Healthy Eating Support Group
This community is a forum for people who are determined to improve their eating habits for health, personal wellness and other reasons. What you eat can have a dramatic impact on your life expectancy, your mood, your physical and mental well-being and much more. Share your experience eating healthy, get advice and find others who have similar goals.
Hey guys, I'm 24 years old. I'm suffering from constipation. I choose a very stressful teaching job as my career. So sometimes I don't eat very well because I don't have access to a supermarket. But I have this constipation problem even before I started this teaching job. I used to have a bowel movement once every four days or often it takes a week. Once I consulted a doctor, and he told me that he sees a lot of young women with this problem, and he recommended taking colace capsules. I started to take it once every other day and started to feel some relief now. But I don't know how long it would go like this. Have any other young women experienced this kind of thing? Is it as common as my doctor says? Does anyone have "home remedy" advice that actually works well?
Poor thing, that sounds dreadful. You have not really mentioned what you consume food/fluids in a day & what your physical activity is like.
Would you please elaborate?
I looked up Colace; and it's a stool softener - which was probably a reasonable solution after going a long time without a movement. But it's not a long time solution. Just know that various laxatives work in various ways. (I've never tried Colace. But I've dissolved Epsom salts in water to drink and achieved the same effect, I imagine. But this remedy was for after 4 - 5 days without going.)
I would have no idea which might be best for you. But I've had success at times with psyllium fiber. It is a natural fiber that causes bulk that causes movement in the bowels and it is also a stool softener. I highly recommend this to help you recover and regulate.
Another one I used to use very often is Cascara Sagrada, an herb. It stimulates peristalsis. I've had to take one or two practically daily for years. And depending on what's happening physically and emotionally, it can help within an hour, several hours, or within a couple of days. But usually within 2 hours or up to 12 hours.
However, I've learned (finally) to take magnesium on a regular basis. I wish I could recommend a particular type or brand or dosage, but it is very confusing to me. I take a bunch - a recommended amount, nothing outrageous - right before bed. It not only helps with sleep, but it definitely helps with bowel movements. In the morning, once your bowels have normalized a bit, you will have a movement when you get out of bed. Pretty much.
I used to go days, too. Sometimes 4 or so; and I've been very miserable. This magnesium is the key.
I agree of course that diet and water affect your bowel health and regularity. But that might take awhile for you to figure out for yourself. But I will also say that my mother ate the healthiest diet I could ever imagine - organic, whole grain, and vegetarian. So plenty of fiber; plenty of vegetables. But she still struggled with constipation - she's the person who told me about Cascara Sagrada.
But magnesium is they key. I currently take Magnesium Orotate from Swanson's plus MagEnhance. 1 each. just fyi.
And I totally understand the stress of teaching. Been there, myself.