Constipation

The urge….or not…..

The result…or not…..

The relief…or not…

Constipation can be…well.. a pain in the ar$#! and it effects so many people, from newborn babies through to adults. In fact it is so common that there’s bound to be someone you know who is silently (or not), suffering from it.

Because many people don’t like to talk about their bowel movements there is often a misunderstanding about what is ‘normal’.

Oftentimes when I ask the question in the clinic - ‘Tell me about your bowels’, the answer I immediately get is ‘They’re normal’ to which I answer ‘What is normal for you?’. You would be SO surprised about the answers! Anywhere from 3-4 times a week to 4 times a day. So you can see that ‘normal’ apparently is very varied.

According to BMC Gastroenterology, Constipation is a common gastrointestinal disorder, with prevalences varying between 2.4 and 30.7%. In addition, it is known that certain demographic groups, such as women and the elderly, are more prone to constipation

Constipation is defined as a condition where:

You may have fewer than three bowel movements a week
Stools that are hard, dry or lumps
Stools that are difficult or painful to pass
A feeling that not all of the stool has passed - a feeling of not being quite ‘done’

There are many reasons why we need to get the bowels moving - ideally 1-3 times a day and there are also many reasons why they don’t move! For some people it is diet and lifestyle, others genetic tendencies, food intolerances or damage to the gut health from medications and even post-surgery or post-pain relief.

Getting to the bottom (pun intended) of the issue may take a full constitutional appointment, however there are some really great remedies that you can try first at home to see if this helps relieve your symptoms.

Here’s what you can do….Homeopathic remedies

Here are my top 6 remedies for constipation. There are of course many many more - but these you can easily try at home to see if you get the releif you need

Aesculus
Calc Carb
Lycopodium
Nux Vomica
Opium
Sepia

Deciding which remedy to give depends entirely on the symptom picture that is showing. Look at the remedies below and see which one matches most closely and try it.

Aesculus (Horse Chestnut)

Constant ineffectual urging to stool which can send pain through the hips and sacrum
Stool is large, dry, hard, difficult & dark
The rectum can feel as if there is a foreign body in it
The last part of the stool can be normal but is followed by burning and constriction in the rectum lasting for a long while
Prolapses after stool with backache, dryness, heat & constriction of the rectum
Rectum feels as if it is full of small sticks
Stool is followed by fullness of rectum and INTENSE pain in anus for HOURS afterwards.
Throbbing in the abdominal and pelvic cavities
An excellent remedy for VERY PAINFUL hemorrhoids (piles) which can cause severe lumbo-sacral backache

Calcarea Carbonica (Calc Carb)

An excellent remedy for constipation in babies and newborns
For people who are happily constipated and only go once a week (or longer!)
No urging
Stools at first hard, then mushy and finally fluid, smelling like rotten eggs
Involuntary fermented, sour-smelling diarrhea alternating with constipation
Stools can look like lumps of chalk in children, during dentition and stool may contain undigested food

Lycopodium

A great liver remedy - where there is liver weakness
These people don’t like using the toilet away from home - so no going to public toilets or at work or school
The gut doesn’t seem to digest the food properly and the bowels feel loaded up
Stool is hard, scanty and passed with difficulty from constriction of the sphincter
Much loud flatus and obstructed flatus
Itching at the anus and itching eruptions at anus - especially worse in bed at nighttime
Sense of fullness after eating not much
Worse from 4pm - 8pm - there may be lots of bloating, farting (flatus) and urging to go to the toilet during this time
Can be very dictatorial people but on the other hand can be very wimpy

Nux Vomica

Our number one remedy for hangovers and for constipation which is brought on from overindulgence - in wine, food, drugs (prescription or recreational)
There will be MUCH urging without any effect - they will go off to the toilet with a strong urge and nothing happens
Large, hard, difficult stools
Never feel quite done - almost as if part of the stool remains unexpelled
The person may be very irritable
The harder they strain the harder it is for the stool to come
Bowel motions may be black, hard, streaked with blood, and may be like little hard dark balls

Opium

Our number one remedy for complete loss of desire for a stool - absolutely NO URGING
Think of this remedy for complete loss of urge after pain relief (can also be useful in complete lack of urge to urinate after pain relief), or after surgery when there is absolute INERTIA of the bowels
There may be small round balls of stool but mostly the rectum is inactive
Dryness of the mucous membranes of anus and also mouth
It can feel as if the stool and flatus is pressing upwards and against the chest
Constipation after fright or fear

Sepia

One of our leading remedies for constipation due to hormonal imbalances or during changes in hormones
Can be very useful for constipation in the pregnant woman
There is a feeling of bearing down - where everything feels full and heavy and is it will fall out of the vagina or anus unless they keep their legs crossed
May feel that there is a sensation of a ball in the rectum - constant sensation of a weight in the anus
Shooting up in rectum and vagina during difficult stool
Stool is knotty, hard and can be covered or mixed with mucus and there can be oozing from the anus
A soft stool may be expelled with great difficulty and there may be a prolapse of the anus (also good for prolapse of the vagina)

How to dose

There are many different approaches to dosing in Homeopathy as well as many differing opinions on potency (strength) of remedy. However I have found the following dosing to work really well.

For home use I recommend using a 30c or 200c potency of either pillules or drops.

Give 3 drops or pillules 3-4 times a day for 2-3 days then stop. You should notice a response within 12-24 hours. If there has been no improvement in the 12 hours then the remedy is not the correct remedy and you need to look at changing it.

Other things to try alongside Homeopathy

Drinking plenty of water and eating fruit for constipation

Diet and Hydration

It goes without saying that what you put into your body will have a huge effect on your digestion and therefore your bowels. For some people certain foods can cause either diarrhea or constipation. Oftentimes if there is a food sensitivity it will show up in the bowels shutting down and becoming constipated. This is a matter of trying different food options to see what the impact is. Mostly it will be either dairy or gluten and you will need to take it out of your diet for a good 6 weeks to see a difference.

High fibre foods will make a difference to your bowels. Eat plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables. Sometimes there is a place for taking psyllium husks daily for a week or so to really clean out your bowels and remove any debris inside the large intestines. Think of it like a bottle brush! This should be done alongside a well indicated homeopathic remedy and drinking LOTS of water. Some people choose to do this while they are doing a juice fast.

Hydration - of course if you want to get your bowels going well then water is the key. Not tea, not fizzy drinks, not even coffee - although this can work for some people - it is not really getting to the root cause. If you have to have a coffee each day in order for your bowels to move, there is something going on at a deeper level in your body which needs attending to.

If you or your child is suffering from continuous constipation there is hope with Homeopathy. Please use the button below to book an appointment.

I see people from all around the world via Zoom and the connection is excellent. Remedies can be obtained through Homeopathic Pharmacies worldwide.

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My purpose is to help restore the Wellness Within so that you can live your best life - in health, harmony & soulful authenticity

Tania

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Natural remedies for constipation