It’s a crying shame that manufacturers and drug stores make so much money from selling laxatives, when most sources agree that natural home remedies for constipation are the best if not the only way to solve constipation problems permanently. Of course, if your problem is a side effect of another medication that you are taking, you should talk with your doctor and see what they prescribe for you. But if this is not the case, you will usually be able to solve the problem yourself.
In medical terms, if you just have trouble occasionally or do not have a bowel movement every day, you might not be diagnosed with constipation. The official definition is having small, dry, painful bowel movements less than three times a week. Nevertheless, most people consider that a daily bowel movement is healthy and will be concerned if they are having anything less than that.
If you just have a problem occasionally, you may want to consider natural remedies for constipation that you can buy from a health store or drug store. These often have senna pods as the active ingredient. This is an effective natural laxative.
However, be careful not to use it too often. The body can easily become ‘addicted’ to laxatives so that you cannot function without them. This means that in truth, the problem has become worse instead of better.
For a more permanent solution, you will need to supplement your diet with fiber. Fiber is an indigestible substance found in all plants. It forms a soft mass in the stomach that passes through the body, carrying other waste products with it to sweep them out through the bowel.
The best and most natural way to get more fiber is to add whole grains, vegetables and whole fruits to your diet. Choose whole grain bread instead of white bread, brown rice instead of white, etc. Eat fruit rather than drinking fruit juice (there is no fiber in the juice).
If changing your diet is really a problem for you, you can buy fiber supplements to use as natural remedies for constipation. One of the best is organic psyllium husk which you can eat with a spoon or take in capsule form. Take this in the morning and you should find it helps you to become regular within a couple of days.
Another natural fiber supplement is ground flaxseed (also known as linseed). The best way to use this is to buy whole seeds and grind them in a coffee grinder. Once they are ground, keep them in the refrigerator so that they do not become rancid.
Flaxseed contains plenty of fiber plus essential Omega 3 fatty acids. One tablespoon per day added to meals and dishes such as soups should help you. It acts as a thickener with a gloopy consistency when heated, so it needs to be mixed into something to be palatable.
Bran, which was once a popular fiber supplement, is no longer recommended because it leaches minerals from the body.
If you prefer to use whole foods to solve your constipation problem, dried fruits can be very effective. They contain all of the fiber of the whole fruit in an easily accessible form. You can simply soak some dried fruit such as prunes or apricots overnight in cold water, then eat them in the morning. This is one of the best known natural remedies for constipation and many people find it effective.
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