My friend would quip, “stop looking so constipated”! little did I know that I was actually constipated and thus the look. It really does show on the face! Constipation club is a club no one would like to join even though there will be enough company with genuine empathy and a common topic to converse on.
One is constipated if the visit to the loo is not a happy one marked by infrequent bowel movements or stool that is difficult to pass. Return trip from the bathroom should bring a smile to your face or even better get you to whistle some merry tunes. Empty bowel usually would mean good mood, relaxed tone and a very satisfied feeling. On the other hand, constipation can put you in worst of moods, tempers and even depression with fogged out brain and low energy. Bad gut lowers our immunity as our main immunity lies in the gut. Our brain is affected too. Depression, mood swings, non-clarity of thoughts, amnesia, insomnia are some of the other side effects.
If its temporary, one can live with it. However, the problem starts to arise if it becomes a more permanent in nature because then it turns from a symptom to a multi-symptom disorder. It can cause many Gastrointestinal disorder, fissures, abdominal pain, acne, weight gain, blockages in the colon and in cases, colon cancer. Infact, almost all patients detected with cancer have had a history of constipation.
So how does constipation happen:
I got constipated because I hardly drank water or other liquids, I ate too much fried food. Maggi was a constant. Four-five cups of coffee a day was a given. Meal timings were all awry. Sedentary lifestyle couldn’t be avoided. There was very little or no green leafy vegetables, fruits, juices and protein in my diet. I reached a point where I would be bloated every evening and throw up every night. All I could think of was my stomach.
Over a period of time, the stool that has not been expelled starts to stick on the intestinal walls and causes blockage. This makes the intestine very narrow and even sluggish. Food moves very slowly through the intestine, giving more time to intestines to absorb water and as a result, the stool becomes too hard and extremely painful to be expelled causing fissures in the anus.
This is how I dealt with my constipation:
Pysillium husk – a tablespoon of pysillium husk with apple cider vinegar (mother culture) became an everyday drink. along with 3-4 prunes before bed
Detox Tea- tea made from fennel (saunf) seeds, cumin seeds, corrainder seeds fenugreek seeds, piece of ginger helped keep my acidity at bay and also helped in digestion
Flaxseeds – a tsp of flaxseed powder after lunch not only acted as a laxative but also gave me a healthy dose of omega 3.
Triphala Powder – a small tsp of triphala powder with warm water helped a great deal in bowel movement. If consumed for years, it can cure many more diseases in the body.
Seeds and Nuts – A bowl of seeds, prunes, berries and nuts gave me all the minerals my body needed to keep my metabolism strong
Colon Cleansing – Colon cleansing once in 2 months removed all the toxins, waste from my intestines that were stuck to the wall. There are various ways to do it. lemon/ginger/rock salt concoction to be had in a certain way works wonders for me.
Packaged/Fried/Junk Food – I eat them once in a long while. There’s no value to it and therefore, no cravings. I eat it just so that my stomach is used to some amount of junk.
Exercise – 25 minutes of yoga/walking/cycling or running moves my gut. I also walk a bit every hour or two so that there’s blood circulation happening properly.
It looks like a lot of things but you gotta to do what you gotta do! I can say that I feel much better, healthier, lighter and nicer in life. My brain is sharper, my energy levels are higher, my joint pains have vanished, stomach aches and bloating are a thing of the past and now there’s not a lazy bone in my body anymore. It feels like a fairy tale ending with good gut and that’s exactly how life should be!
Healthy We 