You might hear people tell you that it’s healthy to have a bowel movement at least once a day. While that may be true for some people there actually is no “right” number of bowel movements a typical person should have. Everybody is different and just needs to figure out your body’s normal number of bowel movements. There are many factors that determine this such as the type of food you eat, how much you exercise, how stressful your life is, etc.

At one time or another, almost everyone gets constipated. In most cases, it lasts for a short time and is not serious. When you understand what causes constipation, you can take steps to prevent it. If you have IBS with constipation you probably already know how important fiber-rich foods are to your comfort.

The major cause of constipation is unhealthy eating habits and you’d be surprised how quickly you’d have a bowel movement after changing your diet for a few days. Fiber foods are also important in helping to reduce the cholesterol levels in the body. They are not easily digestible by the intestinal tract hence putting them in the position of bulk forming enhancers and enable the feces to pass easily.

If you don’t already include foods like bran, wheat, fruits, vegetables, and whole grains in your daily diet it’s time to start now. In short, all high fiber foods are part of the foods that relieve constipation.

The American Dietetic Association (ADA) recommends you eat 20-35 grams of fiber a day but in order for a high-fiber eating plan to work its magic, you have to do three things:

• Reach the higher-fiber target (of 20-35 grams of fiber a day) almost every day.
• Spread your high-fiber foods throughout the day so it works better on your bowels.
• Drink plenty of water and other non caffeinated, noncaloric liquids/beverages throughout the day as well. Fiber works better in the intestines if there is plenty of water to go with it.

For me, I found my solution by learning from someone else who has lived with constipation for many years. She travels three times a month (and probably just like you and I), her constipation was worse on the road. After reading her step-by-step e-book and learning her techniques, I was able to prevent my constipation in the future. I’ll include a picture and link to her e-book below if you’re interested in getting a copy.

Now I usually start the day by waking up and drinking a large glass of water and then eating a bowl of Raisin Bran or Fiber One. Just make sure to pick a cereal (or oatmeal) that has a lot of fiber and ideally low sugar. Look at the side of the box when you’re at the grocery store for the number of grams of fiber it contains. Having this for breakfast helps me have a bowel movement usually right after lunch or on a good day a few hours after breakfast. I also eat lots of green vegetables and drink green tea. The green tea helps in more than one way and is a natural way to help cleanse the body.

To help relieve constipation in the fastest and most painless way possible, try following some of these tips which have worked well for me:

• Change your diet and start eating more fiber on a daily basis. I’m not asking you to drop all junk food and just eat spinach but instead try something like a bowl of high fiber cereal in the morning, 1 to 2 slices of whole-grain bread with peanut butter & a banana for lunch, and steamed vegetables with brown rice and a meat dish.
• Drink water regularly and other liquids such as fruit and vegetable juices and clear soups. At least 6 glasses of water a day would be very great and therapeutic. Large amounts of water aids quick digestion and enables easier bowel movement.
• Get regular exercise which will help your digestive system stay active and healthy. You don’t need to become a great athlete. A 20 to 30 minute walk every day may help. I personally go to the gym 2-3 times a week which also helps me reduce stress.
• Add fiber supplements to your daily intake. Products like Fiber Choice, Metamucil, Konsyl, FiberCon, or anything basically containing psyllium husk powder will do the trick. You may get gas the first couple of days while your body gets used to the additional fiber but give it a week and the gas will pass (no pun intended).

I hope these tips help you as they’ve certainly helped me with my constipation and diarrhea as well. Bulking up your stool by eating fiber really helps push out and clean your bowels so besides feeling better, it’s a healthy way to live.

If you’ve got any questions or comments, please add them below. As you can see, I’ve added direct links to the fiber supplement products I mentioned above. You can order them from Amazon.com without having to make an embarrassing trip to the grocery!

Oh, and that constipation e-book I was talking about before….it’s well worth buying a copy. I would’ve paid $100 bucks for it (or more) if I knew about it sooner. It really changed my daily lifestyle and for only $30, it was a steal. When it comes to my health, I don’t like putting things off and when you can instantly download a book online, it can save you from an embarrassing in-person purchase.

Medication

The type of medication recommended by your doctor will depend on your particular symptoms. When taking medication, the effect is often just temporary and there may be side effects which make your symptoms worse than they were in the first place.

Psychotherapy and/or anti-depressants might work for you, especially if your symptoms are severe and you are depressed by them. However, taking anti-depressants could be a dangerous way of covering up the symptoms instead of dealing with them. You may want to look at the other treatments before psychotherapy or anti-depressants.

Hypnotherapy is another treatment that might work for you. Research shows that it’s working well for some people.

Natural Treatments

Natural Treatments are usually longer lasting, although they take a little longer to work initially. Some of the natural treatments can relieve your symptoms for years, and maybe for the rest of your life.

Nutrition – Changing Your Diet

One of the most recommended treatments is to work out which food is irritating your bowel the most, and to stop eating that food. You may not have to stop eating specific foods forever. Once you have eliminated all those that bring on your symptoms, you can gradually introduce a little of each one ( one at a time ) to see if you react to it. This kind of treatment can take months or even years to get used to, and it’s difficult when going on holidays or just going out to dinner.

A Nutrition Supplement

Another way to eliminate the symptoms of IBS without having to stop eating certain foods, is to take a high quality liquid Nutrition Supplement. The extra vitamins and minerals can settle your tummy, and if mangosteen fruit is included in the supplement, this can reduce inflammation, diarrhea and pain. A supplement is a good solution if you want to continue eating all different types of food, and you want some relief from your symptoms within a shorter period of time.

Herbs

Other treatments include taking herbs such as peppermint that relaxes smooth muscles in your intestines. Before taking herbs check with your doctor in case they may interact or interfere with any other medications you may be taking.

Probiotics

Probiotics may assist you also. These are “good” bacteria that normally live in your intestines and can be found in certain foods such as yoghurt and nutritional supplements. Studies on people taking Probiotics for IBS have shown that they can decrease problems caused by IBS.

Chiropractic Adjustments

Chiropractic adjustments may assist you. There is evidence to support that certain cases of IBS result from the malfunction of nerves that control the gastrointestinal system and/or the immune system. So, the adjustments will assist in healing the nerves, and therefore remove the symptoms of IBS.

Acupuncture

Acupuncture may be the treatment for you. It is being used successfully by some people to relax the muscle spasms and improve bowel function.

Choose a Treatment for you

So, the next step for you is to choose an IBS Treatment that you will assist you. I know that when you do find one, your life will be so much more fun.

Julieanne is now completely free from those embarrassing and uncomfortable symptoms of IBS. If you know someone who would like to be free of those symptoms also, please direct him or her to the following web page for the IBS Treatment she takes.

Why Pain Happens
The abdominal pain experienced by people with IBS may be a result of intestinal contractions. The muscles in the colon contract to move stool along and out of the body.In a person with IBS, these muscles may be contracting irregularly and intermittently along the length of the colon. This may cause symptoms of abdominal pain, bloating, and gas. Pain is most common after a meal and may last for several hours.
Finding the Source of Pain
Keeping a food diary can help in determining if certain foods are contributing to the symptom of abdominal pain. Recording everything eaten and including such details as where, when, and with who meals are taken can help find “triggers” for abdominal pain. Bringing the food diary to office visits with a physician or nutritionist for their analysis and advice can also be beneficial.
Treating Pain
Antispasmodics. Antispasmodics (such as dicyclomine [Bentyl], hyoscyamine [Levsin], and belladonna/phenobarbital [Donnatal]) are a class of drugs that are often prescribed to treat IBS symptoms. These drugs can relax the muscles of the stomach and intestines, and provide relief from abdominal pain. To be effective, antispasmodics are typically taken 30 to 60 minutes before a meal. However, they can also cause side effects such as blurred vision, constipation, decreased sweating, dizziness, headache, nausea, and urinary problems.Peppermint oil. A natural antispasmodic, peppermint can also help reduce spasms in the colon. Peppermint oil can be taken in either capsules or tea. While the capsules are more effective, and have even been approved for use with people with IBS in Germany, they can cause anal irritation. Additionally, peppermint also relaxes the muscles in the esophagus and can contribute to heartburn caused by acid reflux.

Antidepressants. Tricyclic antidepressants (such as amitriptyline [Elavil], nortriptyline [Aventyl], imipramine [Tofranil]) are prescribed to people with IBS in order to treat abdominal pain. However, these agents are typically prescribed in much lower doses than they would be for treating depression. Antidepressants seem to be more helpful when taken at night for people with diarrhea predominant IBS (D-IBS). It may take several weeks of treatment with an antidepressant before it has an effect on abdominal pain.

Heating pad. A simple and inexpensive way of treating abdominal pain is with a home heating pad. Heat can help soothe cramping muscles and provide a source of comfort. Some tips to remember are:

• Never use a sports cream product (such as Icy Hot or Ben-Gay) with a heating pad as it can cause severe burns.
• Don’t fall asleep with the heating pad still on.
• Never use a heating pad on bare skin.

Author: Amber J. Tresca