Lifestyle Changes Key to Preventing Constipation Over Medication

Udaipur, - Constipation, increasingly common in today's fast-paced lifestyle, is wreaking havoc on the well-being of individuals, but according to renowned Ayurvedic specialist Dr. Shobhalal Audichya from Udaipur, partial improvements in lifestyle could help prevent it.

He pointed out that constipation is affecting many people nowadays, primarily due to irregular eating habits, inadequate water intake, excessive stress, and sedentary behavior in modern lifestyles. Especially, those who reduce their physical activity or have sedentary jobs are more likely to suffer from constipation.

**The Main Causes of Constipation:**

Dr. Audichya explained that consuming excessive junk food and fast food exacerbates constipation. Other factors include inadequate water intake, drinking water immediately after meals, excessive consumption of tea, coffee, alcoholic beverages, excessive consumption of dry fruits, staying awake late at night, stress, fear, lack of physical exercise, irregular eating habits, overeating, indigestion, fever, anemia, hemorrhoids, and habitual retention of stool.

**Identifying Constipation Symptoms:**

He further explained that delaying defecation during bowel movements, hard stool with a foul odor, the presence of lumps in stool, difficulty passing stool, feeling of heaviness in the abdomen, bloating, flatulence, mild abdominal pain, laziness, insomnia, and headaches (migraines) are symptoms associated with constipation.

**Diagnosis of Constipation:**

Dr. Audichya mentioned that in children, habits such as feeding while watching mobile phones, feeding children packaged foods, not instilling the habit of timely bowel movements in children, and even restraining children from defecating due to fear when they go to school are major reasons as well.

He also stated that in constipation, the power of evacuating feces becomes weak.

**Prevention Measures:**

Dr. Audichya recommended avoiding excessive, long-cooked food, consuming potatoes, peas, wheat roti, puri, kachori, chips, chaat, patties, pasta, burger, pizza, and cold drinks, as these contribute to constipation.

**What to Consume:**

He advised consuming according to one’s constitution ghee from cow’s milk, aloe vera juice, and amla, moong masoor dal, spinach, pumpkin, wheat roti, green vegetables, coriander chutney, mango, papaya, orange, grapes, melon, guava, fig, raisin, dates, currants, yogurt, green vegetables, bottle gourd, bitter gourd, pointed gourd, pumpkin. These items can help alleviate constipation.

**Treatment of Constipation:**

Dr. Audichya suggested yoga therapy such as Pawanmuktasana, Halasana, Trikonasana, Mandukasana, Shashankasana, Gomukhasana, Vakrasana, Paschimottanasana, Halasana, Shalabhasana, Matsyasana, Utkatasana, Ardhamatsyendrasana, and Pranayama such as Agnisar, Kapalabhati for constipation relief.

He also mentioned Ayurvedic medicines such as Udavartahar Churna, Panchsakar Churna, Taruni Kusumakar Churna, Triphala Churna, Haritaki Churna, Kalamegh Churna, Bhoomyamalaki Churna, Abhyarishta, Kumaryasava, Drakshasava, which could be helpful.

Similarly, in Panchakarma treatment, Abhyanga, Swedana, Nabhi Basti, Niruha Basti, Anuvashan Basti, Virechana could be helpful.

Moreover, in natural therapies, he recommended hot water fomentation on the abdomen, abdominal mud packs, hot-cold fomentation on the abdomen, abdominal wrapping, and enema. These natural therapies could help in the treatment of constipation.