The most frequent question I encounter in my practice is, “I drink lot of water, I do not eat outside food, I include fibre rich diet in my meals, I walk daily, I exercise regularly, still why do I have constipation?
I have been suffering from constipation from 25-30 years, I don’t pass stool if I do not take any medicine at night.
There is lot about lactose intolerance these days, so should I drink milk or not
My bowel movement does not happen in the morning. It is irregular may be at any time of the day. Is this constipation?
I pass stool daily 2 times in the morning, I don’t have hard stools, no pain with it but I don’t get that satisfaction after passing stool. Is this constipation
If you are looking for answers to these questions than this blog is for you
Constipation word is often misused. When I ask my patients, “Do you have constipation, they admit it”
Then I ask, do you have bowel movement daily, “Yes”
Is your stool hard, “Not really”
Does it pain you while passing stool
“Not at all”
Have you seen blood with your stool, “Never”
Then how do you say you are constipated? I get a general reply to this, “I pass stool daily but I do not have satisfaction after it” or “I have to go for 3-4 times in the morning only then my stomach gets light. This is not constipation; it is incomplete evacuation and its treatment is altogether different from constipation.
Going by the definition, constipation is when you pass stool not more than 3 times a week or you get hard stool, pain while defaecation, blood accompanied with stool.
Constipation is called Vibandh in Ayurveda which means binding of the stool.
If you experience the inability to have a bowel movement for few days, pain in stomach or feel bloated, if your appetite has decreased, if you see blood-stained stool or fresh blood drops with stool, if you are losing weight, if you have pain while straining for stool, if you pass hard dry black stools, feeling of blockage in the rectum, if the stool gets stuck and doesn’t come out then you need treatment.
I was in awe when a mother of 6 year said, “We are fed up of laxatives, suppositories from 2 years. From the past two years she is on laxatives. The girl cries in pain while passing stool, sometimes the stool gets stuck so badly that I have to take it out from hands. My child doesn’t pass motion if she is not given any laxative. Now she has developed fear for toilet, she cries inconsolably when we try to make her sit on commode.
This is fecalith that means the stool becomes stone like mass and gets stuck in the intestine. The case was really difficult but treatment was easy. I just gave two drugs to her Trivrit and Yashtimadhu and she is off the medicines from the past 6 months and is completely rid of constipation. Laxatives do not treat constipation; they just flush the stool from the intestines.
Constipation in children has become a reason for Increased parental concerns. It is estimated that around 4-37% of paediatric population may have constipation. Diet and lifestyle majorly play a role in giving rise to constipation.
One of the causes of constipation mentioned in Ayurveda is Vega dharan – Suppression of urge to urinate or defecate. This is a usual practice amongst children. There are children who have to be told by parents to go to loo and ease themselves, they won’t go on their own until it is urgent. So, if urges are suppressed, it again badly affects the bio feedback of the body and slowly you may develop constipation
Faulty toilet training is yet another cause of constipation in children. I remember I had a case of 4-year child whose mother complained that the child passes stool 7-8 times in a day because he passes it bit by bit. I frequently have to give him suppository i.e a tablet is placed in the anus. With suppository he passes out stool in one go and then throughout the day, he won’t pass stool.
This was not a case of constipation because after taking a detailed history I got to know that child didn’t sit on toilet seat, he would cry if was made to sit. The mother was trying different ways to make him sit on commode but he wouldn’t. He would pass stool while standing that’s why he could not do that in one or 2 go. So here toilet training is an important aspect
If your child is fond of biscuits, maggi, bakery items, food with preservatives he may develop constipation. In children, majority of constipation cases are resolved by modifying diet and lifestyle.
If your child is fond of biscuits, maggi, bakery items, food with preservatives he may develop constipation. In children, majority of constipation cases are resolved by modifying diet and lifestyle. You can also try simple home remedies for your children.
A 4-year child had severe constipation. For days she would not pass stool. The family approached me for treatment. They had tried many medicines most were laxatives. On asking what diet she takes throughout the day, the mother said that she hasn’t developed the taste for food yet. She drinks milk often in the day.
Now I suspected this as a case of lactose intolerance. I advised the mother to take her off milk slowly and to the family’s surprise she started going for bowel movement without any treatment intervention. The child was treated and now she takes milk 2 times in a day but is not constipated. The reason why I am citing this case study here is diet is directly related to constipation. It is just you have to be careful. Milk often gives loose motions to people but in rare cases like this one it can cause constipation.
There are many laxatives available in the market. Senna leaves are not good for a child’s digestive system. It can also weaken the normal movements of your intestines. So, it is prudent to take advise of an ayurvedic doctor and then follow the treatment. Constipation sounds very easy, but it can disturb the whole day of a child so should not be ignored. It is not a disease but yes it can give birth to many diseases.
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