One of the most common health problems today is constipation. It blew my mind how many people go to the health practitioners or buy over the counter constipation medicine. There are those who can’t go for days. It has gotten to a point where people don’t even know what the normal elimination cycle is. This is a serious problem and can lead to bigger diseases in the long-term.
The healthy bathroom routine would be once a day for most people, provided that they take in a good, balanced diet. For active or athletic individuals, it may be twice a day. The most healthiest is to go in the morning but anytime is a good time as long as it gets done per say. Stimulating the peristalsis soon after we wake up by drinking a warm glass of water or a warm beverage like tea can help. Ignoring the urge alters the body function. When we ignore the signals the body gives, it sets a new routine that is potentially unhealthy.
Below are some of the ways that constipation can occur:
- When the morning routine is rushed
Work has taken precedence over life for most people in our goal-oriented society as we give in to stress causing factors at the expense of our own body needs. It helps the body to start processing when you wake up early. Drink a cup of water or a hot beverage is good to kick start the GI tract and to help with elimination. Elimination of waste should be done in the morning as constipation occurs when they are not disposed of on a timely manner. Retention of the waste materials in the body enables the toxins to be reabsorbed into the body. That is not something we want as it can breed disease.
- Not enough hydration
Once again, busy life and no time means not drinking enough water and drinking too much diet coke. Our body is made out of 70% water and its very important to be hydrated. Inadequate water supply dries up the colon and makes elimination difficult. Eating fruits and fibrous vegetables can help with this. Adding lemon, cucumber slices or mint to the water can boost up the elimination of toxins as well as give some good nutrients to look and feel healthy.
- Too much meat in the diet
Another cause of constipation is too much meat in the diet. It takes longer for the body to digest meats than any other type of food and most times, meat may not digest properly in the body and cause dryness. Starches, vegetables and healthy oils with the meal helps to create and retain a moisture barrier. Finishing the meal with a fruit can also help with the digestion process and counter dryness.
- Ignoring the call of nature
Heeding to the call of nature is important as it is a signal from the body that it is ready to get rid of the waste materials to make way for the newly digested food. A couple of the duties of the large intestine is to remove the excess moisture from the waste materials and give formation to stool. When food is allowed to sit at the site longer than necessary, over dying occurs causing difficult elimination.
- Not eating or drinking till later
My personal routine is to drink a cup of black tea with milk and sugar that stems from my cultural upbringing. This helps to stimulate the GI tract to start and begin peristalsis. Adding milk helps counter the acidity and to soothe the stomach. Eating or drinking something within a couple of hours after waking up helps ease elimination. Not having breakfast can be detrimental to health as it leaves the stomach dormant for hours at the time of high acid secretion levels. Not eating or drinking signals the body to lower the Agni or digestive fire leading to improper digestion of food.
A healthy diet with adequate fruits and vegetables helps to keep the GI tract in good shape, especially when it comes to peristalsis, which is the muscle movement in the intestines that helps to push the waste materials forward and eventually out. When constipation or loose motion occurs regularly, these muscles become weak. To help normalize the elimination process, we can add a healthy level of fibers into the diet with good probiotics like pickles, sauerkraut, kimchi and other pickled or fermented food that gives a boost to the healthy bacteria, helping digestion.
Regular use of colon laxatives can weaken the peristalsis muscles and be detrimental to the health of the large intestine. Laxatives remove the probiotics in the intestines as its action is to purge, throwing the GI tract into imbalance. This can lead to many diseases as large intestine is the site of the Vata dosha and it is the most easily aggravated Dosha. This derangement causes other doshas to be disturbed as well, beginning a chain reaction in the body towards general imbalance. GI tract is the most important aspect of the body and needs special care as it is the main sites of the three doshas and their derangement begins the process of disease.
The best remedies are to make sure to have a good morning routine with ample amount of time set aside for bathroom time. Hot drinks like black tea with milk or Yogi tea can help kick start the digestive system. Healthy food and plenty of water or fresh juices can also help. Adding herbs and spices to the diet can act as digestive aids and elimination aids. If constipation is an ongoing issue, the Ayurvedic formula Tripala can helps as it is a laxative and a rejuvinative for the colon.
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