in a child. A woman during lactation should consume a large amount of fruits and vegetables, as well as reduce the proportion of bakery and pasta in the diet. The meat should also be lean, it is best to eat dietary types of meat products - rabbit meat, poultry, etc. Infants who are artificially fed are often prescribed special mixtures containing lactic acid bacteria or mixtures containing various prebiotics for constipation, lactulose, probiotics, oligosaccharides or carob.
All parents should know how to treat constipation in a child.
Excellent results in babies suffering from constipation, give massage and various gymnastic exercises. Before feeding the child or a couple of hours after it, it is necessary to lay the baby on the tummy, which helps to increase intestinal motility. At this time, you can give him a limb massage. Then you need to turn the child on his back and stretch his stomach with stroking movements. This procedure should be carried out 3 times a day, ending with flexion and extension of the legs and arms of the crumbs.
Let's take a look at the best remedies for constipation.
Folk ways to eliminate constipation in children
To the means,approved for home use include the following:
- Adding bran to baby food. This product is used in small amounts, approximately 1 teaspoon per 100 grams of food.
- A mixture of dried fruits that can be given to a child in its pure form or in the form of various compotes and jelly. It is advisable to eat dried fruits on an empty stomach.
- Infusions and puree from prunes or dried apricots.
- Kefir or other liquid fermented milk product (fermented baked milk, drinking yogurt) before bed.
- Beet or carrot juice.
A one-time method of helping a small child is the mechanical elimination of the delay in the act of defecation. For this, a pipette or a cotton swab is used, with which the anal sphincter area is irritated. The act of defecation in the baby occurs, as a rule, within 10-15 minutes after the procedure. This tool is very effective, but it is often not recommended to use it, since regular mechanical induction of bowel movements is addictive.
How to treat constipation, now we know.
