Last week, a mother wrote to ask for help: 20-year-old daughter was constipated for many years, often two or three days without stool, stomach bloating uncomfortable, sometimes bananas accompanied by milk to drink, or intentionally eat cold and eat hot, so that their diarrhea. This year, the daughter’s constipation is becoming more and more serious, defecation is very difficult, so that the internal hemorrhoids bleeding. “Went to the hospital, ate drugs, no cure. Later buy detoxification products to eat, stool can be a little bit of relief, but a stop, it is back to the original.” In the face of her daughter’s suffering, the mother was at her wits’ end. This reporter consulted with Lee Huili Hospital anorectal surgery professional master, chief physician Cui Wei, Ningbo Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine anorectal division director of Chinese medicine division Dong Xiaoming, the two doctors believe that to treat constipation, the first thing to do is to find the cause of the disease. “Constipation can be either a disease or a symptom manifested by another disease.” In addition to factors such as functional disorders and organic lesions of the colon and rectum, diseases such as extracolonic nerve abnormalities, medications and hypothyroidism can cause constipation, Dong said. “In Chinese medicine, constipation is divided into ‘hot constipation’, ‘gas constipation’, ‘deficiency constipation’, ‘cold constipation ‘ Four categories, and chronic constipation is mostly manifested as ‘deficiency constipation’ and ‘cold constipation’.” After finding the cause of the disease, the right medicine can be prescribed. The two doctors suggest that colonoscopy can be performed first to rule out intestinal pathology, and if there is no abnormality in the colonoscopy, the colon transport test and fecal imaging will be performed. Generally speaking, there are several ways to treat constipation – after the diagnosis is clear, the first dietary modification, mainly at least 25 grams of fiber per day, plus local exercise, drink more water, the patient needs to go to the bowel immediately when the intention to defecate; ineffective, we can consider slow laxatives, enemas or biofeedback treatment. Next, stimulant laxatives, etc., can be considered, and when the combination is ineffective, surgery needs to be considered. “Stimulant laxatives, the use of which has certain indications, must be used under the guidance of a doctor.” Cui Wei said, because long-term use of stimulating laxatives, like rhubarb and senna, can cause colonic melanosis, a disease that, theoretically, is associated with cancer. Nowadays, Dong said, some people do rely excessively on laxatives, and often buy detoxification and cleansing health products to take on their own. “Now on the market such health products, often contain rhubarb, senna, aloe vera and other ingredients, although it can improve constipation in a short period of time, but after a long period of time to damage the intestinal mucosa, so that the patient’s colon blackened, further aggravate constipation. In the end, they are unable to defecate due to the weakness and paralysis of the colon.” According to Dong, many people who are overly dependent on laxatives have a wrong understanding of constipation, believing that it is normal to have a bowel movement every day. In fact, the accepted definition of constipation is: a decrease in the number of bowel movements less than three times per week; difficulty in defecation (straining to defecate, which can take up to 30 minutes or more each time); and dryness and low volume of feces, and the presence of constipation is indicated by the fulfillment of any of these three defecation disorders. “The only way to avoid over-reliance on laxatives is to know what the normal stool frequency is in the range.” Dong said that, moreover, constipation does not develop in one day, and perseverance and patience are needed in the face of treatment. Cui Wei reminded, eat fiber to drink more water, fiber is a carbohydrate, not absorbed by the body, the role is to absorb water after expansion, lubricate the intestinal tract, although in the human intestinal tract to go through, but ultimately in the form of feces wrapped in the form of intestinal toxins discharged out of the body, but the cellulose will absorb water, in the large intestine fermentation, water to drink less water, the stomach will be flatulence, stools, on the contrary, dry. In addition, Dong Xiaoming suggests, to develop the habit of regular bowel movements, daily emotional regulation, because mood, stress is also the main cause of constipation, and the manufacture of feces intestines are “thinking viscera”, when the brain is under pressure, emotional fluctuations, will be reflected in the intestines, coupled with lifestyle habits, diet, the combined effect of the production of stool, excretion and even the color and quality of the stool. The combination of lifestyle habits and diet affects the production of stools, excretion and even the color and quality of stools.