Hello everyone! I am a NYS Licensed Doctor of Acupuncture and I am here to talk about the different ailments people in society may be faced with. Today I will talk about constipation.
Many suffer from constipation, and some that do are totally unaware that they are constipated. If you are not moving your bowels on a daily basis, that should be cause for concern and something you should perhaps discuss with your primary care physician and/or gastroenterologist. Constipation is considered difficult and/or infrequent defecation with the passage of hard-dry stools as well as sluggish bowel movements. Symptoms associated with constipation include: abdominal pain, belching, focal distention in the epigastrium and abdomen, and lack of appetite. Impairment of the large intestine's function to transport and guide turbidity downwards is an important factor in constipation. In some cases in Chinese medicine, dysfunction of the spleen, stomach, lung and kidney can also promote constipation.
Basic etiology and pathogenesis to constipation are:
- Constitutional yang excess and accumulation of heat in the intestine and stomach:
Overindulgence in alcohol, spicy and sweet foods when there is a pre-existing yang excess condition can exacerbate the accumulation of heat in the stomach and intestines. Residual heat following a bacterial or viral infection tends to consume body fluid and decreases lubrication in the intestines. - Another potential cause of constipation is Qi stagnation:
Worry, depression, stress or lack of physical activity can impair the transporting and descending function of Qi. If lung qi does not disperse and descend, it will affect the qi flow in the large intestine, and consequently, intestinal content accumulates and is not eliminated. - Another cause can be due to yang deficiency with internal cold:
Yang deficiency due to chronic illness, aging or overindulgence of food and herbs cold in nature produces internal cold which accumulates in the intestines and stomach. Because cold congeals, the flow of yang qi and fluid in the intestines becomes sluggish and results in constipation.
For the 3 more reasons that you may be suffering from constipation, be sure to check this out: