Do you often have severe pain in your lower abdominal area? Does that pain cause uneasiness and make you feel mentally exhausted? Then this might be due to constipation, and you must seek medical help. Constipation is a condition that results in less than three bowel movements in a week. Various people explain it in various ways. For some, it is the state when an individual faces difficulty while expelling stool. For others, it might be an irregularity in having bowel movements. In short, constipation is a condition where there are issues in excretion. It is a widespread condition amongst people of all age groups nowadays.

Causes of constipation

Consumption of junk food, alcohol, caffeine and foods having high sugar or fat in it are few of the most common causes of constipation.
If an individual neither exercises regularly nor does he have an active lifestyle, then it can lead to the condition of constipation as well. Also, not drink enough water can lead to dehydration which in turn can cause constipation as well.

Constipation is directly related to the functioning of digestive system. Hence people having weak digestive systems are more prone to the condition and vice-versa.

From a medical point of view, there can be some medicines which would provoke constipation as a side-effect. This is because, if one consumes more than the prescribed dosage of a particular drug, then it may result in a hormonal imbalance. Constipation may be the result of such hormonal imbalance. Antacids containing aluminum and calcium, narcotics, drugs used for blood pressure treatments are few drugs that may result in constipation.

Treatment of constipation

Though constipation may give you unbearable abdominal pain at times, its treatment is not very complicated. Many people tend to follow home remedies when it comes to constipation treatment. However, if one is facing chronic constipation, then he or she should be given immediate medical attention as home remedies can only be successful in the case of acute constipation.

Home remedies

Following home remedies are usually effective in constipation treatment:

• Sesame seeds
  Start consuming sesame seeds as a part of your meal. Sesame seeds moisturize your intestines, hence allowing for an unobstructed flow of feces. This constipation treatment is normally used when dry stool is the biggest problem.
• Include fiber in your diet
  Include foods that are high in fiber in your daily diet. This will result in giving weight to the stool and allowing it to pass easily. Ensure a balance of soluble and insoluble fibers in your diet.
• Drink ginger tea and mint tea
  Drink ginger or mint tea twice a day as both ginger and mint are proven effective as constipation treatment remedies that have been used for long to reduce the digestive problems. The hot tea will also help stimulate digestion, thus giving relief from constipation.
• Lemon juice
  Lemon juice has always been the best constipation treatment. This is because the citric acid in lemon juice acts as a stimulant to one’s digestive system and help flush out toxins.

Apart from the mentioned constipation treatments above, raisins, coffee, and runes can also be included in one’s diet so that they give relief from the problem. However, these home remedies should not be used as a constipation treatment in case of chronic constipation at any cost. It often leads to critical complications such as colon cancer.

Treating chronic constipation

For the treatment of chronic constipation, your doctor may use a multidisciplinary approach, which requires a change in food habits and change in lifestyle as well, apart from taking proper medication. In the case of chronic constipation, the treatment may vary from case to case. The doctor typically conducts few tests such as reviewing previous medical history, taking a blood test, digital rectal exam and others to determine the degree of the problem and then proceed ahead with the treatment accordingly.

Constipation is something that is not only uneasy for talking about openly but is also very tough to deal with. Many people don’t talk about this problem openly as they feel embarrassed in doing so. If you are having constipation issues occasionally, then you are facing acute constipation problem, and in such cases, you don’t need to visit the doctor. Any of the home remedies mentioned above can be followed to get relief.

But if you face the problem frequently, then it might be the case of chronic constipation. In such times, it is advisable to consult your doctor first. He will be the best available person to help you in the situation. You will be astonished to know that in many cases, constipation treatment only involves a change in food habits and the results can be visible in 2-3 days. Follow the doctor’s instructions to obtain quick relief.