Regardless of age, addictive constipation is quite a frequent ailment. According to estimations, about 50% of women and 25% of men suffer from it. Problems connected with regular defecation are often treated as something to be ashamed of, and so few patients share them with their general practitioners. At the same time, under the influence of TV commercials, we often reach for strong purgative drugs, whose performance is usually short-lived.

Where does constipation come from?

Constipation is the ailment of our time. Unfortunately, the fast pace of our lives, lack of motion, fat meals eaten n a hurry, highly calorific chocolate bars that temporarily suppress our hunger do not make life easy for our digestive tracts. Often, in the every day rush, we tend to forget about the rules of rational diet and healthy way of life. And then we get caught by constipation, which blush may seem not serious at all at the first blush, but may be very troublesome indeed.

How to solve this problem - or a couple of words about your diet...

Healthy, rational diet is the best way to prevent from and treat irregular defecations. As we know, the main factor that stimulates the large intestine to work is dietary fibre, the insoluble constituent of vegetable foods. It mainly appears in corn products, vegetables and fruit. So let us make sure that half of our plate is filled by salads or fresh vegetables, and replace unhealthy snacks with apples or carrots. Instead of constipating chocolate, let us have a handful of dried plums, figs or apricots. Red beets and sauerkraut juice can also help us regulate the rhythm of defecations, while kefir and buttermilk will help us reconstruct appropriate intestinal flora.

Slow down

Hurriedness and stress do not serve our organisms well. Let us the make sure to eat our meals in a sitting position and calm atmosphere. Let us remember to bite small bits, and chew each of them long. This will make digestion processes easier, protecting us from retention of food inside our intestines too long, and from excessive bacterial fermentation, which causes persistent abdominal distension. Let us drink a lot in between our meals, especially neutral beverages like non-aerated water or herbal teas. But let us avoid those that contain crumbs or senna.

Find a moment only for yourself...

...especially in the morning, when the large intestine is most active, and when we feel the need to defecate. By rising from bed 10 minutes earlier and spending this time in the toilet, our organism becomes accustomed do this natural reflex, which we have been trying to suppress in the morning rush.

Also, let us not forget about the every day dosage of movement and sport. Even a twenty-minute-long walk at a slow pace will spur our digestive tract to work.

If, however...

...you are middle-aged and have never had any serious problems with regular defecation so far, if constipation occurred suddenly, if your faecal matter is narrow, pencil-like or contain an admixture of blood, immediately consult your general practitioner. These symptoms may forecast a serious disease of your large intestine.

dr Małgorzata Owczarek