Constipation - Overview
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What is Constipation?
Constipation also called Anaha in Ayurveda is a condition in which a person experiences uncomfortable or infrequent bowel movements. In this condition, either the stools become difficult to pass, or stop moving altogether for some time.
Signs & Symptoms of Constipation
- Browning of the tongue, which cannot be cleaned easily (Vata dosha symptoms)
- Yellowish stools and there will be a burning sensation in the anal canal as they eliminate. (Pitta dosha symptoms)
- The colon feels heavy and there is low digestive fire. The person will feel lethargic most of the time.(Kapha dosha symptoms)
- Feeling incomplete bowel movement.
Causes of Constipation
- Low fiber diet: Poor stool quality
- Inadequate fluid intake: Without adequate water constipation occurs
- Lack of movement: Movement stimulates bowel activity and maintains muscle tone, absence of movement leads to constipation
- Stool with-holding: Ignoring the urge to pass feces promotes constipation
- Laxative: Excess laxative damages the colon and give rise to constipation
- Excess pain medications: High intake of opioid analgesic reduces bowel movement.
- Aging: Older people are more likely to become constipated.
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- Do you have brownie tongue?
- Is that difficult to clean?
- Is your stool hard and dry?
- Are you suffering from pain, difficulty and strain during bowel?
- Are you experiencing less than three bowel movements a week?
MAY BE YOU HAVE CONSTIPATION…
What is constipation?
Symptoms of Constipation
Types of Constipation
There are usually 4 types of constipation:
- Casual or temporary constipation: This type of constipation is caused due to indigestion, overeating, contaminated food or bacterial infection.
- Chronic or habitual constipation: This type affects mainly elderly due to the loss of tonicity in the sphincter muscles.
- Slow transit constipation: Characterized by a prolonged length of time for stool to pass through the entire colon.
- Obstructive defecation: Inability to pass stool through the digestive tract out the rectum, outlet obstruction.
Causes of Constipation
Good Practices to Avoid Constipation
- 35⁰ squatting position (Indian style toilet) for stool passage is preferred to 90° sitting position (Western style toilet)
- Increased movement, exercise and certain yoga postures
- Eating freshly cooked foods
- Proper chewing of food is very important
- Take plenty of leafy vegetables and salads
- Make a potty schedules help to prevent constipation
- Drink plenty of water which helps to prevent the dehydration in the colon
- Drinking a glass of warm milk with ghee/ castor oil at the time of going to bed.
Natural Remedies for Constipation in Ayurveda
The good-natured remedies for constipation include:
- Natural treatment of constipation includes use of herbal laxatives, demulcents, herbal enema and carminatives
- Spices like cumin seeds, coriander, turmeric powder, fennel and asafoetida is good as it makes the food easily digestive
- Taking lemon juice mixed with warm water two or three times a day also cleans the bowels
- Apple-pear juice is also highly recommended and stewed fruits like prunes, figs or dates
- Flaxseed (linseed), psyllium, Isabagol, fenugreek, senna, aloe, bucktorn and cascara sagrada are well known herbal bulk laxatives
- Carminatives like peppermint which stimulates the expulsion of flatus (gas) from the bowels and peristalsis
- Guava, papaya and figs gives relief from constipation
Ayurvedic Treatment for Chronic Constipation
In case of chronic constipation, where a person might be suffering from poor bowel movement for very long period of time, may be for many years, then home remedies often do not work. Such patients with chronic constipation need to seek medical attention. Although there are remedies available in OTC products and Allopathic medicines, however, those do not give long term relief. And often you become addictive to such medicines.
In Ayurveda, however, there are remedies to this problem of chronic constipation and we at Dr.Monga Medi Clinic have some best Doctors who can help you get rid of this problem forever. We have been treating constipation for over 70 years. We are considered as one of the best clinics in Delhi/NCR for our Ayurvedic treatments. If you are suffering from Constipation of any level, do not delay the treatment further and contact us at an earliest.
