Gut health plays a great role in maintaining overall health, immunity and prevent from
diseases.

CONSTIPATION – VIBANDHA, ANAHA

It refers to bowel movements that are infrequent or hard to pass and is a general term used to indicate fewer bowel movements solidified hard stools, painful defecation, and feeling of bloating, abdominal discomfort, or incomplete elimination.

How to Diagnose?

– Straining with bowel movements
– Sense of incomplete evacuation of bowel movements
– Hard or pellet stools without bowel movements
– Manual evaluation maneuvers without bowel movements
– Feeling of anorectal blockage without bowel movements
– Number of bowel movements two or less per week

Causes Explained in Ayurveda include :

– Vegadharana – Suppressing the natural urges
– Ruksha food – extreme dry foods
– Avyayama – not doing any activity
– Katu (pungent), Tikshna (hot-pungent), and Kashaya (astringent) Dravya Sevana
– Other general causes –
– Poor diet (low fiber diet)
– Fear of Public Toilets
– Ageing, and stress-related causes
– Inadequate fluid intake

-Travel
– Medications (antacids, antihistamines, antipsychotic drugs, aspirin, beta-blockers, antihypertensive
drugs, iron and calcium supplements, diuretics, calcium channel blockers, etc.)
– Secondary Diseases (hypothyroidism, anal fissure, chronic renal failure, colon or rectal
cancer, hypercalcaemia etc.)
– Laxative Used – Triphala, Psyllium husk, Coffee Enema, Isabgol.

Symptoms Associated with constipation:

– Passage of hard stools
– Abdominal pain/ discomfort or bloating
– Straining during passage of stools
– Headache
– Malaise
– Feeling of incomplete evacuation

Ayurvedic approach in treating Constipation

– Create awareness and educate about the importance of evacuation daily.
– Inform the patient this needs about 3 to 6 weeks period for a turnaround
– Advise a diet chart with fiber rich diet
– Stick to one kind of meal for 3 months continuously
– High body moving exercise which includes core workouts
– Improving hip movements and squat postural exercises
– Avoid Suppressing the natural urge to defecate
– Teach them Malasana
– Enhanced water intake
– Counsel them not to panic if they didn’t go to the toilet – inform them one day it has to go out.
– Getting comfortable with Public Toilets
– Emotional aspect of Letting go

Taking Ayurvedic panchakarma treatments once a year in an authentic treatment center like Sitaram Ayurvedic Retreat in Kerala is also recommended.

https://www.sitaramretreat.com/