Chronic
Constipation: More Common than Most People Realize
It’s
not the subject of everyday, pleasant conversation, but
millions of Americans suffer from chronic constipation.
The National Institutes of Health estimates that more than
4 million Americans have frequent or chronic constipation.
In most cases, chronic constipation does not indicate a
life-threatening condition, but it does cause pain, discomfort,
bloating, and lack of energy on a daily basis, leading people
to search for a quick, easy, and natural constipation
remedy.
There
are differing views about how to define chronic constipation.
Clinically speaking, chronic constipation is usually present
when a patient experiences symptoms for at least 12 weeks
in the previous year. Symptoms include straining during
bowel movements, lumpy or hard stool, and fewer than three
bowel movements per week.
Chronic
constipation is a symptom, not a disease, of the colon.
It occurs during the final phases of the digestion process.
To understand chronic constipation, it helps to have a basic
knowledge of how digestion works. First, food you eat is
broken down and turned into liquid by the stomach. The liquefied
food goes into the small intestine, where your body obtains
nutrients from the liquid. Once the liquid moves into the
colon, your body removes water and minerals. This process
allows stool to form. If too much water is taken from the
stool, it becomes hardened and leaves the colon constipated.
There’s
a long list of reasons for chronic constipation. Chronic
constipation may be caused by:
- Not
enough fiber in the diet (a key component of a colon
cleansing diet)
- Not
enough water or liquids in the diet (dehydration)
- Lack
of exercise
- Stress
- Ignoring
the urge to go to the bathroom (which leads to loss of
feeling in the bowels)
- Food
allergies
- Poor
muscle and nerve function in the colon
- Obstructions
in the colon
- Side
effects from prescription drugs
- Overuse
of laxatives (which may damage nerve cells in the colon)
- Irritable
bowel syndrome
- Diabetes
- Age
In
some cases, chronic constipation can lead to more serious
conditions like hemorrhoids
symptoms, tissue tears, and rectal prolapse. These conditions
may require surgery if they become severe.
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