Battling Constipation the Holistic Way

Last Updated on August 3, 2017

How many times a day or per week that you visit the loo to perform the ‘big business’/pass motion?

I’ll admit not many would talk about this topic. But constipation is a real problem faced by many people. The post that I wrote on holistic cures for stomach pains and spasms is one of my most read post since it was first published in October 07. That gives me the impression that many people outside are suffering in silence.

Possible causes of constipation are:

• the obvious- not taking enough raffage (fibre) like vegetables and fruits (overcooked vege and fruits do not really count)
• not drinking enough water- so the stool is not lubricated
• never visit the loo when the ‘urge’ strikes- normally the excuse given is because too busy. When you hold on to stool, it will harden because your large intestine will absorb the water from it. It makes passing it out very difficult

But that’s what will be happening to you if you are constantly constipated. And these stools irritates your tummy, leading on to stomach spasms and pain. If your body does not effectively excrete toxins out, eventually, it may bring about hemorrhoids or even cancer. So do not ignore this. And do not keep relying on over the counter medication.

For a healthy gut, you should be able to clear your bowels at least once a day (normally first thing in the morning) without any difficulty- ie hard stools.

The following are what you can do to help overcome your constipation

Bowel Training

The body responds to habit. Like if you are used to sleeping only past midnite, you will not be able to sleep off if you go to bed at 10pm. It’s the same with your bowels- if you want a healthy bowel movement, you gotta train the body. Parents should always train their kids from young to clear their bowels first thing in the morning.

OK, let’s start: Get up in the morning and drink about 1 to 2 glasses of warm water- take the sips slowly. Then, go on and do whatever that you usually do.

After 10 to 15 minutes, go and sit and the toilet bowl. And then wait- try to squeeze the stomach, signalling that you want the bowels to be out. You may accompany with some ‘sound effects’ that you normally hear constipated individuals make.

Don’t worry, for the first few days, you may not be successful at achieving your objective. Patience is the key in this stage- you may even need to wake up 10 to 15 earlier every morning.

But don’t give up- persevere on and after a week or two, your body will get the message.

To increase the effectiveness, you can take some fruits (apples and oranges are good)- take the whole fruit (not the processed juice). It’s a good habit to take fruits first thing in the morning before you have your breakfast- because your intestine track have been working the entire night to digest your food- so the would be some rotted leftovers, bacterias stuck in the intestine walls. Eating fruits will help clean up your digestive track- just like a brush cleaning up the dirt.

If you can, wait for a while before you have your actual breakfast- wait for at least half and hour. You will find by doing this simple thing, lots of your problems like gastric, acid reflux and stomach pain will be reduced. If you do not have the time to wait for 1/2 hour, then I would suggest that you have your warm water and fruits in the morning then have your breakfast when you arrive at the office (the commuting time will be at least half and hour).

Most of the time, people who face constipation problem usually suffer from constant stomach pain and they may feel tired all the time (who wouldn’t with those toxins freely circulated in the body). This comes from a simple problem- your body’s inability to get rid of toxins in your body.
This article is part of the Stomach Ailments Series.