Treatment of constipation in adults at home

Constipation causes a lot of problems. It causes discomfort in the stomach, spoils the mood. Treatment of constipation in adults is necessary. Fecal masses, while in the intestine, poison its walls. Because of this, people become depressed, experience fatigue, depression, headaches.

Prevalence, Risk Factors, and Symptoms

Statistics show that 20% of the world's population has constipation. They arise often due to age-related characteristics, pregnancy. More than 60% of people over 65 indicate the presence of such an unpleasant symptom. Among pregnant women, approximately 50% of women complain of constipation. A disorder of the motor function of the intestine can also be caused by various diseases.

Age, pregnancy, ailments - all these are considered risk factors. They also include:

• operations on the pelvic organs and abdominal cavity, which were transferred relatively recently;
• sedentary lifestyle;
• improper nutrition (insufficient intake of fluid, dietary fiber);
• the use of certain drugs (for example, Almagel), the simultaneous administration of a large number of drugs.

General practitioners who experience symptoms and treatment of constipation in adults note that this condition is characterized by a decrease in bowel movements. In medicine, the frequency of urges is normal - from 3 times a day to 3 times a week. If bowel movements occur less than 4 times a week, then this is constipation. People faced with this condition supplement this definition of specialists with several signs. Firstly, the consistency of the stool changes. It becomes hard, fragmented. Secondly, there is a feeling of incomplete bowel movement, pain is felt. Thirdly, with constipation, you have to strain very much with an act of defecation.

Need to treat constipation: caring for the appearance and function of the liver

If there is a decrease in bowel movements, then it is imperative to take measures. There are several reasons for treating constipation in adults. First of all, the work of the intestine affects the appearance. Due to constipation, the face acquires an unhealthy color. Due to feces located in the intestines, toxic substances begin to accumulate in the body. They poison the body, cause metabolic disorders, incomplete absorption of minerals and vitamins. As a result, toxins cannot leave the body naturally. They exit through the skin, causing premature aging. Constipation is one of the reasons people look a lot older than they are.

Violation of bowel movements negatively affects the liver. This internal organ neutralizes toxins, but with excess amounts it ceases to cope with its functions. After the liver, all other internal organs begin to suffer, because the barrier to poisons disappears, and they spread throughout the body, affect all systems, the brain. Constipation is especially dangerous for those people whose liver function is initially impaired due to any existing diseases. Toxic substances begin to affect internal organs much earlier.

Oncology Prevention

The treatment of constipation in adults is also necessary because this problem increases the likelihood of developing cancer. At the moment, modern medicine does not know the mechanisms of the onset and progression of oncology. However, there is one assumption of specialists. Many modern foods have carcinogens. With constipation, these harmful substances linger in the intestines. The duration of their negative effects increases, so the likelihood of developing cancer increases.

Oncology, affecting the intestines, as a rule, always manifests itself in the later stages. Cancer is often diagnosed in older people. It is important to understand that a malignant disease occurs at 60 or 70 years old not because of any one product containing carcinogens. An oncological disease is caused by the lifestyle that a person has followed over the years. In youth, people do not feel the harmful effects of fast food, refined foods. However, this does not mean that there is no negative effect at all. The effect of carcinogens begins with imperceptible and imperceptible changes in the intestines at a young age.

Diet Therapy for Constipation

With a disorder of the motor function of the intestine, you need to reconsider your nutrition, because it can be the causes of constipation in adults. And then the treatment will need a simple one - diet therapy. First of all, it is worth learning about products that delay the emptying process. It:

• fatty meats;
• mucous soups ;
• canned foods, smoked meats, spicy dishes;
• buns, fresh white bread made from premium flour;
• potatoes, vermicelli, rice and semolina;
• strong coffee and tea, cocoa, jelly;
• chocolate;
• astringent fruits and berries (pear, pomegranate, blueberries, quince).

All of the above products are excluded from the diet in the treatment of constipation in adults. Additionally, beans, cabbage dishes, spinach, sorrel, grape and apple juices are temporarily removed from it. These products increase gas production. This means that because of them with constipation, abdominal pain can be felt.

The menu with such an unpleasant problem is made up of products that stimulate bowel movement. These include:

• bananas, dried apricots, prunes, kiwi, non-acidic apples, dates, figs;
• lactic acid products (kefir, yogurt);
• foods rich in plant fiber (buckwheat, oatmeal, pearl barley, diet bread with wheat bran, zucchini, beets, pumpkin, carrots, etc.).

Be sure to drink more with constipation. Experts who are faced with the causes and treatment of constipation in adults recommend using at least 2 liters. In addition, they advise eating wheat bran. This product retains water in the intestines, making its contents more fluid. In the diet, first include 3 teaspoons of bran. Then this dose is gradually increased, bringing it up to 3–6 tablespoons.

Leading an active lifestyle

A lot of modern people lead a sedentary lifestyle. He is extremely dangerous. Hypodynamia adversely affects all internal organs. The intestines also suffer from it. Due to a sedentary lifestyle, constipation occurs. To eliminate and prevent this delicate problem, you need to at least charge in the morning. People who want to radically change their lifestyle should consider enrolling in a gym or pool.

If you plan to diversify your days only by exercising, then you can include in it special exercises that are just useful in the prevention and treatment of constipation in adults at home:

1. Lie on your back. Bend your knees and begin to move your legs, imitating cycling. Run 30 times.
2. Lie on your back. Bend your knees. Pull them with your hands to your stomach. Return the legs to their original position. Repeat exercise 10 times.
3. Continue to lie on your back. Keep your legs bent at the knees. Flatten your knees. Repeat this movement 20 times.
4. Get on your knees and lean your hands on the floor. The spine should be parallel to the floor. Raise the right leg bent at the knee, and then lower it and raise the left. Each leg to lift 10 times.

There is another exercise that can help the intestines regain their normal functions. It consists in performing pushes by the stomach. First, take a breath, while drawing in the stomach. Then throw the stomach forward and immediately exhale. Perform this exercise 10 times before each evacuation of the chair.

Self-massage of the abdomen is also useful. It is done in the morning in bed. Self-massage is performed along the sections of the colon (i.e., clockwise), pressing a little on the stomach. It is important to remember that you should never push strictly down. Massage for 10 minutes.

Medicines from the garden

Almost instant treatment of constipation in adults with folk remedies is possible using beets. Juice is prepared from this vegetable and taken twice a day. A single serving can range from 50 to 200 g (i.e., from a small vodka shot to a regular glass). However, it is important to know that with a large dose of beet juice, you may feel slight malaise, dizziness, and nausea. For the first time, it is recommended to take about 50 g of juice. You can still dilute it with some additional ingredient. Perfectly combines beetroot juice with carrot.

A decoction of carrot seeds is a medicine that can be taken if constipation occurs in adults for non-dangerous reasons. For treatment with a folk remedy, you need 1 tablespoon of seeds to fill with 1 glass of boiling water. The container is further covered, and the infusion is steamed all night. After waking up, the product is filtered, heated and drunk in a hot form, 1 glass three times a day.

There is another folk recipe using vegetables and berries from the garden. In accordance with it, the remedy for constipation is prepared on the basis of carrots (100 g) and prunes (100 g). Additionally, unsweetened yogurt (30 g) without any flavoring and senna leaves (30 g) are required. The last ingredient is sold in pharmacies. So, how to cook and take a remedy for constipation from all of the listed ingredients? The sequence of actions is as follows:

• grate the carrots with a fine grater;
• grind prunes;
• combine the prepared vegetable and berry with senna leaves;
• pour the mixture with yogurt;
• take the prepared product twice a day for 30 g.

Decoctions, infusions from medicinal plants

Alternative medicine provides for the treatment of constipation in adults with folk remedies. Medicines are prepared from various herbs, flowers, fruits, roots. Some recipes are given as an example in the table below.

Laxatives

On the shelves of modern pharmacies there is a huge amount of laxatives that can help as quickly as possible in the treatment of constipation in adults. Reviews of many drugs indicate that these drugs are truly effective.

All existing laxatives are usually divided into 4 groups:

1. Chemical irritation of the intestinal receptor apparatus. These drugs include Regulax, Dulcolax, etc.
2. With osmotic properties. For these agents, the mechanism of action is based on an increase in osmotic pressure in the intestinal lumen. Due to this, water is retained in the intestine. Fecal masses liquefy as a result. Their progress through the intestines is accelerating. An example of the drug is Forlax.
3. Increasing intestinal contents. Such preparations contain ballast substances. They absorb and retain water, soften the intestinal contents, increase the volume of feces and thereby increase the mechanical pressure on the intestinal wall. One such medicine is Mukofalk.
4. Contributing to the softening of stool and its gliding. This group of products includes oils and preparations based on them.

Not everyone can drink laxatives. The drugs have certain contraindications (for example, pregnancy, fever, inflammatory processes in the abdominal cavity). In addition, completely different methods (for example, surgical) may be required to treat chronic constipation in adults. Before buying this or that medicine in a pharmacy it is necessary to consult a doctor.

The use of probiotics

Modern man lives in rather difficult conditions. Due to the saturated rhythm of life, you have to eat wrong, experience constant stress and excitement, face various diseases, take medications. All this often provokes malfunctions in the body. One of these failures is a violation of the intestine. Probiotics are used to restore its function.

The named remedy is not a medicine. This term refers to living microorganisms, which can be included in food, nutritional supplements. Probiotics are designed to help the human body with a gastrointestinal upset. They can help provide quick treatment for constipation in adults at home.

Food products, additives with live microorganisms are safe. This is confirmed by research specialists. Even pregnant women may take probiotics. For women in position, most laxatives are contraindicated. For example, stimulant laxatives can cause abdominal pain, diarrhea, irritant laxatives can provoke reflex contractions. Probiotics do not cause such unwanted side effects.

Probiotics can be purchased at pharmacies or hypermarkets as part of fermented milk products. As an example, you can cite such food additives as RioFlora Immuno Neo and RioFlora Balance Neo. These products contain 9 and 8 probiotic strains. They can be taken both by pregnant women and other people. These nutritional supplements not only restore the digestive tract, but also strengthen the immune system, prevent intestinal disorders when taking antibiotics.

Enema use

One of the effective methods of treating constipation in adults at home has been considered an enema since ancient times. To set it up, you need an Esmarch mug or a pear-shaped rubber balloon with a soft tip and 0.5–1 l of warm boiled water (recommended temperature is 37 degrees) with the addition of 30 ml of lemon juice (about 2 tablespoons). The procedure is as follows:

• a person suffering from constipation lies on his left side, bends his right leg in the knee by about 90 degrees and begins to carefully enter the enema tip, previously lubricated with petroleum jelly, to a depth of not more than 5-10 cm;
• when setting an enema, gently massage the stomach in a clockwise direction;
• after the procedure, he gets up quietly and walks around the room;
• after about 5-10 minutes, goes to the toilet to empty the intestines.

In no case can enemas be done constantly. They are effective for constipation, but at the same time cause the development of lazy bowel syndrome, provoke a violation of intestinal motility and bacterial balance of the mucous membrane.

In conclusion, it is worth noting that you can try to get rid of constipation yourself only if it occurs completely suddenly, unexpectedly. If this problem hurts very often, then the help of a specialist is needed. Only a competent doctor will determine the exact causes of constipation in adults and the treatment will be prescribed the right one.