Constipation!!

Symptoms of Irritable Bowel Syndrome vary quite widely from patient to patient, but there are some common symptoms of Irritable Bowel Syndrome that can indicate an IBS diagnosis. They include:
diarrhea
constipation
alternating diarrhea and constipation
stomach pain
bloating
excess gas or wind
nausea.

You do not need to have all of these symptoms of Irritable Bowel Syndrome to be diagnosed with the disease, but patients will usually have some diarrhea or constipation plus stomach pain. These symptoms of Irritable Bowel Syndrome keep coming back over a period of time, as IBS is a fairly long-term condition, and should not be confused with normal stomach upsets or occasional bouts of constipation.
Generally, patients with symptoms of Irritable Bowel Syndrome find that they fit into one of three groups - diarrhea-predominant IBS, constipation-predominant IBS, or alternating diarrhea and constipation.
One of the common symptoms of Irritable Bowel Syndrome in IBS sufferers is that their stomach pain is relieved when they have a bowel movement. They may find that the consistency or shape of their stool changes, and they may also pass some mucus in the stool.
It is vital that you are properly diagnosed with IBS by a medical professional, as bowel symptoms of Irritable Bowel Syndrome can be the result of many other health conditions such as celiac disease and inflammatory bowel diseases. It is not possible to accurately self-diagnosis IBS and you may put your health at risk if you do so. In particular, the following symptoms of Irritable Bowel Syndrome are not typical of IBS and must be investigated further:
pain that often awakens/interferes with sleep
diarrhea that often awakens/interferes with sleep
blood in your stool
weight loss
fever
abnormal physical examination.

Most individuals are surprised to learn they are not alone with symptoms of Irritable Bowel Syndrome. In fact, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) affects approximately 10-20 f the general population. It is the most common disease diagnosed by gastroenterologists (doctors who specialize in medical treatment of disorders of the stomach and intestines) and one of the most common disorders seen by primary care physicians.
Sometimes irritable bowel syndrome is referred to as spastic colon, mucous colitis, spastic colitis, nervous stomach, or irritable colon.
Irritable bowel syndrome is understood as a multi-faceted disorder. Symptoms of Irritable Bowel Syndrome result from what appears to be a disturbance in the interaction between the gut or intestines, the brain, and the autonomic nervous system that alters regulation of bowel motility (motor function) or sensory function.
In symptoms of Irritable Bowel Syndrome abdominal pain or discomfort is associated with a change in bowel pattern, such as loose or more frequent bowel movements, diarrhea, and/or constipation.
Treatment options are available to manage IBS - whether the symptoms of Irritable Bowel Syndrome are mild, moderate, or severe.

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Let’s face it, constipation is not a subject that we generally sit around and talk about with our friends, family, and co-workers on a regular basis. Sometimes we don’t want even want to discuss it with our doctor, mistakenly feeling like we can use laxatives to cure ourselves of constipation. I had a family member suffer with problems of constipation for years before he sought treatment from his doctor and found some natural ways to keep constipation at bay. Part of the problem was that the constipation symptoms he was experiencing were not what he though of as constipation.
The answer to the question of what are constipation symptoms is a tricky one. The reason being is that constipation symptoms very from person to person. For instance, my relative just had infrequent bowel movements and felt uncomfortable almost all the time. He didn’t strain during bowel movements or experience hard stools, which are very common constipation symptoms. The fact is, that constipation symptoms can very greatly from person to person, so it is hard to pinpoint specific symptoms.
What you can do is to take the symptoms that you are having and talk to your doctor about them. More common constipation symptoms include: dry or hard stools, infrequent bowel movements, straining during bowel movements, abdominal pain, bloating, painful bowel movements, and/or nausea and vomiting. Many people don’t know that diarrhea and runny stools can also be constipation symptoms due to a blockage in your system that will not allow the formed stools to pass.
Whatever constipation symptoms you are experiencing, you are probably ready for a cure or some way to alleviate what you are feeling. Before you run out and buy medication or laxatives, you should find out about all of the natural ways that you can alleviate the problem and keep constipation and those dreaded constipation symptoms from returning.

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Constipation or the inability to effectively move our bowels to eliminate waste products is a growing problem in the USA. It is estimated that over 70% of the population in America regularly struggles with constipation, although some experts believe the figure to be as high as 80 to 90%.
Over the counter stool softeners or laxatives, is a one billion dollar per year industry in the USA. The ease of obtaining and purchasing laxatives means that constipation is often rarely discussed. It is becoming America’s dirty little secret.
Everyone experiences constipation from time to time, and most of us find the problem clears up on its own. When it doesn’t and we find ourselves repeatedly in pain and reaching for laxatives, its time to take action. The first step is understanding what exactly constipation is and how it is caused. Bluntly put, constipation occurs when waste is not eliminated properly from the colon to our bowel. When we can’t eliminate waste, our stomachs often become puffy and bloated, we become physically uncomfortable, and in severe cases may find trouble digesting more food. If we can’t eliminate our waste, we can’t properly take in new nutrients for our bodies.
There is no one factor that decides whether or not we will get constipation. Often we need to begin looking at our diets, are they rich in fruit, vegetables and protein? If not we need to take steps to correct what we eat first?
Stress plays a major part in constipation. When our bodies frequently go into fight or flight mode, one of the side effects may be difficulty in moving our bowels. Knowing what triggers our stress levels, and learning how to properly cope and deal with day to day stress is terribly important.
Having a healthy colon and regular bowel movements are terribly important to our overall health. When our colon is sick, the rest of our body tends to get sick too. Our colons are responsible for carrying water and nutrients to other areas of the body to help us function. When our colons are sick we may experience fatigue, pain, and dehydration.

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Loniten users have found that one of the associated side effects of use of this medicine is that they can become constipated during their treatment. Because Loniten can cause constipation, it’s important to treat for constipation while taking this medication.
One of the main factors of this medication is blood pressure. High blood pressure is extremely dangerous to your health so taking medication to lower your blood pressure is important. While constipation is uncomfortable, it can be managed and tolerated when the benefits are life saving. Because this medication is generally not a short-term medication, it’s also possible that users will face on-going problems with Loniten related side effects. While this can be a bit frustrating, again, the benefits of this medication make it worthwhile to find ways to manage the side effects.
Your doctor may recommend that you take a laxative while you are taking Loniten. Using harsh laxatives will not only be rough on your system but can affect your body’s ability to absorb nutrients and even medications so it’s important to treat your constipation in such a way that relieves you of the symptoms and allows you to have regular bowel movements without lowering the effectiveness of any medication you are taking. Over the counter laxatives can not only harshly induce bowel movements but they can have a negative impact on your overall health, should they be used long term.
Loniten, also known as Minoxidil was initially used as a blood pressure lowering medication. This drug is a vasodilator drug, which means that it helps to open (or dilate) the blood vessels. One of the positive side effects of Loniten that was discovered was that it caused excessive hair growth on people who were taking it. This was considered serendipity for those suffering from hair loss or male pattern baldness and it resulted in Loniten being used as a treatment for baldness. Many people began taking Minoxidil to treat baldness. While their hair grew and their blood pressure was lowered, they did have to face a few unwanted side effects.
Those using Loniten for hair loss need to closely monitor their blood pressure due to the lowering effect of the medication. Anyone who doesn’t have high blood pressure but is taking this product for hair growth could take a dangerous drop in blood pressure. Loniten can also blur your vision or cause acne and headaches. Sometimes these effects are simply a result of your dose of Loniten or Minoxidil being too high.
Whether you’re using Loniten for blood pressure or Minoxidil for hair loss, be sure to proactively work to ensure that you can continue to have regular bowel movements and stay under the care of a physician. Taking extra fiber and drinking plenty of water will help. Taking a bulk laxative such as Psyllium can also be beneficial when taking any medications that slow down your bowel functions as well as eating fiber rich foods.

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Where some women may feel bloated or they may pass small rabbit like stools others may often have to strain when they are actually having bowel movement.
Pregnant women will often suffer from constipation during the pregnancy and in the days after they have actually delivered the baby. Some women may even suffer from painful bowel movements after having a episiotomy (a repair made to torn rectal tissue). Women who have had an episiotomy will often consciously or unconsciously try to prevent themselves from having a bowel movement. Whilst some women who have had a caesarean section will find that their bowel movement is temporarily paralyzed and is known as an ileus.

Below are some helpful hints wish should help to alleviate or prevent constipation from occurring.
1. Make sure you exercise daily. It is a great way of preventing constipation and even light to moderate walking will help to loosen your bowels as well as making you feel lest bloated.
2. Drink lots of fluids. Whilst pregnant the amount of water absorbed from your intestines into your blood increases. So it is important that you increase the amount of water you drink to keep both your intestines and the baby healthy. You really should try a drink at least 10 x 8 ounce glasses of water a day and if you are somewhere that is hot and humid then your water intake should be increased further. By keeping your body hydrated with water you will help to prevent constipation.
3. Calcium and Vitamin Supplements. It is important that you take the appropriate supplements but be aware that there are some which can cause bloating and constipation. Studies have been carried out which show the best calcium supplements for a pregnant woman to take are those which dissolve easily in the pH of vinegar such as TUMS and Cal citrate. It is vital that you avoid antacids which contain aluminum as these will only cause constipation.
There are prenatal vitamins around which have been specifically formulated for use by pregnant women and that their digestive tract will tolerate. These types of vitamins will cause less nausea and bloating and they contain iron, Folate and B Vitamins all of which are essential to a pregnant woman.
4. However there are some pregnant women who will need to take a stool softener in order to relieve their constipation and these work by decreasing the wall tension between the colon and the stool. They act mainly as a way of keeping a pregnant woman’s stools soft so making their removal from a pregnant woman’s body much easier.
5. A great natural remedy you could use when pregnant is to alternate between hot and cold food and drinks. A simple way of doing this is to either drink cold fluid or eat ice chips and then drink a warm fluid (may be tea). Doing this will help to stimulate and tone your bowel as well as helping to release gas that has been building up in your bowel.
6. Other women may find that resting in bed for either all or part of their pregnancy helps.
Hopefully the hints provided above will any constipation problems that occur during your pregnancy and it is important that you talk to your doctor about any problems you are having in relation to constipation. Unfortunately pregnancy constipation that a lot of women will have to contend with when they are having a child and normally clears up after the birth.

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