Constipation: 6 Ways to Unblock Yourself

You’re bloated and blocked. You strain on the toilet with no results — or with results that are painful. You’re constipated.

Constipation is common. Sometimes it stems from stress. Other times it comes from bad diet or lifestyle choices. Still other times, it’s brought on by a medical condition that requires a doctor’s attention.

You can find relief, though, whether your constipation is a typical case or something more serious. The difference comes in how you find relief.

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1. Solutions are simple for most people

Most of the time constipation happens because you’re not eating the right foods, you’re not drinking enough water and you’re not exercising enough. So the fixes are straightforward: Move more, drink more water and add fiber to your diet to add bulk to your stool. Some of the patients have had success taking probiotics, too, to change the composition of the bacteria in the gut.

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2. Make time to move your bowels

This may sound simple, but people don’t always make bathroom time a priority. Try waking up earlier to eat breakfast and then move your bowels. Food can stimulate the need to go, and your home bathroom may be more relaxing. But don’t avoid public bathrooms when you feel the urge, either. Delaying a bowel movement can make constipation worse.

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3. Look to your plate

Have you made a major change in your diet? Sometimes drastic changes to what you eat can cause constipation. For example, if you suddenly cut all fat from your diet, it’s easy to get blocked up. This can occur in weightlifters who eat all protein, no fat. It can happen in people with eating disorders, too. You don’t want to overdo fat, but you need a little to move things through your bowel.

4. When to see a doctor

Sometimes simple changes are not enough. If your constipation is more than just a short-term bother, if it’s not responding to treatments and if it lasts for weeks, get yourself checked out to exclude more serious medical causes. Chronic constipation can be a sign of conditions such as hyperthyroidism, hypercalcemia, celiac disease or irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). It’s especially important to see a professional if you have other symptoms such as dizziness, fatigue, cramping or spasms.

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5. Fiber is not always the answer

Fiber works for most people, but not all. If fiber makes you more bloated and blocked than before, it could mean many different things. For example, in “slow transit constipation,” a condition where the bowel does not move things quickly through, fiber just sits there in your gut and can make you feel worse. Long story short: If fiber makes you worse, don’t just add more. Seek help.

6. If your constipation is serious, you have options

People with slow motility or IBS don’t have a cure for constipation, but you can treat it. There’s a wide range of laxatives available, plus pro-motility drugs that a doctor can prescribe. Sometimes at-home remedies can bring relief, too, including increasing dietary vegetable or mineral oil to lubricate the bowels. For people with celiac disease or wheat intolerance, cutting out gluten can make a world of difference.  

Here’s the bottom line: Try simple fixes first, but if they fail, don’t suffer needlessly. See a doctor — and find out what treatments can get your bowels moving again.

Source: Cleveland Clinic

How You Can Deal With Anal Fissures

Anytime you have pain, bleeding and itching in your anal area, you’re going to worry.

First, these are all uncomfortable sensations — there’s no getting around that. And second, they can be scary and make you wonder, “What’s going on?”

Many patients will assume hemorrhoids are to blame, but there’s another common culprit behind symptoms such as these: anal fissures.

Anal fissures are small tears in the skin around your anus. They commonly cause itching and bleeding, and they tend to cause more pain than most types of hemorrhoids. When you have these symptoms, a doctor can help you get an accurate diagnosis — and the right kind of relief.

Risk factors — and how to lower them

Anal fissures can happen to just about anyone, but there are definitely factors that raise your risk. Constipation is a major one. Hard stool and straining on the toilet can put stress on your body and lead to these tears.

The same is true of diarrhea, even though it’s quite different from constipation. Anytime you have a change in your bowel habits that puts stress on your system, your risk goes up. That’s why we often see people come in with anal fissures after traveling, when changing diets put the digestive system to the test. Likewise, childbirth and the resulting stress on the body’s muscles and tissues can lead to fissures.

Fortunately, you can take preventive steps to lower your risk. They’re fairly simple:

• Drink plenty of water. Hydration helps you avoid constipation.
• Take an over-the-counter stool softener to avoid hard, dry bowel movements. Keeping things flowing through your body can help you avoid fissures. This is often good advice after childbirth in particular.
• Watch your diet, and make sure you’re getting plenty of fiber and leafy greens. For protein, choose lean meats and fish over red meat. And don’t eliminate all fat from your diet, because fat and oil are good lubricants that keep your digestive tract functioning properly.

What to do if you have a fissure

First, a doctor will want to rule out hemorrhoids or other conditions with similar symptoms, as well as abscesses, infections or other more serious concerns.

Next, in conjunction with the lifestyle changes outlined above, treatment for a fissure usually starts conservatively with simple at-home fixes and conservative medical therapy.

At home: A “sitz bath” — soaking in warm, but not hot, water several times a day — works wonders for many patients. The pain many people feel before or right after a bowel movement comes from muscle spasms brought on by the anal fissure. Warm baths help those muscles relax, which in turn helps the fissure heal over time.

Medical management: Medical therapy targets the muscles, too. A doctor may offer an ointment that relaxes the anal muscles so the fissure can heal, minus the spasms. A numbing agent such as lidocaine is an option, too, but I tend not to use it because it can add to the burning and irritation.

Surgical options: When conservative treatments don’t work, there are two simple outpatient surgical options. One is a Botox injection into the anal muscles. This basically paralyzes the muscle to prevent spasms and allow the fissure to heal. The other option is sphincterotomy, a strategic cut to the muscle that also relieves spasms. Both come with a healing time of around two weeks.

The best option comes down to your individual needs. For example, a sphincterotomy has a slight risk of causing long-term bowel control issues, so it is not recommended for people who already have those issues. The same is true of people with Crohn’s disease or HIV, two groups with an increased risk of anal fissures. For these populations, Botox may be a better option if surgery is required.

The bottom line — is that you have plenty of options to treat this irritating condition. When you suspect an anal fissure, see a doctor to confirm those suspicions and find out which options are best for you.

Source: Cleveland Clinic

Your Colonoscopy: 7 Common Myths Debunked

Myth #1: “I’m not at risk for colon cancer.”

The truth is: Everyone is at risk, One in eighteen American men and women will get colon cancer in their lifetime. Adults above age 50 need to have a colonoscopy because the great majority of colorectal polyps – which are the precursors of colon cancer – occur after age 50. Removing polyps prevents colorectal cancer.

Myth #2: “If I don’t have any symptoms, I don’t need a colonoscopy.”

In nearly all cases, colon cancer starts as a precancerous growth in your colon, which usually doesn’t cause symptoms. A colonoscopy detects polyps so doctors can remove them before they turn into cancer. The idea is to do this before they cause symptoms. On average, endoscopists performing colonoscopies find precancerous polyps in 15 percent of women and 25 percent of men age 50 or over.

Myth #3: “There’s no way I can drink that prep stuff!”

Drinking a bowel preparation is one of the leading deterrents to having colonoscopy. The good news: Today’s bowel prep is easier than before. Rather than having to choke down a gallon of solution, patients can choose half-gallon options. What’s more, many physicians prescribe a split dose, where you take half the prep the night before and the other half on the morning of the procedure.

Myth #4: “A colonoscopy isn’t accurate.”

In 2008, a study reporting that colonoscopies may not completely protect against getting colon cancer gained a lot of media attention. But in that study, many colonoscopies were not complete and performed by general internists and family physicians who may not have had adequate experience to do the colonoscopy well.

More recent studies confirm that experience really matters when you choose who performs your colonoscopies. For a high quality colonoscopy, make sure your physician has specialized training in performing colonoscopies and tracks his or her outcomes as part of performance improvement.

Myth #5: “A colonoscopy is too painful!” or “I can’t be sedated enough.”

Actually, 99 percent of patients are adequately sedated through conscious sedation or twilight sleep and can be comfortable during their colonoscopy. Most patients don’t even remember the exam! Some hospitals also offer monitored anesthesia care for patients who require deeper sedation. 

Myth #6: “It’s too risky. My friend had his colon perforated during a colonoscopy.”

When performed by specially trained professionals, colonoscopies are extremely safe. The risk of perforation is less than 1 in 1,000 cases, and the risk of bleeding is less than 1 percent.

Myth #7: “If I get colorectal cancer, then it was meant to be.”

Not true. Colon cancer is preventable. Here’s how: Begin screening for colon cancer (colonoscopy is the preferred screening strategy) at age 50, or earlier if you have risk factors. Other things you can do: Improve your diet, maintain a normal body weight, exercise and avoid smoking.

Source: Cleveland Clinic