Myths and truth about chronic constipation

Constipation, the most common digestive complaint, can make a person's life miserable. Constipation leaves you feeling bloated, headaches, and irritable, but making constipation symptoms easier, especially long-term, or reducing the symptoms of chronic constipation is time-consuming and expensive.

Chronic constipation: what is it?

The definition of chronic constipation varies for different types of people with different health conditions. For some people, chronic constipation means having infrequent bowel movements for weeks at a time, which is a difficult time for them. For others, chronic constipation means straining during bowel movements and dry stools.

For example, many people do not know what chronic constipation is, what feeling you experience during defecation, but no matter how long you sit on the toilet, the release of feces may simply not happen.

With chronic constipation, you may have difficulty forming stools, which may be small in volume and weight, pencil thin, or a combination of rare hard fecal masses.

Typically, chronic constipation is defined as having fewer than three bowel movements per week, and the condition lasts for several months. However, experts believe that many people think they have chronic constipation, but they may actually underestimate how often they have bowel movements, so this definition may not be accurate.

Each year in the United States, chronic constipation results in about 2.5 million doctor visits, and the medications they buy to treat chronic constipation cost them hundreds of millions of dollars.

The prevalence of chronic constipation

People are becoming more and more susceptible to constipation. In the past, people who suffered from chronic constipation, diarrhea, irritable bowel syndrome, or even urinary incontinence, kept these problems to themselves. They stayed at home most of the time and suffered from unpleasant symptoms. Today, people are unwilling to accept such problems as chronic constipation. They know that medical means are a great method and these health issues can be successfully addressed.

Doctors explain the symptoms of chronic constipation as follows

• Excessive straining during bowel movements.
• Hard chair.
• Feeling of incomplete evacuation of stool.
• Use of such evacuation methods as impact on the pelvic organs.
• Feeling like you can't walk or won't be able to have a bowel movement (due to bowel obstruction).
• Decreased frequency of bowel movements.

Chronic constipation can be associated with normal or slow passage of stool, functional disorders of defecation (dyssynergic defecation), or a combination of both. With slow bowel movements or prolonged delays in stool, a person becomes constipated. Obstructions in the rectum are characterized by either difficulty or inability to expel stool. Dysfunction of the pelvic floor (weak energy for the occurrence of defecation), the muscles of the lower pelvis that surround the rectum and the muscles of the pelvic floor do not work normally. A third type of constipation occurs with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), where constipation alternates with bouts of diarrhea.

Chronic constipation: what causes it?

After you eat, your food moves through your digestive tract. Your intestines take in water and nutrients from the food. This process usually continues until stool is formed. Your intestines move and squeeze to eliminate feces from your body.

Because constipation is often associated with hard stools, one theory is that too much water is absorbed from the stool, leaving it dry and hard. Another theory is that abnormal hormonal responses to water in the body can cause chronic constipation. More research is needed to better understand how constipation occurs and to unravel the mysterious connection between the gut, hormones, and brain.

Chronic Constipation: What's Normal and What's Not?

If you or a loved one suffers from chronic constipation, much anxiety and distress can result from a lack of knowledge about the problem. Not only do people have exaggerated fears about what might be causing the problem, but the discomfort of chronic constipation itself can be overwhelming.

Constipation can impair your work performance and even lead to recreational activities (these are different types of activities such as hiking, amateur performances, painting, physical education - activities aimed at health, treatment and cultural education). That is why it is important to know the facts about chronic constipation and to discuss your personal health situation with your doctor.

Let's take a look at some myths about chronic constipation and then determine the real facts.

Chronic Constipation – Myth 1 If you don’t have at least one bowel movement a day, it’s not normal.

Truth Less than 50% of people have less than one bowel movement per day.

Chronic Constipation - Myth 2 Less than five or six bowel movements per week is considered chronic constipation.

The truth is 95% of adults have between three and 21 bowel movements per week. A range of just three bowel movements per week is normal.

Chronic Constipation - Myth 3 Toxins that accumulate in the intestines during defecation are not uncommon.

The Truth Contrary to popular belief, there is no evidence that "toxins" that accumulate when you have bowel movements - with infrequent bowel movements or constipation - lead to diseases such as cancer. However, if you still experience constipation after trying laxatives or milk of magnesia, it is time to see a doctor for a diagnosis.

Chronic Constipation - Myth 4 The number of bowel movements increases with age.

Truth In fact, the number of bowel movements decreases with age.

Chronic Constipation - Myth 5 Chronic constipation does not affect people's health.

The Truth Chronic constipation is a serious issue affecting the health of 15% to 20% of the population.

Chronic Constipation - Myth 6 If you eat right, exercise, and drink plenty of fluids, you will never suffer from chronic constipation.

Truth Sometimes psychological issues trigger chronic constipation. For example, childhood sexual or physical abuse... or stress from parental divorce, separation, or death can lead to chronic constipation in adulthood. Constipation is often associated with depression.

Chronic constipation can also be caused by autoimmune diseases, such as low thyroid hormone production.

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Chronic constipation: why is the body in danger?

If you were born between 1946 and 1964, you may be surprised to learn that chronic constipation tends to increase with age. There are several causes that cause constipation as people age.

"As older adults, we tend to become less active, may eat and drink less, and have much less fiber in our daily diet," seniors say, "all habits that contribute to chronic constipation."

Then, according to patient feedback, more problems arise when you have already had constipation. It goes away and gets worse depending on the intake of laxatives. Within a few days, this laxative habit can worsen chronic constipation, and you need to change the type of laxative, then do it again and again.

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Bad habits

Constipation is not only caused by lifestyle, but also by habits that provoke the risk of chronic constipation. Many prescription drugs provoke constipation, and those that are commonly taken to treat arthritis, back pain, hypertension, allergies. And even depression can lead to chronic constipation.

When older adults turn to multiple medications for health problems, chronic constipation may be the result. The most common medications that worsen constipation are narcotic analgesics such as codeine and Tylenol, as well as oxycodone, proposyphene, and acetaminophen, which are sometimes used to treat severe pain from osteoarthritis, inflammatory arthritis, disc disease, and other problems.

Since pain medications are known to cause chronic constipation, many doctors are willing to go ahead to treat constipation and at the same time, pain medications prescribed to treat chronic constipation develop it and become a serious health problem.

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Medicines that cause constipation

In people of all ages, certain medications cause chronic constipation, including some analgesics for pain, antidepressants, and drugs for high blood pressure, among others. Iron supplements, which many women of childbearing age take as part of their daily multivitamin, increase the risk of chronic constipation, especially during pregnancy.

What does medicine recommend to relieve chronic constipation? Active rest and daily exercise. Also, watch your fluid intake and drink even when you don’t feel thirsty, because older adults sometimes lose this mechanism that warns us to drink plenty of fluids. Add more fiber to your diet and perhaps consider a laxative if needed.

Health care professionals also recommend low doses of magnesium hydroxide (milk of magnesia or Ducolax® milk of magnesia) to their patients to relieve chronic constipation.

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Chronic Constipation: See a Doctor

If you have chronic constipation or if constipation is new or changes your normal bowel habits, call your doctor. Because chronic constipation can be an early symptom of serious problems such as colon cancer, your doctor will ask about your medical history, perform a physical exam, and then recommend lab tests for screening purposes. Certain medical conditions such as hypothyroidism, irritable bowel syndrome, Parkinson's disease, diabetes, and others can also cause chronic constipation. Treating the underlying condition itself may help with chronic constipation.

Your doctor will perform a rectal exam to look for hemorrhoids or to check the function of the anal sphincter muscle. If your medical history includes a physical exam and lab results do not provide clues as to what is causing your chronic constipation, your doctor may order x-rays of the colon and rectum to rule out more serious problems.

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6 Steps to Relieve Chronic Constipation

Chronic constipation can be relieved by doing the following:

1. Regularity

Go to the toilet at the same time every morning. It is your job to make this your morning habit, as the colon is most active at this time.

2. Listen to your body

Don't ignore the urge to have a bowel movement. Peristalsis - the movements, the trigger of the bowel - come and go. If you ignore this urge, you may lose the ability to have a bowel movement.

The longer the stool stays in the intestines, the harder it is to do this, as more water is absorbed in the intestines, and the stool will be more difficult to evacuate from the body. The urge to defecate also increases after eating, so take advantage of your body's signals.

3. Relax

Because stress can interfere with relaxation of the entire body, including the gut, it is important to use some type of relaxation technique daily. Many patients fail to understand this information correctly because they are too quick to jump to conclusions. They have not yet spent enough time taking care of their organs, say medical experts

4. Increase your fluid intake

Drink plenty of fluids. It is recommended to drink at least eight glasses of fluid (preferably water) per day. You should drink more on hot days and when you work. This also satisfies the feeling of hunger.

5. Include fiber in your diet

Dietary fiber in the composition of cellulose is a natural laxative. To help them will be tinctures of plantain or methylcellulose - they give a lot of liquid so that the intestines work well to relieve chronic constipation.

Wheat bran is most effective in relieving chronic constipation. Wheat bran adds bulk to the stool and increases the speed at which feces move through the intestines.

6. Talk to your doctor about medications

Medications, laxatives can help relieve constipation, but they should be taken carefully and for a short time. Consult your doctor before taking any medication.

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Doctor's advice

Once your doctor has diagnosed you, treatment options for relieving chronic constipation may include a multidisciplinary approach, with dietary and lifestyle changes and over-the-counter and prescription medications.

If your doctor thinks your chronic constipation requires regular medical management, you might want to see a gynecologist with special expertise in constipation. Constipation treatment can go a long way to making long-term improvements in your life to treat chronic constipation.

When you meet with your doctor, there is a list of questions that will detail the signs and symptoms of chronic constipation. The main problem is how doctors will present you with information about constipation.

Doctors are sometimes too dismissive of symptoms when patients tell them they have chronic constipation, and patients need to be more convincing when describing their constipation problems. Doctors, in turn, need to ask more questions to find out what is really going on in the body.

To understand the mechanism that causes chronic constipation, medicine uses specific tests, including colonoscopy studies, fecal elimination, and anal examination.

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After the doctor's examination

After testing by a doctor, doctors estimate that one third of patients with chronic constipation can get normal results in treating constipation. The condition of the colon and rectum becomes normal, but there is still hypersensitivity, pain and discomfort during bowel movements aimed at expelling feces.

But nearly a third of those who suffer from chronic constipation have weak stool, doctors say. People with weak stool cannot evacuate stool from the intestines or have difficulty using additional mechanisms to eliminate feces. Many people with bowel problems do not know that constipation is the cause of the condition, and they often do not seek medical help beyond using laxatives.

For those who have chronic constipation with problems with defecation, doctors recommend the method of biofeedback. This is a simple non-invasive treatment method that will help correct the incorrect contraction of the pelvic floor muscles and external contractions of the anal sphincter during defecation. Such therapy is categorically indicated to be the only effective method for correcting a person’s behavior, and when patients find out that they are behaving incorrectly, they can ask the doctor how to correct it.

Traditional laxatives can work to relieve chronic constipation. Doctors recommend products with senna, magnesium, and fiber supplements. These medications increase intestinal fluid secretion and can also help relieve chronic constipation.

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Warning Signs of Chronic Constipation

Changes in your gut health habits may be a warning sign that you may have a viral or bacterial infection, an obstruction, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), or colon cancer. If you have one or more of the following symptoms, see your doctor:

1. Constipation that lasts more than two weeks.
2. Severe diarrhea lasting more than two days.
3. Moderate diarrhea lasting a week.
4. Inability to have a bowel movement.
5. Bloody diarrhea.
6. Black or tarry colored feces.

Your doctor can help you identify the type of constipation you have - intermittent or chronic - and prescribe appropriate treatment.