Constipation. A Royal Pain In The Bum.
How often should you really be going? From a Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) standpoint, food in = waste out. If you eat every day, you should poop every day.
Constipation Symptoms:
- Lack of daily bowel movements
- Pain/Strain when moving bowels
- Hard, small or pebble stool
- Bloating
- Sense that you didn’t finish
- Nausea
Why am I backed up?
- Holding It. When you hold it, heat builds up, it causes drying of the stool and makes it harder to pass. Do this enough times and it will become habit. The colon remembers.
- Vacation Constipation. Temporary but frustrating! Disrupting routine, uncomfortable using a different bathroom, dehydration, sudden change of diet and excitement can all play a role.
- Stress/Anxiety. Anxiety, high stress and emotional trauma can mess with your sympathetic nervous system causing decreased muscle contractions in the large intestine. Acupuncture can help reduce stress and improve sleep quality.
- Poor diet, dehydration and no exercise. The composition of your stool and overall digestive health depends on these three basics. If you’re sedentary and sluggish, your GI tract might be too.
- Opioids. Constipation is a side effect. TCM has shown to reduce pain by up to 50% without the use of medication, provide constipation relief and help restore normal function. Learn more about opioid induced constipation here.
- Lazy Bowels. High fiber products, laxatives or the coffee + cigg combo are relied upon for quick fixes. Bad idea! When used consistently, the associated muscles producing contractions that help move a bowel movement become lazy. Traditional Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture for constipation can help move the bowels quickly, naturally and safely. Relief is important. But crucial to re-teach the muscles to work properly!
If experiencing symptoms, speak with a provider about changes in your bowel habits to determine if a more serious condition may be present.