Constipation, experienced by almost everyone, may hide the risk of systemic diseases, but is often overlooked. Constipation can be caused by a variety of reasons, but it can lead to more diseases and set off systemic alarms. The medical term for constipation is “constipation” when the bowel movements are less than twice a week and the stools are dry and hard and the process is laborious, and “chronic constipation” when it lasts for 2 months. How should I eliminate the causes of constipation and get rid of the trouble of constipation?
A. Causes of constipation
1.Life habits
Irregularity in going to the toilet, tiredness at work, irregularity in life and diet can cause abnormal intestinal bacteria, leading to constipation.
When the dietary fiber intake is not enough, drinking too little water, will also increase the degree of dryness and hardness of the stool, making it difficult to defecate.
2.Ageing
Probiotics in the intestinal tract of newborns accounted for 90%, while the elderly intestinal probiotics only 10%. As we grow older, probiotics such as bifidobacteria in the human intestine will gradually decrease, resulting in slower intestinal peristalsis, which is an important cause of constipation in the middle-aged and elderly.
3, blood pressure changes
Constipation caused by changes in blood pressure manifests as “snail-type constipation”, which is called slow-transmission constipation in medicine. Its feces in the intestinal tract of the slower speed of discharge, will accumulate more and more, forming a vicious circle.
Women with low blood pressure, low heart rate, and anemia are at high risk for chronic constipation. People with low blood pressure have unstable plant nervous function and weaker intestinal function, making them prone to constipation.
There is a class of antihypertensive drugs called calcium antagonists that relax the smooth muscles of the intestines and slow down bowel movements. Antispasmodics, sedatives, antidepressants and anxiety medications, morphine and other drugs can also cause slow transmission type constipation.
4.Other causes
Liver, kidney disease, abuse of antibiotics, etc. can trigger intestinal flora imbalance, reduce intestinal vitality, resulting in constipation.
Second, special constipation
There is a special case of constipation, even if the stool every day or even have “diarrhea” symptoms, it may be hidden constipation, commonly in the elderly group.
Abdominal vague pain, accompanied by diarrhea symptoms, if you take anti-inflammatory painkillers, is likely to aggravate the condition, the formation of hidden constipation. The symptoms are frequent bowel movements, but the volume is small, or the bowel movements are laborious but not clean. (General diarrhea excretion volume is about 500ml).
Third, the 5 major hazards of constipation
There is a special case of constipation, even if the stool every day or even have “diarrhea” symptoms, it may be hidden constipation, commonly in the elderly group.
The abdomen vaguely painful, accompanied by diarrhea symptoms, if you take anti-inflammatory painkillers, is likely to aggravate the condition, the formation of hidden constipation. The symptoms are frequent bowel movements, but the volume is small, or the bowel movements are laborious but not clean. (The general volume of diarrhea is about 500ml)
Constipation increases with age, and is higher in women than in men. The prevalence of chronic constipation in adults in China is 4-6%, and the prevalence of chronic constipation in people over 60 years old is as high as 22%. What hazards are hidden by such a common symptom?
1, intestinal disease
Bacteria, diet, digestive metabolites together constitute the stool, 80% of which is composed of bacteria. The most direct effect of not defecating for a long time is to cause dysbiosis of intestinal flora, leading to inflammation and even tumors.
New onset constipation over 40 years old, accompanied by blood in stool, abdominal pain, deformed stool and other symptoms, need to be alert to intestinal tumors. Slender stools, flat stools and grooved stools may indicate intestinal tumors.
2. Hemorrhoids and anal fissures
Constipation is the main cause of hemorrhoids and anal fissures. Dry and hard stools directly damage the anus and surrounding skin mucosa, and prolonged breath-holding increases negative pressure, leading to impaired blood return to rectal and anal veins, which over time leads to anal fissures and hemorrhoids. The resulting painful defecation makes patients more fearful of defecation, further aggravating the condition.
3, Alzheimer’s disease (dementia)
The human body consumes too much protein, decomposition will produce fecal odorant, but 0.01g fecal odorant is enough to poison a frog. When this toxin accumulates in the body, increasing the risk of Alzheimer’s disease.
4.Breast cancer
Too long retention of feces in the intestine can lead to imbalance in the secretion of estrogen and androgen from the human ovaries. Increased estrogen will stimulate breast tissue, leading to breast enlargement and increasing the risk of breast cancer. According to a survey conducted in California, the risk of breast cancer increases 5 times for people with constipation.
5, cardiovascular disease
When constipated patients go to the toilet, the whole body muscles are in a state of contraction, the abdominal pressure increases, and the pressure in the chest cavity also increases, resulting in an increase in the amount of cardiovascular blood return, increased vascular pressure, often manifesting as bruises, red face, sweating, easily induced cerebrovascular rupture, myocardial infarction and other diseases. Especially patients with cardiovascular disease, should not be too hard to defecate.
Fourth, the elimination of constipation is to improve the intestinal environment
To improve constipation, eliminate the cause is the key. Bad habits and intestinal environment are the main causes of constipation, life habits can be adjusted, but how to improve the intestinal environment?
1.Intestinal flora
The human intestine contains more than 1000 kinds of bacteria, with a total weight of 1kg, mainly divided into three categories of bacteria: beneficial bacteria, neutral bacteria and harmful bacteria. Under normal circumstances, the three remain in balance, but when the flora disorders, harmful bacteria will kill beneficial bacteria, neutral bacteria will also be transformed into harmful bacteria, resulting in constipation, diarrhea and even enteritis, intestinal cancer and other intestinal diseases. When the bacteria are displaced, it may also cause other diseases such as liver.
2.Beneficial bacteria
Beneficial bacteria, also known as probiotics, are ecological guardians of the intestinal tract and play a vital role in ensuring human health. According to a study, the proportion of beneficial bacteria in the intestines of fit and healthy people reaches 70%, while that of ordinary people is 25%, and that of constipated people is reduced to 15%, while the proportion of probiotics in the intestines of cancer patients is only 10%.
Probiotics can adhere to and colonize the intestinal wall, forming a biological barrier that regulates the balance of intestinal flora and inhibits the growth of harmful bacteria while participating in food digestion. It can improve the intestinal microenvironment, repair intestinal mucosa, promote intestinal peristalsis, accelerate the discharge of intestinal metabolites, and activate the local and systemic immunity of the intestine.