Causes of constipation and prevention

is necessary. The causes of constipation, as well as their prevention, are one of the most common problems of modern medical science.

According to statistics, about 40 - 50% of the population of developed countries suffers from constipation.

What constipation is ^

Constipation is a rare, difficult or incomplete bowel movement. Earlier among doctors there was an opinion that the chair must necessarily be daily, at the same time, and all deviations from this norm were considered constipation.

Modern international criteria do not focus on the frequency of acts of defecation, but on the state of health and the absence of discomfort. Therefore, if a person has defecation free, without prolonged excessive straining and unpleasant sensations, the frequency of the stool from 3 times a day to 3 times a week is normal.

The stool frequency directly depends on the nature of the food:

• with predominantly vegetative food, defecation can occur 2-3 times a day,
• with mixed meat and vegetable nutrition - once a day,
• with prevalence of meat and egg products in the diet every 2-3 days,
• with complete starvation in 5 to 6 days.

Causes of constipation ^

Constipation occurs due to a violation of the process of formation of fecal masses and their movement through the intestine and have many causes.

The main danger of prolonged constipation is that they can cause intoxication, that is, poisoning your body with your own calves. Symptoms of intoxication are manifested by lethargy, fast fatigue, irritability and sleep disorder.

German doctor Max Gerzon, who studied the dependence of cancer diseases on nutrition all his life, writes in his book "Cancer treatment" that according to his research, out of 10 thousand cancer cases only one occurred from irreversible changes in the body, and all the remaining 9,999 are the result of poisoningown calves.

Most often, the cause of constipation is improper nutrition of modern people, that is, the use of mostly processed easily digestible food of small volume, devoid of fiber and dietary fiber, without which a normal digestive process is impossible.

• The habit of breakfast with a sandwich with tea or coffee leads to the fact that a small amount of stool is formed in the intestine, so the urge to defecate may be absent for several days.
• Hot dishes, flour products, jelly, semolina and rice porridge, chocolate, cocoa, as well as strong coffee and tea, contribute to the development of constipation.
• Eating fast food and starchy foods even with regular stools lead to hidden constipation, because such food leaves on the walls of the intestines a so-called "caloric scale", from which later fecal stones are formed.
• Often, hypodynamia is added to this - low physical activity, which contributes to the fact that the muscles of the intestine become weak and can not sufficiently strain for normal defecation.
• Constipation may occur with hemorrhoids, fissures, tumors and inflammatory processes of the rectum, and also after drug treatment with antibiotics and other drugs that kill the beneficial intestinal microflora.
• A frequent cause of constipation is the prolonged use of enemas and laxatives, which "disaccustom" the intestines to empty themselves.

In addition, constipation can have psychological causes, such as mental stress, depression and neurosis. Constant fuss, nervousness, fear or anger cause the anus muscle to contract involuntarily.

The intestine needs time to relax and open, and a chaotic lifestyle, haste, reluctance to empty in public toilets and frequent suppression of urge to defecate lead to the fact that it "slams" and refuses to work. And many people constipation inevitably occur in travel and unfamiliar places, which gave the name of the term "constipation of the traveler".

Types of constipation ^

Symptoms of constipation depend not so much on the causes that cause it, as on the tone of the intestines. Depending on whether the tone is increased or decreased, the constipation is divided into:

• atonic;
• spastic.

Atonic constipation of

• When the atonic constipation is reduced, the peristalsis is sluggish, so the stool masses move very slowly.
• Defecation, as a rule, occurs painfully and with great difficulty, sometimes with blood streaks that appear due to microcracks of the anus.
• Fecal masses of sausage form of dense consistency.

Atonic constipation often becomes common in people with mental work with a sedentary lifestyle, irregular eating easily digestible food and the habit of suppressing the urge to defecate. Also, this type of constipation often affects older people due to age-related changes in intestinal and sphincter tone.

Spastic constipation

Spastic constipation( from the word spasm) occurs due to increased intestinal tone.

• In some areas of the intestine there are spasms of the musculature, making the stools appear to be "squeezed" and can not move down.
• With this type of constipation, bloating, colic and a feeling of heaviness and bursting from the accumulation of gases often occur.
• Pain during defecation is not observed, but the bowel movements come out with small lumps like sheep stool.

Spastic constipation often occurs due to endocrine diseases or under the influence of stressful situations.

• With strong spasms to ease the condition, you can take a warm bath and put a heating pad on your stomach.
• It is advisable to adhere to bed rest and a sparing diet consisting of boiled vegetables with vegetable or butter, as the fats well relieve intestinal cramps.
• The diet should be dominated by food that does not cause irritation of the mucous membrane of the large intestine and contains vitamin B1, favorably acting on the nervous regulation of the intestine.

Prevention of constipation ^

Prevention of constipation includes a number of useful recommendations:

Proper nutrition

• If you have persistent chronic constipation, exclude from the menu products that are "fastened".These include meat products, sugar, sweets, eggs, white bread, whole pastries, chocolate and cocoa.

• Be sure to include in the diet fruits, vegetables and cereals containing fiber and dietary fiber, which serve as sorbents and remove toxins, slags, excess glucose and cholesterol from the body.

• Fiber absorbs water well and swells in the intestines, which significantly increases the volume of fecal matter, improves peristalsis, and the act of defecation passes quickly and painlessly.

• Vegetables and fruits, eat mostly in raw form, cook dishes cooked, stewed or steamed. With spastic constipation, give up cold food.

• Do not overeat. From the table you need to get up a little hungry, and not just a little alive. Remember that satiety comes in 20 minutes after eating. Arrange for unloading days or one-day diurnal fasting.

• Use laxatives and antibiotics only in extreme cases and as directed by a doctor.

Abundant drinking regime

Prevention of constipation requires daily drinking of at least 2 liters of water, depending on body weight.

If the drinking regime is insufficient, the stool becomes dehydrated and very hard, can not go through the intestines for a long time, cause pain and cracks during emptying, and subsequently become the cause of varicose veins.

Do not suppress the urge to defecate

• Try to never suppress the natural urge to emptying.
• Even the ancients wrote that suppressing any natural items reduces life and leads to illness.

Lead an active lifestyle

The best prevention of constipation - active pastime and moderate physical activity, for example, walking, which improves perfectly the tone of the intestine and the whole body.