Constipation Can Be a Pain in The…
The frequency of bowel movements varies between individuals and can be influenced by many factors throughout our lives including lifestyle factors, health conditions and medication. Normal frequency of bowel movements is considered to range from 3 per day to 3 per week. Constipation is commonly defined as less than 3 bowel movements per week. Constipation is actually very common. Fortunately, there’s plenty of things we can do to support our healthy digestion and get the bowels moving again. In this video I share 3 top tips to get your bowels moving again.
Why is it even important?
Imagine having the kitchen tap running while the drain is completely blocked. Eventually, the sink will fill up and the water will spill over the top onto the floor and continue to flow throughout the house. Well, this is one of the ways I think of constipation - the wastes from our food and body functions is passing through in our digestive system on the way to the exit, but there is an issue that stops the complete elimination of the wastes. These waste products can then be reabsorbed into the body, potentially creating varied health issues including hormonal issues and toxicity.
Constipation can cause many people to strain while on the toilet, which can cause huge issues, including raising blood pressure, not to mention aggravating lower back pain, especially disc and nerve issues. Therefore, it’s crucial we support the body throughout the process, anyway we can.
On top of affects to our health, constipation can significantly affect our quality and enjoyment in life, creating more pain and stress than is often necessary.
Causes of constipation
There are many reasons why someone may be constipated or have less bowel movements. Often these include common lifestyle factors such as:
- not drinking enough water
- insufficient dietary fiber intake
- lack of physical activity
- behavioral (regularly holding on to avoid or postpone a bowel movement)
- some medications (especially codeine pain medication)
- stress or sympathetic nervous system overdrive
- vagus nerve dysfunction.
Less commonly, there are also medical conditions that can contribute to constipation such as thyroid issues, microbiome imbalance, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
Symptoms of constipation
- having trouble with having a bowel movement
- not having a bowel movement as often as usual
- passing hard, lumpy stools
- straining to have bowel movements
- passing only small amounts at a time
- feeling blocked, or as though you have not completely emptied your bowels
Watch this video or keep reading...
1. What We Consume - Food & Water
There are certain foods that stimulate movement of contents through the bowel. Foods like capsicum, turmeric, peppermint, ginger, ground flaxseeds, and bitter herbs and vegetables such as rocket. Foods that help with relieving constipation in the moment include dates, whole peppercorns and soaked chia seeds.
And what about water? Most adults will need to drink at least 2 litres of filtered, room temperature or warm water daily, for kids we encourage 30mls per kilogram the child weighs. That means, for a 20kg child, aim for 600mls. However, avoid drinking water with meals, especially if you are struggling with constipation.
2. Stomach Massage
Using stomach massage helps to reduce muscle tension, break down contents of the bowel and relax the nervous system to allow it to move into digestion mode. Perform the stomach massage with castor oil (cold pressed, organic) in circular kneading motion in a clockwise direction for 3-5min each day. For added benefit, after the massage, cover the abdomen with a tea towel, put a hot water bottle on it and go to sleep or lay down and rest. The oil absorbs through the skin overnight and helps to loosen the bowel contents by the morning.
3. Positioning On The Toilet
When emptying your bowels, it is important to position the body in a way that supports the process. Imagine for a second a hose that has a kink in it, the water flow is reduced or stopped. Once the kink is removed, the water flows freely. On a standard toilet, with the knees lower than the hips, the bowel is kinked near the end. When our knees are higher than our hips, we reduce the kink on the bowel, allowing the contents to move through the bowel.
To get your knees higher than you hips, place a small stool or Squatty Potty under the feet to raise your knees higher than your hips. Remember to relax as you empty your bowels, using some slow, steady breathing. Ideally, lengthen your out breath to 8 seconds to bring your nervous system into the more relaxed side to help the process along.
There are many other ways to support digestion and to relieve constipation. These include both symptomatic relief to get the bowels moving at the time, and also lifestyle strategies that you can implement to increase bowel regularity such as bowel retraining, manual therapy such as osteopathy, acupuncture, dietary change, vagus nerve stimulation and relaxation techniques. For more individulised advice to your specific case, contact us to see how we can support you to improve your digestion and get things flowing again.
Written by Dr. Jess Harvey B.Sc. (Anat, Phys), B.Ap.Sci (Comp. Med.), Ma Osteo., Registered Osteopath and Director of Head 2 Toe Health.
We provide Osteopathy, Acupuncture, Massage, Life Coaching and Counselling in Springwood (Brisbane) and Oxenford (Gold Coast). We aim to get you as well as possible, as fast as possible, permanently. We believe in a thorough approach to restoring and maintaining health and address many aspects of our lifestyles that can contribute to pain, stiffness, dis-ease and disease. For any further information, please contact us on info@head2toehealth.com.au or 07) 3208 8308.
This information is intended as a general guide only and is not specific for any particular condition or situation. This information is for educational purposes only. Please seek specific advice for your individual circumstances.