Functional Medicine Approach For Chronic Constipation

There’s a whole world out there waiting to be discovered. However, if the "trips" that you are taking are mostly restricted to the washroom to relieve yourself (and yet you are not able to fully relieve yourself), then perhaps it’s time to address the underlying issue. That of chronic constipation.

Most of us suffer from constipation once in a while, and it isn’t a cause for concern. However, one is generally said to be suffering from a chronic condition only when there have been fewer than 3 bowel movements per week over a period of many months. And even if for these 3 bowel movements you have to strain hard, go through a lot of pain, and have extremely hard stools, it’s time for treatment.

After all, you don’t want just relief, isn’t it? You want to feel fresh and energetic and see the world and its wonders too. Functional medicine goes to the root cause of your constipation. No matter whether it’s due to an underlying physical or mental health issue or condition, side effects of medicines or supplements, lifestyle issues, or some other reason, functional medicine can help you.

Additional Symptoms

Keep an eye on these additional symptoms so that chronic constipation doesn’t lead to more severe health issues:

• If you see signs of bleeding
• Constant pain in the abdomen
• If you are unable to pass gas regularly
• Vomiting
• Fever
• Lower back pain
• If you notice that you are losing weight without even wanting/ trying to do so
• A little swollen abdomen
• A sense of feeling full even when you have eaten very little.

If one has a family history of rectal or colon cancer, one shouldn’t take chronic constipation lightly.

Causes Galore

Check out these causes and see for yourself if it’s the reason you suffer from chronic constipation:

• Resisting the urge to have a bowel movement due to various reasons. For example, you avoid going to the washroom because you are in a meeting, on a work call, or on a personal call and find it difficult to say no to other people or ask for a break. Honoring nature’s call is as important as honoring an office call.
• Eating food slows down fiber. Fibers work both ways. They strengthen your stomach when there is a loose motion and relax your stomach when there is a hard or difficult motion, leading to constipation. It is very important to keep fiber in your regular diet.
• Not drinking enough water
• Not exercising enough
• When your routine changes and you aren’t able to eat or sleep on time
• If your brain and spine are affected by other diseases or injuries
• Diseases that affect your metabolism
• Hormonal issues
• Inflammation due to other digestive conditions, if any
• Problems or blocks in the intestine caused by tumors, etc.
• Problems in the shape and size of parts of the digestive tract
• Eating large amounts of milk or cheese, caffeine, etc.
• Stress that is ignored or not managed properly
• Certain medicines cause constipation as a side effect.

What to Eat and What Not to Eat

Include these food items:

• Dried figs
• Prunes
• Pear
• Raspberries
• Apple
• Broccoli
• Carrots
• Baked potato with skin
• Peas
• Sun-dried tomatoes
• Beans
• Whole grain foods
• Almonds
• Chia seeds

Avoid these food items:

• Gluten-rich products
• Milk and other dairy products because they are rich in protein
• Food items with high sugar levels
• Alcohol
• Red meat or other high-fat meats
• Cakes and biscuits
• Frozen food items
• Alcohol

Banana is tricky when it comes to chronic constipation. When bananas are fully ripe, they can help relieve constipation, but when they are unripe, they can cause or aggravate constipation.

How Functional Medicine Treats Chronic Constipation

We need to understand that different people’s bodies are built differently and function differently, too. Functional medicine tries to adjust the treatment method according to the patient’s needs rather than the other way around. Functional medicine helps restore normal bowel movements via these steps:

1. Checking the Root Cause: Just understanding that a patient has constipation is not enough. Understanding why the patient has it and eliminating the cause are equally important. The patient’s digestive strength is checked, and they are checked to see if they might be suffering from some other gut or health issues as well.
2. Checking Hormones: The patient’s hormonal levels are also checked, and efforts are made to correct them.
3. Introducing a Fibre-Rich Diet: Fibers have been said to be the most trusted soldiers in the war against constipation. Fibers are present in almost all plants. There are two kinds of fibers: soluble and insoluble fibers. Constipation patients need insoluble fibers because they add water and bulk to stools, which facilitate easier bowel movements. Foods with high levels of insoluble fiber are wheat bran, whole grains, the skin or peel of many fruits and vegetables, and the seeds of some fruits.
4. Bringing About Lifestyle Changes: Just making dietary changes won’t work in the long run; the intake of water and other liquids also needs to be monitored so that the patient doesn’t get dehydrated. A functional medicine program will help you figure out the right exercises for you as an individual and navigate from a sedentary (in this case) lifestyle to a more active one. 
5. Helping Build the Right Habits: Functional medicine helps people inculcate the right eating habits like eating on time and chewing slowly. It also helps them manage their minds or stress levels. After all, a healthy mind leads to a healthy body.

Conclusion

You don’t have to put your life on hold anymore because of chronic constipation. With the help of functional medicine, you will soon be able to enjoy life the way it was meant to be enjoyed.