Bel Marra Health’s constipation update: Check out the articles below to discover how kidney disease, gastrointestinal disorders, and stress may lead to chronic constipation, and to learn how certain yoga poses, acupuncture, and other natural remedies can help to ease the uncomfortable symptoms of constipation.
Kidney disease and constipation may be linked
A recent study suggests that individuals who suffer from constipation are more likely to develop kidney disease.
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According to the study findings, the risk of kidney problems may be lowered by managing and treating constipation. The study looked at medical records of 3.5 million U.S. veterans with normal kidney function.
The researchers found that those with constipation had a 13 percent higher risk of chronic kidney disease and nine percent higher risk of experiencing kidney failure. The severity of kidney disease increased with the severity of constipation. Continue reading…
Yoga for constipation: Yoga poses to relieve stress and digestive problems
Yoga is hailed for its many health benefits, such as stress reduction and joint pain relief, but we bet you didn’t know that there are certain yoga poses that can help with your digestive problems, including constipation.
Constipation can happen from time to time, or it can be chronic. Constipation is defined as the inability to pass a bowel movement, or when passing a bowel movement is infrequent, painful, and straining. There are numerous causes for constipation, such as not getting enough fiber, changing your daily routine, ignoring the urge to pass stool, not getting enough exercise, not drinking enough fluids, having a fever, being underweight or overweight, having anxiety or depression, being pregnant, suffering IBS or IBD, taking certain medications, being diabetic, having multiple sclerosis, and living with psychiatric problems, to name a few. Continue reading…
Acupuncture may offer relief for chronic constipation
For those suffering from chronic constipation, acupuncture may be a viable treatment to offer relief. In the study conducted over the course of eight weeks, the researchers administered electroacupuncture, which is a form of acupuncture that involves electrical stimulation. After eight weeks, participants experienced significant relief from symptoms related to constipation and improved quality of life. Electroacupuncture inserts thin needles, which are attached to a device emitting electrical pulses, into the skin. Researcher Dr. Christopher Andrews said, “It is heartening to see such rigorously tested alternative therapies, since so many of them are administered without any evidence to support them.”
Acupuncture seems to be a viable source of treatment for patients who have not obtained relief from their chronic constipation from conventional treatment methods. Continue reading…
Chronic constipation, warning sign for serious gastrointestinal disorders: Study
In Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, there is this quote on constipation that I find quite amusing, yet highly relevant:
“Why are you worrying about YOU-KNOW-WHO, when you should be worrying about YOU-NO-POO? The constipation sensation that’s gripping the nation!”
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While constipation is no laughing matter, there is increasing evidence that constipation is indeed gripping the nation. There are thousands who haven’t “gone” for days. Their stomachs are bloating up, they feel uncomfortable, yet when they sit on the pot, nothing happens. They strain, they struggle, they clench, but nothing comes out. Or at best, just a little poop comes out and try as they might, they cannot get the rest out.
They know there is a lot of poop in there. They can feel it. But…
Because the whole experience is so frustrating and even painful, some people put off “going” for three to four days, sometimes even more. But in the long run, this will make matters worse as the stools will become even harder to expel. While constipation in itself is worth worrying about, it can have other serious complications. Continue reading…
