What is Constipation
Constipation is an infrequent or a difficult bowel movement. It is a symptom, not a disease, and is defined as having a bowel movement less than 3 times a week. If you do not have a bowel movement daily it does not mean that you are constipated. Normal bowel movements could happen 3 times in a single day, or even 3 times in a week.

When a person is constipated the stools will usually be dry, hard, small in size, and very difficult and painful to eliminate.

Everyone experiences constipation at some time in their lives.

What Causes Constipation
As the digested food moves through our colon, the colon absorbs nutrients and water from it, forming the stool to be eliminated. Muscle contractions help the stool to move further and get eliminated from the body.

Constipation usually occurs when too much water has been absorbed by the colon and the stools get dry and hard. The muscles find it difficult to pass them through the colon.

The main blame for constipation almost always goes to a poor diet and lifestyle. There are many other causes for constipation which could include one or more of the following. Read the rest of this entry »