How and why we experience constipation/diarrhea.
In: Biology
Constipation occurs when your bowel has trouble moving waste out of your system. Low fiber in your diet, dehydration, and lack of exercise are common causes.
The longer food is in your bowel the more moisture gets drained out of it making it harder to pass through your system. Eating more fiber keeps moisture in your poop, as does staying hydrated.
Certain medications also cause constipation, opioid medications for example are notorious for causing constipation.
The good news is it’s usually easily treated. Simple changes to your diet and fiber supplements will treat chronic constipation in most people.
Diarrhea is often caused by your bowel trying to get something out. Illness like bacterial or viral infections, eating bad food, or toxins and allergies can cause diarrhea.
It’s your bodies way of trying to get the bad stuff out of your system as quickly as possible.
It can also happen randomly and without apparent cause.
Medications like Imodium can stop Diarrhea but you have to consider that your body is trying to get something potentially toxic out of you, so you might be better off letting it happen.
If you get diarrhea or constipation frequently consult a doctor as they can be a sign of, or lead to, serious conditions.
It could be something like IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome), or they could be a sign of more serious conditions like Bowel Cancer, bleeding, or diverticulitis **but before you freak out these are very unlikely**.
Even if you don’t have a serious condition changes to your diet or medication could give you some relief.
Undiagnosed allergies, and lactose intolerance for example can cause serious bowel problems and are very easily treated once you know you have them.
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