Constipation

Bowel habits can vary widely from person to person, but most doctors would agree that anyone who passes hard stools less than three times a week is constipated. In addition, if you frequently have to strain to defecate, you also may benefit from therapies aimed at relieving constipation.

In the majority of cases, constipation occurs because of a lack of fiber and fluids in the diet. Other contributing factors include insufficient exercise or prolonged inactivity; severe depression; and medical disorders, such as irritable bowel syndrome, diabetes, high blood calcium levels, a sluggish thyroid, or colon cancer. Overuse of laxatives or some antacids can impair bowel activity, and certain medications (including drugs for high blood pressure, antidepressants, and narcotic pain relievers) can also cause constipation.

Supplements and herbs

Any abrupt change in a person's usual frequency of bowel movements may be a sign of a more serious underlying disorder, such as cancer or a bowel obstruction, and requires medical evaluation, However, for occasional irregularity, various natural supplements may help. Benefits should be felt in a day or two. If needed, most of these supplements can be taken on a long-term basis.

Vitamin C is often useful for the treatment of constipation. Besides its role as an immune stimulant and antioxidant, this vitamin is a gentle laxative as well. A 3,000 mg daily dose loosens the stools in most people. If this amount doesn't work, gradually increase the dose or, alternatively, keep the daily dose at 3,000 mg and add the mineral magnesium, which, along with its many effects throughout the body, has gentle laxative properties too.

In addition to these nutrients, psyllium, ground flaxseed, or ground fenugreek seeds provide fiber and make the stools larger, softer, and easier to pass; they can be used on a daily basis. Be sure to have them with plenty of water to facilitate the passage of extra bulk through the digestive tract. You can also try prune juice or dried prunes for extra fiber; they're gentle enough to use with other supplements. Or, drink dandelion root tea, which has mild laxative properties.

If this combination of remedies does not provide relief within a day or two, consider the herb cascara sagrada as a last resort. Because this herb is a powerful laxative that stimulates the bowel muscles to contract, it should be used for no longer than one to two weeks at a time. Avoid it if you're pregnant or nursing.

Homeopathy

Naturopathic support for the bowels is an important part of cure, including adequate fiber and fluids; acidophilus and bifidus bacteria to reintroduce healthy intestinal flora; plant-based digestive enzymes; exercise and eliminating toxic dietary factors or intestinal parasites, yeasts, etc. Homeopathic remedies can be taken in a 30c once or twice daily, waiting several days for the gentle result (these are not laxatives!).

• Alumina
  Absence of desire until there is a large amount. Painful urging before stool and intense straining to pass even soft stool. Must remove stool by hand.
  Dry, knotty, hard stools. Cutting pains in anus during stool, bleeding.
  Good in pregnancy, bottle-fed infants, old people. Mentally dull, foggy.
  Worse: warmth, starch, potatoes, on waking. Better: while standing up.
• Bryonia
  No desire, must strain, painful. Stools dry, hard, look as if burnt, too large.
  Dry mouth, coated tongue, bitter taste; intense thirst for large amounts.
  Associated with headache, irritability. May alternate with diarrhea in a.m.
  Useful in infants, teething, old age, pregnancy, childbirth, during menses.
  Worse: a.m., moving about, eating, touch, cold drinks. Better: rest, quiet.
• Lycopodium
  Constipation; little desire or ineffectual urging and painful constriction of anus. Large, hard stool, difficult to expel. Rectal aching, fullness.
  Distension, rumbling, flatulence. Hungry but quickly full. Craves sweets.
  Bleeding hemorrhoids, weak liver. Irritable in a.m. Low self-esteem.
  Worse: lying down, sitting, pressure of clothes, waking, 4-8 p.m., heat.
• Nat mur
  Constipation, difficult stools; dry, hard, crumbling, tearing the rectum.
  Anal contraction. Bleeding rectal fissures; burning, smarting after stool.
  May alternate days with watery diarrhea. Thirsty, craves salt. Red patches on tongue. Migraines. Depressed, weepy, easily hurt, wants solitude.
  Worse: 9- 11 a.m., lying, heat, touch, pressure. Better: open air, sweating.
• Nux vomica
  Frequent desire; much urging, straining, passes small quantities. Unfinished sensation. Feels better after stool. Long habit of taking laxatives.
  Constricted, spastic anus. Hard, dark stool. Alternates with diarrhea.
  Associated with hemorrhoids, headache, irritability, stomach upsets.
  Chilly. Effects of overeating, alcohol, drugs, coffee, sedentary lifestyle.
• Sepia
  Unsuccessful urging; only much flatulence and jelly-like mucus passed.
  Constant dragging, heaviness, pressure. Empty feeling, not better eating.
  After stool feels like lump remains in the rectum. Low back pain, weakness.
  Craves pungent foods. Apathetic, exhausted, depressed, overworked.
  Worse: evening, cold, damp, pregnancy, menses. Better: intense exercise.

What else you can do

• Eat foods high in fiber, including raw fruits and vegetables, whole grains, bran, and dried beans.
• Drink at least eight 8-ounce glasses of water or juice a day.
• Exercise regularly, and whenever possible, go to the bathroom as soon as the urge strikes.

How much to take

Vitamin C

1,000 mg 3 times a day.
The dose can be increased by 1,000 mg a day (up to a total of 5,000 mg a day) until bowel movements become regular.

Magnesium

400 to 800 mg a day as needed.
Take with food; reduce dose if diarrhea develops.

Psyllium

1-3 tbsp powder dissolved in water or juice a day.
Or take 1-3 tbsp ground flaxseeds or 2 tsp ground fenugreek seeds. Drink 8 glasses of water a day for these to work.

Prune

Drink 1/2 cup juice or eat 3 or 4 prunes each morning.
Can be used on a daily basis.

Dandelion root

1 cup tea 3 times a day.
Use1 tsp dried root per cup of hot water.

Cascara sagrada

100 mg at bedtime.
Look for a preparation that is standardized to contain 25% hydroxyanthracene derivatives.

For kids

See age-appropriate dosages of herbal remedies

• If your child is experiencing alternating constipation and diarrhea, oatmeal cooked in flaxseed tea can be very helpful. It soothes irritated intestines and relieves constipation. Prepare flaxseed tea by mixing 1 teaspoon of flaxseed in 1 quart of spring water; simmer for fifteen minutes. Use the resulting liquid instead of water to cook oatmeal. Or add 1/4 to 1/2 cup of the tea to 4 ounces of juice and give your child one dose daily. Constipation should be relieved within forty-eight hours.
• Licorice tea or tincture is soothing to irritated intestinal walls and helps relieve chronic constipation. Give your child one dose, once or twice daily, for three or four days.
  Note: This herb should not be given to a child with high blood pressure.
• Liquid food-grade aloe vera juice is quite helpful in resolving constipation. Make sure you purchase the edible form of aIoe vera juice. Combine 1 tablespoon of the liquid with fruit juice or apple sauce to make it more palatable, and give it to your child once or twice daily.
• One to 10 drops of organic flaxseed oil, given twice daily in food, can help ease your child's bowel movements.

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