Many may be surprised at the thought that constipation is considered a modern lifestyle disease. Those who have had unpleasant experiences with constipation can easily understand that it is a real disease. Many are worried if they don’t empty their bowels for two or three days. Constipation may be the cause. If constipation continues for another day, it becomes a problem. In the majority of cases though, there is no reason to worry. Some people empty their bowels twice a day, while others do so only twice a week, which, however, is not ideal.
In general, a person that is prone to constipation should pay more attention to his/her eating habits and lifestyle. In many cases, hereditary predispositions can contribute to constipation. In other cases, constipation may be caused by a different environment (e. g. travelling), neuroses, digestive tract disorders etc. These causes usually induce temporary constipation, from which one can recover relatively easily after the elimination of the causes. So this kind of constipation is not dangerous.
Chronic constipation is much worse and may be called an insidious pathological bowel condition. For the most part, we cause it ourselves through long-term wrong eating habits. We don‘t pay attention to a healthy diet. We don’t eat enough fresh fruit and vegetables, prefer white flour products to wholegrain ones, eat too much meat and forget about legumes. All of that means that our diet is low in fibre. Moreover, not only do we have an irregular drinking regime, but we also drink lots of sweet drinks and very little pure spring water. But that’s not all. Because we are too busy, we don’t empty our bowels at a regular time. That causes the large intestine to become lazy, which slows down the passage of stool.
The results are as follows:Larger amounts of water are absorbed in the large intestine than is useful and the digested food becomes too solid. What remains is just leftovers of food that has not been digested, peeled bowel epithelium and bacteria, which then cause painful evacuation.
Toxic and carcinogenic substances are created due to the slow passage of food through the bowels.
Substances that pose a threat to health pass through the bowel wall into the blood and then travel into all the organs.The organism’s defensiveness is gradually reduced and sometimes, it takes decades for symptoms to become manifest in the form of heart, kidneys and pancreas disorders.
Consequences of chronic constipation
We call it an insidious condition, as in the beginning, it doesn’t cause any obvious health problems, apart from difficult evacuation. Because peristalsis (transverse and longitudinal movements of bowels) is slowed down, the digested food moves slowly and bulges begin to form and accumulate at bowel bends – this is called diverticulosis. At these places, food rots for 48 hours or – in the case of constipation – even longer, causing chronic inflammation and other complications such as diverticulitis or even life-threatening peritonitis.
Long-term mechanical irritation of bowel walls and inflammation nidi caused by constipation may give rise to the formation of bowel polyps. If these are not removed soon enough, cancer of the large intestine may develop. Long-term constipation also gives rise to haemorrhoids, varicose veins, general weakness, obesity and other diseases.
Individuals whose regular excretion ability has been impaired may experience problems concentrating, being unable to fully develop their capabilities, although they have the potential for great achievements. Their own waste and toxic substances slow them down all the time, making them prone to pessimism, depression and doubts about their capabilities. The only way how to get out of this dead-end situation is to carry out a regular body purge and change one’s present lifestyle.
