Relief for Constipation
Could Water be the answer?

IBS sufferers, particularly IBS-C'ers need reliable relief for constipation, and in our consumer-driven society, there is certainly no lack of products to try out. A seemingly endless supply of pills, potions, natural remedies and other 'substances' are available for us to try, each offering varying degrees of success.

The problem with these constipation relief remedies, is that many of them are not good, or are even dangerous for us to use on a long-term basis.

Generally speaking, by far the most common form of constipation is 'slow transit' constipation. This is where digested food - once it reaches the large intestine, has practically had all the nutrients and liquid removed from it, leaving a dry hard stool.

In normal bowel function, there is sufficient liquid left in the stool to allow it to pass freely through the intestine, but the problems occur when too much liquid has been extracted, making dry-hard stools that are difficult to pass.

This forces the bowel to create high-pressure waves in order to move the stubborn stools along the digestive tract, and this in-turn can lead to all sorts of long-term problems including Diverticulitis, Hiatus Hernia, Varicose veins, Hemorrhoids and Anal Fissures. All pretty nasty stuff that I'm sure most of us wouldn't want to get involved with if we could possibly help it.

It is suggested that the vast majority of the western world population (up to 90 percent!), spend their lives in a dehydrated state.

We live on diuretic beverages such as tea, coffee, sweetened fizzy drinks, and alcohol - all of which encourage the body to expel liquid, and thus leave us with hydration levels far below what they should be for good health.


I'm sure by now, we've all heard health and fitness guru's preaching about the importance of drinking anything from eight to fifteen 8oz glasses of water a day, well, I'm afraid to say, but there is no denying it, they are totally right.

However, just drinking more water will only provide partial relief for constipation. It is vital to include fiber in the diet - preferably soluble fiber (things such as fruit and vegetables). It should also be understood that insoluble fiber (as opposed to soluble fiber), in many cases can actually be an irritant to the bowel, so should be avoided if this is found to be the case. Insoluble fiber includes things like Oats, Barley, Apples, Oranges, Carrots, Dried Beans etc.

It's often difficult to judge how much water we drink throughout the day. Personally I used to find that even if I started the day with good intentions and consumed a few glasses of water throughout the morning, by lunchtime I would usually have forgotten how many glasses I'd had, or just forgot to drink any more for the rest of the day.

I have since solved this problem with a very simple solution suggested to me by Kev; Each morning I fill up an empty 2 liter plastic cola bottle with water (I prefer filtered water), and slowly 'chip away' at it throughout the day.

As long as I have emptied the bottle by the end of the day I know I have consumed my daily quota. It's not that hard to do either, if you keep your glass topped up at all times, you may find yourself constantly sipping at it without really giving it much thought.

Conclusion
I can say with hand on heart, this has personally helped me in my battle with IBS-C, and is a valuable tool in the search for long-term relief for constipation. I thoroughly reccomend this to anyone, especially my fellow IBS sufferers. Not only will it help towards preventing your IBS-C, being fully hydrated will also leave you feeling much more alert, awake and energised.

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