subject: Why We Experience Constipation [print this page] Why We Experience Constipation Why We Experience Constipation
Constipation, also known as costiveness is a condition affecting the digestive system of a human/ animal which results to hard feces that are very painful to excrete. It comes by because the colon tends to absorb a lot of water from the food one has taken more so if the or if food moves very slowly trough the gastro-intestinal tract too slowly and the colon absorbs a lot of water resulting in hard and dry feces. In medical terms a word known as obstipation is used to describe severe constipation where stool and gas are hard to pass.
Constipation is mainly caused by hardening of feces due to insufficient intake of dietary fiber. Inadequate fluid intake or dehydration , divertula; tumors of bowel and surrounding tissues, abdominal surgery , slowed transit of feces where peristaltic action is little on absent and may be due because of medications, injured anal sphincter ,lactose intolerance or other severe illness. Other cause may be due to psychological effects like unfamiliarity with new surrounding s or anxiety. This type of constipation is referred to as psychosomatic constipation.
Constipation can be treated trough increased intake of fluids like water. Eating dietary fiber like vegetables and fruit, whole meal bread, chick peas and baked beans. Severe constipation be treated through manual physical intervention known as manual dissimpaction or removal of the hardened stool is performed to those patients who have lost control of their bowels through spinal injuries. Use of non medical laxatives should be discouraged to prevent bowel action becoming dependent on them.
