Wei Laboratories, Inc.
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What is Constipation?
Constipation is a common gastrointestinal problem. People who experience constipation have infrequent bowel
movements; pass hard stools or strain during bowel movements.
What's considered normal frequency for bowel movements varies widely. In general, however, you're probably
experiencing constipation if you pass fewer than three stools a week, and your stools are hard and dry.
Fortunately, most cases of constipation are temporary. Simple lifestyle changes, such as getting more exercise and
eating a high-fiber diet, can go a long way toward alleviating constipation. Constipation may also be treated with over-
the-counter laxatives.
Symptoms
• Pass fewer than three stools a week
• Experience hard stools
• Strain excessively during bowel movements
• Experience a sense of rectal blockage
• Have a feeling of incomplete evacuation after having a bowel movement
• Need to use manual maneuvers to have a bowel movement, such as finger evacuation or manipulation of your
lower abdomen
• Bowel movements occurring more than three days apart, despite corrective changes in diet or exercise
• Intense abdominal pain
• Blood in your stool
• Constipation that alternates with diarrhea
• Rectal pain
• Thin, pencil-like stools
• Unexplained weight loss
Causes
Normally, the waste products of digestion (stool) are propelled through your intestines by muscle contractions. In the
large intestine (colon), most of the water and salt in this waste mixture are reabsorbed because they're essential for
many of your body's functions.
However, when the colon absorbs too much water, or if the colon's muscle contractions are slow, the stool becomes
hard and dry and passes through your colon too slowly. This is the root cause of constipation.
You may also experience constipation if the muscles you use to move your bowels aren't properly coordinated. This
problem is called pelvic floor dysfunction (anismus), and it causes you to strain with most bowel movements — even
soft ones.
A number of factors can cause an intestinal slowdown, including:
• Inadequate fluid intake, or dehydration
• Inadequate amounts of fiber in your diet
• Inattention to bowel habits or ignoring the urge to have a bowel movement
• Lack of physical activity (especially in older adults)
• Irritable bowel syndrome
• Changes in lifestyle or routine, including pregnancy, aging and travel
• Illness
• Frequent use or abuse of laxatives
• Specific diseases, such as stroke, diabetes, thyroid disease and Parkinson's disease
• Problems with the colon and rectum, such as intestinal obstruction or diverticulosis
• Certain medications, including pain medications, diuretics and those used to treat Parkinson's disease, high
blood pressure and depression
• Hormonal disturbances, such as an underactive thyroid gland
• Anal fissures and hemorrhoids, which can produce a spasm of the anal sphincter muscle
• Loss of body salts through vomiting or diarrhea
• Injuries to the spinal cord, which can affect the nerves that lead to the intestine
In rare cases, constipation may signal more serious medical conditions, such as colorectal cancer, hormonal
disturbances or autoimmune diseases. In children, constipation might indicate Hirschsprung disease, a congenital
condition that results from missing nerve cells in the colon.
Children may also become constipated if they are afraid of or unwilling to use the toilet. Older children may ignore or
forget to attend to bowel movements.
Western Medicine Treatment
In most cases, simple changes in your diet and lifestyle will help relieve symptoms and manage constipation.
Consider one or more of the following:
• A high-fiber diet
• Regular exercise
• Adequate fluid intake
• Take the time for bowel movements
• Laxatives
• Stimulants
• Lubricants
• Stool softeners
• Fiber supplements
• Osmotics
• Saline laxatives
• Chloride channel activators
• 5-HT-4 agonists
If an underlying disorder is causing your constipation, treatment will be aimed at the specific cause. If pelvic floor
dysfunction is the cause of your constipation, your doctor may suggest biofeedback as a treatment. This retraining
technique may help you learn to better coordinate the muscles you use to have a bowel movement.
If you're pregnant and have constipation, try eating lots of high-fiber foods, such as fruits, vegetables and whole grains.
Drink plenty of fluids and get as much exercise as you can. Swimming and walking may be good choices.
If your constipation doesn't respond to changes in lifestyle or medical treatment, surgical removal of part of your colon
may be recommended. In this procedure, the problem segment or segments of the anal sphincter or rectum are
removed.
Above all, recognize that a successful treatment program can take time and effort.
Alternative Medicine
There is a significant progress using alternative medicine in this area.
If you want a referral of an expert alternative medicine practitioner in your
local area, please use our free referral service by calling our toll-free at
1-888-919-1188, or e-mail us to wei@weilab.com, or click the button
at the right to have us contact you.
Information gathered from the Mayo Clinic
Constipation is a common gastrointestinal problem. People who experience constipation have infrequent bowel
movements; pass hard stools or strain during bowel movements.
What's considered normal frequency for bowel movements varies widely. In general, however, you're probably
experiencing constipation if you pass fewer than three stools a week, and your stools are hard and dry.
Fortunately, most cases of constipation are temporary. Simple lifestyle changes, such as getting more exercise and
eating a high-fiber diet, can go a long way toward alleviating constipation. Constipation may also be treated with over-
the-counter laxatives.
Symptoms
• Pass fewer than three stools a week
• Experience hard stools
• Strain excessively during bowel movements
• Experience a sense of rectal blockage
• Have a feeling of incomplete evacuation after having a bowel movement
• Need to use manual maneuvers to have a bowel movement, such as finger evacuation or manipulation of your
lower abdomen
• Bowel movements occurring more than three days apart, despite corrective changes in diet or exercise
• Intense abdominal pain
• Blood in your stool
• Constipation that alternates with diarrhea
• Rectal pain
• Thin, pencil-like stools
• Unexplained weight loss
Causes
Normally, the waste products of digestion (stool) are propelled through your intestines by muscle contractions. In the
large intestine (colon), most of the water and salt in this waste mixture are reabsorbed because they're essential for
many of your body's functions.
However, when the colon absorbs too much water, or if the colon's muscle contractions are slow, the stool becomes
hard and dry and passes through your colon too slowly. This is the root cause of constipation.
You may also experience constipation if the muscles you use to move your bowels aren't properly coordinated. This
problem is called pelvic floor dysfunction (anismus), and it causes you to strain with most bowel movements — even
soft ones.
A number of factors can cause an intestinal slowdown, including:
• Inadequate fluid intake, or dehydration
• Inadequate amounts of fiber in your diet
• Inattention to bowel habits or ignoring the urge to have a bowel movement
• Lack of physical activity (especially in older adults)
• Irritable bowel syndrome
• Changes in lifestyle or routine, including pregnancy, aging and travel
• Illness
• Frequent use or abuse of laxatives
• Specific diseases, such as stroke, diabetes, thyroid disease and Parkinson's disease
• Problems with the colon and rectum, such as intestinal obstruction or diverticulosis
• Certain medications, including pain medications, diuretics and those used to treat Parkinson's disease, high
blood pressure and depression
• Hormonal disturbances, such as an underactive thyroid gland
• Anal fissures and hemorrhoids, which can produce a spasm of the anal sphincter muscle
• Loss of body salts through vomiting or diarrhea
• Injuries to the spinal cord, which can affect the nerves that lead to the intestine
In rare cases, constipation may signal more serious medical conditions, such as colorectal cancer, hormonal
disturbances or autoimmune diseases. In children, constipation might indicate Hirschsprung disease, a congenital
condition that results from missing nerve cells in the colon.
Children may also become constipated if they are afraid of or unwilling to use the toilet. Older children may ignore or
forget to attend to bowel movements.
Western Medicine Treatment
In most cases, simple changes in your diet and lifestyle will help relieve symptoms and manage constipation.
Consider one or more of the following:
• A high-fiber diet
• Regular exercise
• Adequate fluid intake
• Take the time for bowel movements
• Laxatives
• Stimulants
• Lubricants
• Stool softeners
• Fiber supplements
• Osmotics
• Saline laxatives
• Chloride channel activators
• 5-HT-4 agonists
If an underlying disorder is causing your constipation, treatment will be aimed at the specific cause. If pelvic floor
dysfunction is the cause of your constipation, your doctor may suggest biofeedback as a treatment. This retraining
technique may help you learn to better coordinate the muscles you use to have a bowel movement.
If you're pregnant and have constipation, try eating lots of high-fiber foods, such as fruits, vegetables and whole grains.
Drink plenty of fluids and get as much exercise as you can. Swimming and walking may be good choices.
If your constipation doesn't respond to changes in lifestyle or medical treatment, surgical removal of part of your colon
may be recommended. In this procedure, the problem segment or segments of the anal sphincter or rectum are
removed.
Above all, recognize that a successful treatment program can take time and effort.
Alternative Medicine
There is a significant progress using alternative medicine in this area.
If you want a referral of an expert alternative medicine practitioner in your
local area, please use our free referral service by calling our toll-free at
1-888-919-1188, or e-mail us to wei@weilab.com, or click the button
at the right to have us contact you.
Information gathered from the Mayo Clinic
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