Chronic Constipation & Hijama Cupping Therapy
Chronic constipation is one of the most common digestive disorders nowadays.
Constipation is common, although everyone gets affected by constipation at some point in their lives. Most people suffer from constipation in silence and try to self-medicate, while for those who do seek medical help, treatment may be unsatisfactory. Constipation happens when bowel movements become less frequent also stool becomes painful to pass. The length of time between bowel movements varies from person to person. Some people have them three times a day, while others may have them three times a week.
Though occasional constipation is quite normal, some people endure chronic constipation, which can interfere with their ability to go through their regular responsibilities.
People suffering from chronic constipation may also strain excessively to have a bowel movement.
Key Factors Of Constipation
- Having fewer than three bowel movements a week
- The stool is hard and dry
- The discharge that is difficult to pass
- Painful bowel movement
- Having a feeling that stool has not passed completely
Signs & Symptoms of Constipation
Bowel habits are different for everyone.
- Passing fewer in a week
- Having a feeling that there is a blockage in the rectum that prevents bowel movement
- Feeling full or bloated
- Straining during bowel movements
- A feeling of fullness even after coming from the bathroom
- Blood in the stool
- Severe abdominal pains
- Vomiting
- Fever
- Pain in the lower back
- A sudden change in bowel movement
Causes of Constipation
A few causes of constipation include:
1- Lifestyle habits that cause constipation
- Not drinking enough water
- No physical movements like jogging, running
- Not consuming enough fibre in your diet
- Eating a large amount of processed food like cheese, bread, bagels, meat
- Resisting the urge to go to the bathroom
- Changes in your daily schedule, such as travelling, eating or sleeping in various position
- Stress or depression
2- Medical and health issues that cause constipation
- Thyroid disease
- Diabetes
- Colorectal cancer
- Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
- Neurological disorders like Parkinson's disease and strokes
- Lazy bowel syndrome
- A few organ diseases
- Pregnancy
3- Certain medications that cause constipation
- Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs
- Certain blood pressure medicines
- Certain iron deficiency pills
- A few allergy medications
- Antidepressant pills
- Antinausea medication
- Health issues with the digestive system
4- Old age may cause constipation
- Older adults are less active
- Have a slower metabolism
- Have less muscle contraction strength in their digestive tract than younger people.
5- Women are more prone to constipation
- Being a woman, particularly while pregnant and after childbirth.
- Hormonal changes make women more prone to constipation.
- The baby in the pregnancy squishes the intestines, impeding stool transit.
- Menstrual problems may also cause constipation
6- Blockages in the colon and rectum may cause constipation
- Tiny tears in the anus (anal fissure)
- A blockage in the intestine
- Rectal cancer
- Colon cancer
- Narrowing of the colon
How does Constipation occur?
Constipation occurs when an individual’s colon absorbs too much water from waste causing the stool to become firm and challenging to push out of the body.
Nutrients are absorbed as food passes through the digestive tract. The remaining partially digested food (waste) travels from the small intestine to the large intestine, generally known as the colon. The colon collects water from this waste, resulting in a solid mass known as stool.
Food may travel too slowly through the digestive tract if an individual suffers from constipation. It gives the colon too much time to absorb water from the waste.
The stool becomes firm, dry, and difficult to expel.
Further Complications with Constipation
Possible complications from constipation include:
- Hemorrhoids
- Cracks or tears in the rectum
- Weakening of the muscles and ligaments that hold the rectum in place
- Blockage of stool in the large intestine
Diet and constipation
What you consume can affect constipation and infrequent bowel movements. Certain meals can provide comfort, while others can add to the problem. Constipation can be occasional or chronic, with causes ranging from an inactive lifestyle to gastrointestinal diseases like irritable bowel syndrome. However, diet plays a vital role in practically every episode of constipation.
Fibre is a carbohydrate that the body is unable to digest. While most carbohydrates are converted into molecules called glucose, fibre cannot be broken down and hence travels through the body undigested. Fibre regulates the body’s usage of glucose which controls hunger and blood sugar levels. Fibre is a primary component of food that relieve constipation. Fibre helps prevent constipation by making stools bulky, soft and easy to pass. For excellent health, everyone requires at least 25 to 35 grammes of Fibre per day.
Good sources of Fibre are
- whole grains, such as whole wheat bread and pasta, oatmeal, and bran flake cereals
- legumes, such as lentils, black beans, kidney beans, green peas, soybeans, and chickpeas
- fruits, such as berries, kiwi, prunes, apples with the skin on, oranges, figs and pears
- vegetables, such as carrots, broccoli, green peas, sweet potato and collard greens
- nuts, such as almonds, peanuts, chia seeds, flax seeds, and pecans
Fibre occurs in two kinds, both of which are good for one’s health:
Soluble Fibre: dissolves in water and can help decrease blood glucose and cholesterol levels. Soluble fibre-rich foods include oatmeal, chia seeds, almonds, beans, lentils, apples, and blueberries.
Insoluble Fibre: does not dissolve in water and can aid in the movement of food through your digestive system, improving regularity and preventing constipation. Whole wheat products like quinoa, brown rice, legumes, leafy greens like kale, almonds, walnuts, seeds, and fruits with edible skins like pears and apples are high in insoluble fibres.
Plenty of Liquids
To help the fibre work better, consume water and other liquids such as naturally sweetened fruit, vegetable juices and clear soups. This modification should soften and make your stools easier to pass.
Drinking plenty of water and other liquids is another approach to staying hydrated. Staying hydrated is beneficial for overall health and can help you avoid constipation.
Fibre and fluids work together to help keep bowel movements regular. Fibre-rich foods hold liquid in the stools to keep them soft. Aim to drink 2.2 to 3.0 litres (9 to 12 cups) of fluid every day. Water is the best choice.
Probiotics
Taking probiotic supplements or eating foods containing probiotics can help relieve constipation by softening the stool and easing its passage through the colon.
Probiotics can aid with regularity and management of intestinal transit time, as well as increasing stool frequency.
Probiotics can benefit children with constipation by improving the frequency of bowel movements and reducing abdominal pain.
What to avoid with constipation?
To help prevent constipation, avoid foods such as
- Fast food, such as crackers, chips, cupcakes, white bread
- Meat
- Prepared foods, such as some frozen meals and snack foods
- Processed foods, such as hot dogs or some microwavable dinners
- Fried food
Treatment for Constipation
There are several options for treating constipation. What you choose will be determined by the reason for your blockage and whether it is occasional or chronic constipation.
1- Change What You Eat or Drink
If an individual is dealing with constipation, whether it's occasional or chronic, better to change one’s dietary habits.
- Eat more high-fibre diet
- Drink plenty of water or other liquids
Fibre makes food bulky and soft, it’s easy to pass the stool. Staying hydrated is also essential to prevent constipation.
Dairy or lactose intolerance may cause constipation in some people. For these people, removing dairy from the diet can help relieve symptoms.
2- Physical Activities
Physical activity stimulates intestinal muscle activation. Make an effort to exercise on most days of the week. If you’re already constipated, exercising may help you get more regular, although being a couch potato increases your chances of getting it.
3- Try Bowel training
To help you become more regular, your doctor may advise you to train yourself to have a bowel movement same time each day.
Trying to have a bowel movement 15 to 45 minutes after breakfast, for example, may help because eating helps your colon move stool.
Allow yourself enough time to have a bowel movement and use the restroom as soon as you feel the urge. Try relaxing your muscles or placing your feet on a footstool.
Regular massages may relieve constipation by releasing gases and waste products. Abdomen massage may be more effective in treating chronic constipation.
Massaging your stomach can aid in the movement of stool through your colon. It may aid in the relief of symptoms such as tightness, pressure, cramping, and bloating.
Let’s discuss some massaging techniques:
- Begin on the right side of your tummy and work your way down. Rub gently up to your right side until you reach your rib bones. Continue straight over to the left.
-Work your way down to the hip bone on the left and back up to the belly button for another 2–3 minutes. Rub in a circular motion with your fingertips. You can press down with your fingers. Spend around 1 minute across the body from the right hip bone to the right ribs, 1 minute across the middle and then 1 minute down to the left bone by your pelvis to the belly button. Repeat rub, always in a clockwise motion, for 10 minutes.
5- Biofeedback Therapy
Biofeedback Physical therapy can be used in the treatment of constipation. Currently, the ideal approach to receive physical therapy is in a private setting, with the assistance of a skilled physical therapist who advises you on defecating dynamics.
The physical therapist inserts a probe into your anal sphincter and attaches sticky pads on your belly during these sessions to detect movement of your anal sphincter and abdominal wall when you imitate defecation.
6- Deal with Stress Levels
Stress can cause stomach upset and muscle tension. It can aggravate your constipation. The brain is on high alert during times of stress, and an individual is more prone to digestive upset.
Anything that causes chronic stress can impact your emotions and overall health. Experts believe that serotonin levels, a substance produced by the body, influence bowel movement as well as your mood.
7- Medications
There are numerous medications available to treat chronic constipation. Some are available without a prescription, while others require one. Consult your doctor if you suspect medicine or dietary supplements are causing you constipation. The doctor may adjust the dose or recommend a different medication that does not induce constipation. Don’t change any medicine or supplement without consulting a health care provider.
8- Laxatives for Treatment
Laxatives are fibre supplements, pills or liquids that may help to prevent constipation. If a health care provider advises laxatives, find out which type is best for you and how long you should use them. Laxatives should only be used temporarily because you don’t want to get dependent on them to go to the bathroom every time.
Inquire about how to stop yourself from taking laxatives once you no longer require them. Stopping them at once can cause the bowel muscles to stop working frequently. It may make constipation worse.
9- Surgery
If someone has tried all other options and the chronic constipation is caused by a blockage, rectocele, or stricture surgery may be a possibility.
For those who have tried alternative treatments and have abnormally slow stool passage through the colon, surgical removal for a portion of the colon may be a possibility. The removal of the whole colon is rarely necessary.
9- Hijama Cupping Therapy
Hijama cupping therapy is considered one of the most reliable therapies for digestive disorders and gut health issues. Whether that is abdominal pain, digestive discomfort, bloating, occasional constipation or chronic constipation, Hijama cleanses and detoxifies the blood from toxins and heavy metals.
When the cups are applied to the skin and incisions are made, it reduces inflammation. There are specific points in the abdomen that improve and strengthen the digestive system, including chronic constipation.
Hijama Cupping therapy is performed on specific areas of the body such as the abdomen area, around the naval, at the back of the body, over the bladder, Al-kahil sunnah point, Sunnah point on foot and some points on both hands. The suction inside the cups reaches the soft tissues, muscles and ligaments and lifts the tissues. The tissues are loaded with fresh blood, oxygen and nutrients. When blood circulates the tissues, it stimulates the healing process, relieves inflammation, and removes dead blood cells and toxins. In a nutshell, it aids constipation.
When the cups glide to the abdomen area, it stimulates digestive organs. It promotes contractions that drive food through your digestive tract, aids in the removal of colon obstructions, promotes the movement of blood and body fluids through organs, and relieves indigestion and constipation. Cupping stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system, resulting in increased blood flow to the digestive tract.
Chronic constipation also leads to the indigestion of food. When the digestive system works efficiently, constipation may be cured.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “The son of Adam does not fill any vessel worse than his stomach. It is sufficient for the son of Adam to eat a few mouthfuls, to keep him going. If he must do that (fill his stomach), then let him fill one-third with food, one-third with drink and one-third with air.”
Giving some rest to the digestive system also helps with constipation.
10- Home Remedies for Constipation
- Prunes or prune juices may be the most accessible natural solution for constipation.
- Peppermint tea may help treat and prevent cases of constipation. Peppermint is good for digestive health.
- Ginger tea is being used for thousands of years to treat several ailments, especially digestive disorders.
- Make a paste of prunes mixed with caster oil and take it will a glass of warm water.
- Senna is a herb made from the cassia plant’s leaf, flower, and fruit. It has been used as a natural laxative for thousands of years. Senna is a stimulating laxative that aids in the contraction of the digestive tract. Senna, which is commonly used as a tea, can be quite effective and begin working within several hours of its consumption.
- Lemon juice can aid in the removal of toxins from the body. Lemon juice can be added to water or tea as a natural digestive aid to increase bowel stimulation.
- While taking too many dairy products might cause constipation, warm milk can help stimulate the intestines, especially when ghee is added. Ghee is a type of clarified butter that has been used for centuries as a medicinal agent. For thousands of years, Ayurvedic methods have used ghee for its therapeutic properties. To encourage natural bowel movement the next morning, consider adding one to two teaspoons of ghee to warm milk in the evening.
- Fennel seeds can be consumed as it is and could be boiled in water too. They increase gastric enzymes in the digestive system, helping stool to pass through the colon thoroughly.
- Baking soda may also clean the colon. One teaspoon of baking soda with a warm cup of water reacts with stomach acids to stimulate bowel movements.
There is a saying, Constipation is the mother of all diseases.
Constipation is a frequent problem that affects people as they age, when they take certain medications, or if they don’t eat enough fibre. The majority of constipation is mild and easily addressed with dietary and exercise adjustments.
If you have chronic constipation or constipation combined with other gastrointestinal disturbances, you should consult a healthcare expert.
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