Relieving Constipation

There are many steps you can take when you are looking into relieving constipation. What is the most natural method when it comes to constipation relief? Let's take a look at some of the popular methods on relieving constipation.

Colon Cleansing

Colon cleansing have long been known to improve your digestive health, but did you know that it can also relieve chronic constipation? If you are experiencing constipation symptoms, it's beneficial to cleanse your colon on a regular basis to help remove accumulated waste from your body. One excellent product we highly recommend for colon cleansing is Oxy-Powder®. Unlike many laxatives, which are not always effective and may have dangerous side effects, Oxy-Powder® works naturally and also does not induce dependency.

Even if you're not experiencing chronic constipation, it can be beneficial to periodically cleanse your colon. Regular colon cleansing can help keep your colon healthy and free of toxins and impurities. Colon cleansing with an oxygen based supplement can help your colon perform as it should by liquefying fecal matter that has become imbedded in your colon. Thereafter, the muscles of your digestive system can remove the waste through the normal process. This waste includes any mucus or sludge that has become built up within your colon as well. Colon cleansing thus helps make your colon a more welcoming environment for beneficial bacteria, which you need, while also helping to discourage the reproduction of harmful bacteria.

Laxatives

Laxatives are foods, compounds, or drugs taken to induce bowel movements, most often taken to treat constipation. Certain stimulant, lubricant, and saline laxatives are used to evacuate the colon for rectal and bowel examinations. They are sometimes supplemented by enemas. Laxatives are often abused by people with bulimia nervosa or anorexia nervosa. Laxative abuse is potentially serious since it can lead to intestinal paralysis, Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), pancreatitis, renal failure, and other problems.

Sea Salt Laxative

Using a sea salt laxative is believed to assist in cleansing the digestive system. In a sea salt body system flush, you mix non-iodized or unrefined sea salt with warm water and drink it. Some people suggest you can add lemon juice to the solution to make it a little more palatable. In fact, sea salt is a component used in the Lemonade Diet (also known as the Master Cleanse or Maple Syrup Diet).

Because of the cleansing affect of the salt mixed along with the fact it helps hydrate you, a sea salt laxative is a component of many homemade health cleanses. Natural salt is an important component of your body chemistry and many sports drinks have salt as well as sugar to help balance your electrolytes after physical exertion.

The sea salt laxative is used to create an internal bath for drawing toxins out of your body. Sea salt contains about eighty different minerals and some people have reported great benefits to their overall health from using sea salt. Many people now buy sea salt instead of iodized salt to use in their everyday cooking. Sea salt is preferable because, when salt is iodized, the refining process removes most of the valuable minerals. Plus, chemical additives are put into the salt to preserve it on the supermarket shelf.

Natural Laxatives

Throughout history, people have relied on natural laxatives to ease their constipation. In fact, it is still common practice in Chinese medicine to ingest a mixture of rhubarb root, ginger root, and licorice root instead of over-the-counter medications. The most common Indian (Ayurvedic) natural laxative formula is a mixture of psyllium, flax, and chia seeds steeped in black cherry juice

Here are some of the most common constipation cures throughout history:

Aloe Vera - For centuries, the beverage form of Aloe Vera has been used as a natural laxative for even the worst cases of constipation. The juice should be made from the powder of the ground up leaves.
Basil Leaves - Many people use basil in everyday cooking. Throughout history, basil leaves brewed as tea have been proven to help reduce gas, reduce stomach cramps, and relieve constipation.
Bottle Gentian - To prevent constipation, many Indian tribes relied on natural laxative plants to support proper digestion. Logically, if the body can digest food effectively, constipation can be avoided. Bottle Gentian was used as a juice to aid digestion and even suppress the appetite.
Buckthorn - Around 2 A.D., a Greek physician touted the use of Buckthorn for a number of ailments. One method of preparation involved using the bark to make a tea, and this natural laxative is still in use today. Also, the tea helps ease related symptoms of constipation as well.
Cascara Sagrada - Discovered by Spanish explorers, Cascara Sagrada, or "Sacred Bark," is considered a stimulant laxative. In fact, Spanish explorers showed Native Americans how to use it in this regard. Cascara Sagrada extracts are used today in some stimulant laxative formulas. Cascara Sagrada is still commonly used by Asians. However, this powerful stimulant may generate unsafe side effects so conduct research before considering this option.
Chamomile - While Chamomile cannot cure constipation or even relieve its symptoms, Chamomile can help reduce gas to aid in easy digestion. If your system is digesting food more effectively, constipation can be avoided before it starts. For best results, steep the chamomile flowers in hot water for at least three minutes.
Culver's Root - When the Native Americans found themselves battling malaria, they would use Culver's Root as a natural laxative for the bedridden. Culver's Root can be toxic, so it's definitely not a choice for the novice!
Dandelion - Dandelion leaves taste bitter, but many people enjoy adding them to salads or steeping them for tea. Dandelion contains properties acting as a mild natural laxative. While dandelion leaves may not suit everyone's tastes, they are extremely nutritious and good for the body.
Flowering Spurge - The Mesquakies Indians discovered Flowering Spurge worked as a laxative when ingested as a tea. The root was infused with hot water and drank in the morning to help keep the tribes' digestive systems regular.
New Jersey Tea - New Jersey Tea was made from the roots of Ceanothus Americanus and turned into a tea. Because tea was hard to come by during the Revolutionary War, New Jersey Tea became a common substitute. During the process, it was discovered this beverage worked as a mild natural laxative.
Peppermint - If your constipation is tied to Irritable Bowel Syndrome, studies show peppermint leaves steeped in tea can help relieve pain and discomfort. This can help the intestines and bowel to relax, which helps the eliminatory process in turn.
Psyllium - People have been using Psyllium for years to relieve constipation. Psyllium husk is high in fiber and holds moisture. The additional moisture adds water to the stool. Psyllium is used in many over-the-counter laxatives. However, this is yet another substance that can cause severe side effects and is not safe for long-term use.
Senna - Discovered by the Moors (ancient Arabs), Senna has been used to treat constipation for centuries. Doctors state Senna is safe for short-term use as a laxative. However, it is easy to become physiologically dependent on this plant. That factor, coupled with a host of potentially negative side effects, keeps Senna from being the best option as well.
Tamarind - The ancient Egyptians believed massive amounts of garlic and Tamarind were best for curing constipation. They also relied on mint to aid with digestion as well as prevent constipation.
Wild Indigo - Native Americans used a mixture of buffalo lard and Wild Indigo to help diminish intestinal troubles. With a reduction of gas and intestinal pain, people were more likely to effectively eliminate waste.

Stool Softener

Before taking any stool softener, you must study the ingredient list. The FDA has banned products containing phenolphthalein as it has been linked to an increased risk of cancer. Under no circumstances should you use a product containing this ingredient!

When using stool softeners, you must be prepared to deal with common side effects, such as:

Stomach cramps
Abdominal cramps
Diarrhea
Nausea
Upset stomach
Throat irritation (if you take the liquid form)

Some dangers of using stool softeners present themselves quite readily. Do you really want to spend hundreds of dollars every year on a product that can cause long-term damage or dependency?

Stewed Prunes

Stewed prunes are beneficial to the digestive system for many reasons. For starters, prunes, like most fruit, contain high levels of fiber. Fiber is great for the digestive system because it can't actually be digested. As a result, fiber remains in the colon and absorbs ambient water into bowel movements to make them looser and easier to pass. Also, fiber adds bulk to waste for easier transportability.

You can derive fiber from just about any fruit, so what makes prunes so special? The main benefit of prunes versus other fruit is the fact they contain a mild colonic stimulant. Many chemical laxatives stimulate the colon as well but in a different way. These laxatives work by stimulating the muscles in the colon and small intestine, which in turn causes the organs to operate more quickly, sort of like injecting a racehorse with steroids.

As with any stimulant, abusing prunes for their laxative effect can cause constipation whenever you're not eating them. Stimulant laxatives can cause damage to the colon as well. Since stewed prunes work in much the same manner, eating too many could theoretically lead to the same problems. Therefore, you should not regularly use prunes to stimulate bowel movements.

This is not to say it's unsafe to eat prunes. In fact, they provide a number of vitamins and can help lower cholesterol. Therefore, it's a good idea to save them a place on your menu. Just avoid eating prunes in excess (just as you wouldn't eat 50 eggs to win a bet) and you should be alright.

Prunes also contain oxalates, which occur naturally in plants and animals. If oxalates become too concentrated in body fluids, they can crystallize and cause health problems. Therefore, if you are suffering from an untreated gallbladder or kidney problem, avoid eating large amounts of stewed prunes because the oxalates interfere with normal calcium absorption.

Fiber

Adding fiber to your diet is essential to maintaining a healthy lifestyle, relatively free of constipation. If you think fiber means just eating more bran, think again. You can also add fiber to your diet via fruits (with the skin), green vegetables, nuts, grains and seeds. Nuts and grains are also important because they are a good source of essential fatty acids (especially flaxseed or flax oil) which are wonderful at relieving constipation.

Adding fiber to your diet may make you feel like a gas-filled balloon at first. If your body has been used to eating white flour, heavy starches, fatty meats, and other low fiber foods, it may take some time to get used to it. Don't give up after one short week. Remember, it probably took years of eating a low fiber diet to make constipation an issue in your intestines. Give fiber a chance! After 14-21 days of including more fiber in your diet, you'll start to wonder why you didn't make it a priority before.

Forming new habits really means you're getting rid of the old one. If relieving constipation is your goal, you'll want to stay away from the constipation culprits like: white flour, fried foods, sweets, carbonated drinks, alcohol, refined sugars, and cheese.