Uh-oh. Not going anywhere for a while? Everyone at some time or another has experienced some form of constipation. Peoples bathroom habits vary greatly, some people go multiple times a day, while others may go once every other day. Both are perfectly normal, but if you only go once every other day and you feel uncomfortable about it then you are definitely constipated. The longer you don’t go, the harder and dryer the stool becomes making a bowel movement even more difficult to pass.
So what’s the cause and how to get things moving? First off, are you drinking enough water or eating enough fiber? Always stay hydrated and eat your veggies, not only will eating right help you to have healthy bowel movements, but you’ll be in better health over all.
Is your case of constipation acute or chronic? If you’ve had this issue for a while, there is probably more to the picture then meets the eye. In Chinese medicine, the body and mind are pretty much the same thing, so if you’ve had trouble letting go of your bowels for quite some time, you probably have a slight case of depression and are also having some emotional trouble letting go of something else. To help the situation I recommend taking a closer look at your self and try to meditate on what’s bothering you and do your best to accept the situation and let go of it. Also, if you are depressed and taking medication for it, the medication might be the reason for the constipation. Most medications have some sort of side-effect attached to it, talking to your primary care is probably the best way to find a way around the issue.
On the other hand if your situation is acute and rare, the better off you are, maybe you had too much to drink last night or you don’t exercise as much as you used to. Alcohol is a form of heat and when over consumed it can dry up your bowels, red wines and hard liquors are usually the case. Unless mixed with something like orange juice, which is cold and damping and can help move the bowels right along. Although for some people drinking a lot alcohol overloads your digestive system and you may end up with a slight case of the runs the next day. As is the case for drinking to much beer, beer is considered to be damping and can weaken your digestive systems ability to hold onto to anything at all.
As for exercise like jogging, which gets your blood flowing and everything else moving, lack of it will do the opposite. For those of you have a short temper or stressful lifestyle, this might also be a cause for constipation. When stress levels rise, so do other things in the body, which keep things bound and tight. A good jog, relaxing shoulder massage or even a long hot footbath should help unbind things and send energy back down.
Laxatives. What’s the deal? In short, only use them for a short time, over use can cause a number of side effects such as severe imbalances of body fluids, addiction, colon damage and even re-bound constipation. If you really want to take one it’s best to ask you’re primary care or maybe even the pharmacist at the store, especially if you’re taking other forms of medication. An important rule of thumb while on meds is to always be extra cautious when taking some thing else, because you never know how it’ll react with your daily dose of what ever else you’re taking.
So what can you do to help get things moving along? Well I recommend going to an acupuncturist, but if you can’t, some good belly rubbing just might do the trick. First off it’s best if you can take a few minutes and lie down on your back and take a couple of deep breaths. You can then rub your belly in circles with your palm starting from the right side going to the left. Doing that for a few minutes slowly or around 50 times with a comfortable pressure should cause a domino effect in the stomach and you may start to hear some gurgling noises in the area. You can also take a deep breath in and on the exhale apply pressure to the area just under your rib cage on both sides with your fingertips. If this becomes uncomfortable, just stop, but doing this will help release any tension in your diaphragm allowing more air to come into your system to help move things along. You can also take a few minutes to massage your belly in straight line just going down the middle.
Doing these belly rubs won’t make you run to the bathroom, but they will help regulate your system, especially if done on a regular basis. If done on a regular basis, after waking or before going to sleep at night it will strengthen your stomach and its ability to digest food along with the chain reaction that takes place afterwards. In the end to have healthy digestion and bowel movements it’s always good to drink plenty of water, eat plenty of greens and do a little daily belly rub.
I hope this has been a helpful tip and if you have any, questions, comments or clarification on something I’d love to hear it.
Thanks for stopping by Acuthink!
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