Homeopathy Treatment for Constipation
Constipation is also known as costiveness, dyschezia, and dyssynergic defaecation.
Constipation can be defined as:-
- Having a bowel movement fewer than three times per week.
- Having stools which are hard, dry, small in size and difficult to eliminate.
Constipation means different things to different people. For many people, it simply means infrequent stools. For others, however, constipation means hard stools, difficulty passing stools (straining), or a sense of incomplete emptying after a bowel movement.
Some people think they are constipated if they do not have a bowel movement every day. However, normal stool elimination may be three times a day or three times a week, depending on the person. Some people who are constipated find it painful to have a bowel movement and often experience straining, bloating, and the sensation of a full bowel.
Before puberty, constipation appears to be equally common among girls and boys. After puberty and into young adulthood, females are more likely to develop constipation.
Constipation is one of the most frequent gastrointestinal complaints in the USA and Western countries.
34% of parents in the United Kingdom reported their children aged 4-7 years had at least intermittent difficulties with constipation. 28% of Brazilian children aged 8-10 years were constipated.
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Causes of Constipation
Habit
Bowel movements are under voluntary control. This means that the normal urge people feel when they need to have a bowel movement can be suppressed.
Medications
A frequently over-looked cause of constipation is medications. The most common offending medications include:
- Antacids – Those containing aluminum hydroxide and calcium carbonate
- Antispasmodic drugs
- Antidepressants
- Iron tablets
- Anticonvulsant drugs
Diet
Fiber is important in maintaining a soft, bulky stool. Diets that are low in fiber can, therefore, cause constipation. The best natural sources of fiber are fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.
Hormonal disorders
Hormones can affect bowel movements. For example:
- Too little thyroid hormone (hypothyroidism) and too much parathyroid hormone (by raising the calcium levels in the blood) can cause constipation.
- At the time of a woman’s menstrual periods, estrogen and progesterone levels are high and may cause constipation. However, this is rarely a prolonged problem.
- High levels of estrogen and progesterone during pregnancy also can cause constipation.
Laxatives
One suspected cause of severe constipation is the over-use of stimulant laxatives [for example, Senna (Senokot), Castor oil, Isabgol (psylium husk), prune juice and certain herbs.
Diseases that affect the colon
There are many diseases that can affect the function of the muscles and/or nerves of the colon. These include diabetes, scleroderma, intestinal pseudo-obstruction, Hirschsprung’s disease, and Chagas disease. Cancer or narrowing (stricture) of the colon that blocks the colon likewise can cause a decrease in the flow of stool..
Colonic inertia
Colonic inertia is a condition in which the nerves and/or muscles of the colon do not work normally. As a result, the contents of the colon are not propelled through the colon normally.
Pelvic floor dysfunction
Pelvic floor dysfunction (also known as outlet obstruction or outlet delay) refers to a condition in which the muscles of the lower pelvis that surround the rectum (the pelvic floor muscles) do not work normally. These muscles are critical for defecation (bowel movement). It is not known why these muscles fail to work properly in some people, but they can make the passage of stools difficult even when everything else is normal.
Symptoms of Constipation
Following are the major symptoms of constipation:
- Difficulty in elimination of the hard faecal matter
- Cramping in a lower abdomen
- Mouth Ulcer
- Bad breath
- Nausea
- Headache
- Coated Tongue
- Dullness on skin
- Distended abdomen
- Loss of appetite
How to diagnose Constipation?
The patient’s observations and medical history help a physician diagnose constipation. The doctor uses his fingers to see if there is a hardened mass in the abdomen, and may perform a rectal examination. The investigations required include the following:-
- Lab tests
- Examining a stool sample under a microscope
- Full blood count and blood film
- Thyroid function tests if hypothyroidism suspected
- Imaging
- Upright plain x-ray of your chest and abdomen
- Barium enema – May reveal a normal sized colon
- Assessment of food movement
- Procedures
- Sigmoidoscopy
- Colonoscopy
Treatment of Constipation
Perhaps the primary reason for so many people to shift their treatment from Conventional methods (Allopathy) to alternative care options (homeopathy) for themselves is a concern regarding prolonged side effects.
The medicines used in the conventional treatment of constipation are frequently associated with serious side effects – everything from anti-inflammatories to steroids are known to have potentially serious side effects.
Allopathic practitioners focus on the symptoms, not the causes of constipation which is not overlooked by a homeopathic practitioner. In the conventional treatment disease or symptoms are considered to be the actual problem and not addressing the underlying causes that produced the disease or symptom. But homeopathy follows a different approach concentrating on the cause of constipation and taking constipation only as a symptom of the internal problem. E.g. constipation occurs in hypothyroidism where constipation is only a symptom and the root cause of it is deficient thyroid hormone.
The goal of homeopathy is to figure out why systems have weakened to cause a problem and then repair them, which results in healing.
In the conventional treatment laxatives are prescribed for constipation. There are four types of laxatives – bulk-forming, stimulant, lubricant and saline. Commonly used is milk of magnesia, Laxatives can be habit-forming.
Side-effects of Allopathic treatment are:
- Dehydration- moderate to severe diarrhea
- Asthma
- Skin rash
- Dizziness
- Irregular heartbeat
- Muscle cramping
- Nausea
The other methods used in the conventional treatment are bowel retraining, enema, rectal suppositories etc. which provide temporary relief from constipation. Surgery may also be required in the severe cases of constipation e.g. in cases of stricture of colon.
Constipation leads to acidity, heartburn which is treated by various antacids like ratidine, pantocid which if taken for a long time may aggravate the condition.
Homeopathy is an amazing alternative as compared to conventional medicinal or surgical treatments. Homeopathy improves the weakened immune system responsible for causing various diseases which result in constipation.
Constipation is caused by taking certain drugs like antacids, iron therapy, antidepressants etc. Homeopathic medicines help removing constipation and gradually help you leave the other medications you are on. Homeopathic medicines prescribed on the basis of complete case taking act holistically treating the other problems of the body as well.
The diseases like colonic inertia, hormonal disorders, diseases affecting colon like diabetes, dysfunction of the pelvic floor causing constipation as a major symptom can effectively be treated with homeopathy.
Homeopathic medicines improve the blood supply of the colon and other parts of digestive system thus curing constipation from its root.
Homeopathic medicines strengthen the muscles of the colon helping them to contract and relax normally and this helps in treating constipation completely.
The day the patient starts taking homeopathic medicines, symptoms start improving the very first day and with the very first dose.
Homeopathy helps in avoiding surgery which is a complicated procedure altering the physical, mental, emotional and economical planes of a patient.
Homeopathy helps working normally at home and work and save you from constipation and related troubles like flatulence, acidity, eructation which can be very embarrassing for you.
Home remedies to Prevent Constipation
- Drink a glass of warm water empty stomach.
- Take Apple pectin, it helps with constipation and brings fibers into the body.
- Take folic acid.
- To clean and heal the digestive systems take Aloe vera juice twice a day.
- Ginger tea is a great home remedy for constipation. It helps start bowel movement.
- Yerba mate in tea form is very helpful with constipation.
- Eat lots of fruits, green vegetables cabbage, peas, carrots, etc
- Often a simple stroll in the park can relieve constipation.