Causes Of Constipation And Methods Of Relief
(Disclaimer: This article is provided for informational purposes only, and does not endorse or support any of the products mentioned. Moreover, readers should always seek the support of a qualified physician in making health-related choices. The author is a layman and certainly not a doctor and is only providing research obtained from other sources.)
A very recent study done by the drug company Boehringer Ingelheim has established the fraction of people worldwide affected by constipation to be 12%. A total of 13,000 people were surveyed. Other studies quote lower figures (as low as 2%!) but nevertheless even at this low figure, most of the medical establishment would agree that constipation is a widespread affliction.
The uncertainty of survey results stems partly from the fact that defining constipation is difficult. For example, asked what a normal frequency for passage of stool is, the average person might reply anywhere from every day to every three days. Furthermore, many will complain about other types of symptoms associated with constipation, such as hard feces, or very slow expulsion when sitting on the toilet seat. Such variations confound the interpretation of statistics, giving rise to numbers as low as 2% and as high as 30%.
The causes of constipation are also numerous. Certain poorly understood but well-defined chronic conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome can lead to constipation. As there is no treatment for the underlying condition, alleviation of symptoms is the only therapeutic route. Physiological and anatomical defects can also give rise to constipation. These include muscle or nerve damage from or sports-related injuries. Finally, a very broad class of patients have no identifiable cause: these patients have what is termed idiopathic constipation.
The first step a patient diagnosed with idiopathic constipation might take is high fiber therapy, whether or not the patient’s self-reported intake of fiber seems to be sufficient. The reason for this is that high fiber therapy is accessible and gentle on the patient. There are two ways to carry out the treatment, one by increasing intake of foods high in insoluble fiber, the other by dosing with specific amounts of fiber supplements. The advantage of high fiber therapy is that the success of the therapy also confirms the diagnosis.
Other types of natural treatments include both lubricant laxatives and herbal supplements such as senna. Herbal and natural supplements are not always safe. The FDA has banned some natural supplements, namely aloe vera and cascara recently, for failure on the part of manufacturers to provide sufficient safety data. However, some other over-the-counter treatments remain available.
Physician-prescribed constipation pharmaceuticals are another option. These include conventional laxatives as well as advanced chemicals that have specific effects on certain functions of the colonic tract. More recently, novel and interesting therapies such as biofeedback training have been investigated for efficacy in medical studies. The state of the art is expected to evolve quickly.
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