Bowel Health - Constipation

What is constipation?

Nobody likes to talk about bowel health, and especially constipation, but bowel health is very important to our overall health. Constipation is a digestive problem in which you pass hard bowel movements. People who are constipated may empty their bowels infrequently. They often have to strain to have a BM.

How often should I move my bowels?

It is different for everyone. What is normal bowel habits for you, may not be what is normal for someone else. Some people "go" 3 times a day, while others go once a day or as infrequently as 3 times a week. If this is normal for you, there is not a problem. Generally speaking, though, if you have infrequent bowel moments that are hard and uncomfortable to pass you probably have a problem with constipation.

What causes constipation?

Your intestines are designed to move ingested food along your digestive tract. Your colon, which is another name for your large intestine, is designed to absorb the water and salt out of your fecal material, where it is filtered back into your blood stream to be used for your other bodily functions, before the water is finally eliminated through the urinary tract as urine.

You may become constipated if too much water is absorbed. Some people have a problem with muscle coordination of the colon, which is called animus. With this problem, your fecal material gets hung up in the rectal vault, and as a result the stool stays locked in the rectum, losing water to absorption, causing a hard blockage.

The factors that influence bowel health are age, level of activity, diet and lifestyle, inattention to bowel habits, illness, medications and pregnancy. Medications are notorious for causing constipation because they slow down the frequency of the natural peristaltic contractions.

Older people are more likely to be bothered by constipation because they may not drink enough water, and they may be living a more sedentary lifestyle. People who have serious illnesses and injuries, such as fractures, and had endured corrective surgery, may be on varying degrees of bed rest, which adds to the risk of constipation due to immobility.