CONSTIPATION REMEDIES

Medically reviewed by: Horia Marculescu, MD
Photo credits: Licenses / Author
Last updated: 27.07.2021

doctor preparing remedies for constipation in a medical bowl

A remedy is something that cures or relieves a disease or bodily disorder. It can be considered as a healing medicine, application or a treatment. It can also be defined as something that corrects or removes an evil of any kind.

In our case, the “evil” can be the constipation symptoms and most important of all, the constipation causes.

Constipation remedies are a combination of nutrition with medication and a few minor changes in our lifestyle.

Also, the approach of this kind has to be done with some basic understanding of constipation causes and symptoms because constipation is an easy to treat symptom if done right.

The idea to categorize remedies for constipation has its purpose because these remedies can be used in combinations very effectively.

Constipation can be treated faster if medication taken continues to have the full support of a good diet rich in fiber, water and healthy foods.

Constipation remedies:

1. Natural remedies

The environment where we live, work and study is one of the most important constipation causes of them all. The problem with the environment is that pollution, noise and stress are affecting every one of us is a constant rhythm.

The environment we need to visit from time to time has to be clean with fresh air, with plants, vegetation, trees, grass and to be quiet to relax our minds. And because we stay trapped for months and even years in the big cities or we have toxic and stressful periods at our jobs or in college, our metabolism starts to slow down and constipation evolves.

The following remedies are easy to find and have the most effect on constipation on a long and a short term:

chicory
inulin
mineral water
forest fruits
vegetable oil
sleeping
swimming in the sea

View the full article about: natural constipation remedies

2. Exercises to Relieve Constipation

Muscle movements in the intestines area is one of the most important things that help digestion because it forces the food blocked in our intestines to move towards evacuation. The most important part that is influenced by muscle movements is the large intestine.

The reason is that after food eaten passes the small intestine, where the assimilation of nutrients and proteins takes place, the food moves into the large intestine where little digestion takes place.

Also, because of the size of the large intestine, there are other foods waiting for evacuation and when we play sports or we go running, the main pressure from muscles in the abdomen area expanding and bending, are on the large intestine.

Other activities that have the same effect:

crunches
pushups
swimming
fitness / body building
running
jogging
any other type of sports

Leisure activities like walking, hiking, fishing, bird-watching or even bike riding can improve our overall mood. Sometimes they help us relax more and get stress out of the way and sometimes, they put the intestines to work better in order to move the food we ate.

These exercises don`t have to always put tension and pressure on the muscles, sometimes they have to relieve our stressed mood and relax our body.

View the full article about: exercises to relieve constipation

3. Medical remedies

Remedies based on medication are the most efficient remedies when dealing with constipation. The problem with medical remedies is that if we use them very often, we can develop dependency, that leads in time to fewer and fewer effects over treating constipation.

Also, medication doesn`t come cheap so we need to know what to take and when to take a specific medication. The different types of constipation and the different stages it evolved in our body determines what medication to take in order to treat this symptom.

We need to make a clear distinction when dealing with severe constipation or an episodic symptom that can disappear after a few minor changes in our diet.

There are also natural or artificial supplements that help and improve digestion that don`t focus on constipation symptoms. These would be better for someone who is having an episodic constipation.

But if we suffer from a severe type of constipation, maybe a strong laxative taken and continued with the support of a diet rich in fiber and vegetables would improve better our constipation stage than supplements.

Medication can include:

laxatives
cascara
enema (medical procedure)
supplements for improving digestion (not constipation)
suppositories (when dealing with severe constipation)
constipation diagnosis (colonoscopy, etc.)

Nutrition and constipation

Nutrition is an area that tends to be neglected by everyone. With a little information on dieting, we can treat constipation without medication and we can prevent it from evolving. Nutrition implies knowing a little amount of knowledge or maybe just learning a few tips and tricks on dieting in order to get the best out of food.

How to eat food the right way?

The best way to eat certain types of food is crucial to the entire digestion process. This process affects the overall journey of food in the intestines and determines how constipation evolves over time.

For example, fruits have to be eaten only on an empty stomach because if they stay blocked for more than 15 minutes in the intestine, they will start to ferment due to humidity and heat. This is harmful to the entire digestion process and also damages the intestinal lining.

Another great example is eating meat with vegetables. Meat should be eaten only with green vegetables because it`s a type of food that is hard to digest and also, because it contains proteins and essential fat acids that need to be digested slowly.

Meat should be eaten in a ratio of 50% meat and 50% uncooked vegetables to get the most out of the assimilation of proteins and essential fat acids.

Also, eating bread and sugary foods like sweets and cookies is another major constipation cause because combining flour and sugar with other types of food does only harm to our intestinal transit.

Other types of food that need to be eaten alone or in the right combination in order to treat constipation: vegetables, cheese, milk, bread, sugary foods, etc.

There are also foods that need to be banned when dealing with constipation:

soda
coke
sweets
sugary foods
alcohol (beer, strong drinks)
sauces (that contain sugar and flour)
potatoes, fries, chips
pasta etc.

Constipation Remedies and Examples

All the constipation remedies mentioned above can be combined and used to relieve constipation and treat its causes on a long term.

The idea of categorizing remedies can be beneficial not only to our constipation phases but also if we want to get the most out of food and the assimilation of nutrients and vitamins.

The problem with constipation is that it has it`s specific things that need to be handled carefully with patience, and it`s very important to know our constipation stage and how it evolved over time.

Examples

For example, we need to know to distinguish the differences between severe type of constipation and an episodic one in order to take a strong laxative or a lighter one.

A strong laxative taken when having the wrong constipation phase can harm or slow down the overall treatment.

Another problem is the age. As time goes by, our metabolism and digestion process starts to slow down and not work in optimal parameters.

This thing is definitely a major cause for constipation or it`s just a temporary symptom, but either way, it has to be improved using remedies and medication.

For example, in elderly constipation, a few changes in diet and hydration can help a good intestinal transit.

But when severe constipation evolves, a combination of laxatives and a diet containing more liquid food that introduces slowly dietary fiber and water can help treat constipation.

Also, infant constipation is a very delicate and important thing because infants, babies and children are so sensitive to any medication and diet change.

As an example, if the newborn or the baby has abdominal colic (or abdominal pain) a simple specific abdominal massage, done two times a day can help even better than taking medication.

Also, recognizing the toddlers ability to digest certain types of food, has evolved or not can help treat constipation.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

My name is Sebastian D., and I am the senior editor of constipationguide.com. With the help of my mentor, Dr. Horia Marculescu, I decided to create a practical guide to constipation relief.. read more