There are a lot of ways to cure your constipation, and some of these methods work better than others. However, the methods that work extremely well can also come with the biggest set of side effects. One perfect example of this is the chronic use of laxatives to as a constipation remedy. While this can work on a long term basis, it can cause damage to you gastrointestinal tract that you may never recover from. The first thing to remember when using laxatives is that they are not meant to be used for extended periods of time. If you find yourself relying on them for over even a week, you really need to consider other options to protect the health of your body.
This might seem discouraging, because using laxatives is often the only source of relief that many people can find when they’re seeking to limit their constipation symptoms. They might feel hopeless that anything else can match the efficacy of their laxative of choice, but this is simply not true. There are plenty of herbal constipation remedies out there that are absolutely exploding in terms of their popularity. People are just going towards herbal constipation remedies as they see that the processed, manufactured and synthetic options just aren’t a healthy choice for their body over the long run.
One such herbal remedy is Aloe Vera. It’s long been used to relieve the pain from skin burns and heal all sorts of cuts and contusions, but it’s not often used for relieving constipation – until now. When you take it for constipation, it actually acts as a natural laxative that stimulates the colon in the same way as other man made laxatives, but in a much gentler and natural way. You’ll get constipation relief that you want, without the lasting side effects that something like ex-lax is going to cause you. That’ s just asking for a chemical imbalance or permanent damage to your GI tract.
Other common herbal remedies are psyllium husks and flaxseed. While flaxseed has been covered in other articles, we have not fully fleshed out what psyllium husks are and what they can do for you in terms of your constipation issues. Like flax and other sources, psyllium husks have a large amount of soluble and insoluble fiber, making them the ideal natural choice for clearing out your system. If you can’t find them at your local herbal supplement store, then you can order them online relatively cheaply. They work by expanding the level of fiber in your stomach and absorbing a lot of the water that’s in your colon. This helps you to form stools that are soft and easy to pass instead of hard, impacted stools that cause pain during a bowel movement.
With all of these herbal constipation remedies, it’s crucial to increase your water intake. All of these work by drawing extra water from your body into your stools, so that means you’ll soon have a shortage of water if you don’t supplement adequately. The recommended intake of water that the government publishes, which is 8 glasses a day, is a good place to start. Normally this is actually too much water to drink on a daily basis, but with your natural constipation remedies that you’ll be using, it’s a good adjustment to make. The last thing you want to do is dehydrate your body in an attempt to quell your constipation symptoms. That would just be substituting one problem for another!
