Synonyms
Constipation, constipationChronic constipation: If constipation is the result of a wrong lifestyle, one usually first tries to get a grip on the constipation by changing one’s lifestyle, “home remedies” and without consulting a doctor. This therapy with household remedies includes appropriate nutrition with a lot of dietary fiber as well as liquid and without constipating foods, sufficient exercise and time for going to the toilet. What could also interest you: Enema household remedies with sufficient ballast materials stimulate the intestine activity, by binding water in the intestine, swelling and thus releasing the emptying stimulus.
Two to three liters of fluid should be drunk every day. Older people in particular should pay attention to the amount they drink, as the feeling of thirst diminishes with increasing age, which automatically means that less is drunk. An optimal diet for constipation consists of many fibres and fibres (in combination with a lot of liquid).
Many fibres and fibres are contained in fruit, salads, vegetables, cereals, wholemeal products, brown rice, potatoes, dried fruit such as figs, plums or dates. Home remedies recommended for constipation are mainly apples, pears, apricots, plums, figs and melons. Muesli and nuts are also suitable foods.
White flour products (white bread, toast, rusk) and white rice should be avoided. Bananas, cakes and chocolate should also be eaten in moderation if constipation exists. The same applies to milk or dairy products.
Calorie and sugar-containing drinks (cola, lemonade, iced tea, juices) should also rarely be on the diet to end a constipation with home remedies. If this lifestyle does not help, other household remedies can be used. To stimulate the digestion, one can eat additional fillers or swelling agents (linseed, wheat bran, flea seeds), drink sauerkraut juice or massage the belly in a circular motion (especially in the morning before getting up) to stimulate intestinal activity.
It can also be helpful to drink a glass of water on an empty stomach in the morning. The fillers and swelling agents have an effect on digestion by binding water and thus increasing the volume of stool, which stretches the intestinal wall. This stretching triggers the defecation stimulus, the stimulus to empty the bowels.
A doctor treats chronic constipation according to the following principles: If the disease causing the constipation is known, it is treated and constipation-related medication is discontinued, as are foods that promote constipation. In the case of anorectal constipation with disturbance of sphincter coordination, the affected person receives so-called biofeedback training, whereby the unconscious process of sphincter tension is made visible by means of technical devices and thus made conscious to the affected person. On this basis, it is possible to learn how to relax the muscles and to defecate.
If treatment of the underlying disease is not possible, constipation is treated symptomatically using a step-by-step plan: The education includes the teaching of knowledge about normal stool and normal stool habits. The general measures include proper nutrition, exercise, going to the toilet in case of urge to defecate (defecation stimulus) without delay, ten-minute massage of the colon before getting up, as well as stimulation of the defecation reflex by drinking a glass of cold water on an empty stomach in the morning. The correct diet is already described above.
If these measures do not help in the treatment of constipation and if the therapy attempt with intake of dietary fibers/home remedies such as flaxseed or flea seed as well as sufficient liquid for one month (see above) remains unsuccessful, laxatives are used. It is important to note that these agents should only be taken for a short time and not permanently. A distinction is made between laxatives with an osmotic effect and stimulating laxatives (household remedies) based on their mechanism of action.
The osmotic ones include milk sugar (lactulose) and macrogol, which “draw water” in the intestinal lumen to a certain extent. Through an osmotic gradient (gradient), water flows from the intestinal cells into the interior of the intestine (intestinal lumen) to balance the gradient. Stimulating laxatives such as sodium picosulfate, on the other hand, increase the release of water and electrolytes (salts) into the intestinal lumen in the large intestine and also increase intestinal movements, which counteracts constipation.
- Education and general measures
- Fiber over one month (linseed, flea seed)
- Osmotically acting laxatives, local emptying aids (enema klysma)
- Stimulating laxatives (laxatives)
