Find a Constipation Treatment for Instant Relief

Constipation is typically generalized as a condition where bowel movements are very infrequent which often results in a hard, dry stool. Many experts suggest that you should have at least 1 bowel movement each day, and some even suggest you should have a bowel movement for every meal!

Chronic or persistent constipation affects more than 4.5 million Americans, and the side-effects of being 'irregular' can leave a person feeling sluggish, result in weight increase and a general feeling of un-healthiness.

Constipation should never be ignored, because when the body is not functioning correctly, serious illness can ensue. In fact, a recent study into regularity of Bowel Movements in Japanese men and women suggests those with more frequent bowel movements had the lowest risk of developing colorectal and colon cancer. When you consider the fact that most people will have between 5-40 lbs of fecal matter in their colon (large intestine) at any given point in time, and that the fecal matter is rotting waste that is leeching toxins back into the body, is it any wonder that illness can ensue ?

To understand constipation, it helps to know how the large intestine/colon works. As food progresses through the colon, the colon absorbs water while forming waste products (fecal matter). Muscle contractions in the colon push the stool toward the rectum, and by the time the fecal matter reaches the rectum, it is solid because most of the water has been absorbed. The hard and dry stools of constipation occur when the colon absorbs too much water. This happens because the colon's muscle contractions are slow or sluggish, causing the fecal matter to move through the colon too slowly.

Increasing the regularity of bowel movements is more of a necessity than a desire. We eat diets consisting of too much sugar, too little fiber, and not enough water. Couple this with our lazier lifestyles (we'd rather jump into the car to buy a bottle of milk from the corner store than walk there), and you have the recipe for a less healthy digestive system, and constipation.

But constipation isn't always linked solely to poor nutrition and lack of exercise. Other suggested causes include: medications; Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS); changes in life or routine such as pregnancy, older age, and travel; abuse of laxatives; ignoring the urge to have a bowel movement; diseases such as multiple sclerosis and lupus. Stress is also seen as a possible cause of constipation. In all cases, the end result is a condition of the digestive process, where a sufferer will experiences difficulty in passing feces on a regular basis, which tends to result in a hard, dry stool.