What is constipation?

Constipation is a symptom of many diseases, not just one disease. Generally, its main symptom is a significant decrease in the frequency of bowel movements, and going to the toilet only once every two or three days or even longer, and there is no regularity. Long-term constipation will seriously affect the patient's gastrointestinal tract. So, what is constipation? Let’s take a brief look at it!

Constipation can be mild or severe and can be temporary or long-lasting. Since the causes of constipation are many and complex, once constipation occurs, especially severe and prolonged constipation, such patients should go to the hospital for examination in time to find out the cause of the constipation to avoid delaying the diagnosis and treatment of the primary disease, and to solve the pain of constipation in a timely, correct and effective manner. Do not abuse laxatives.

Traditional Chinese medicine believes that after food enters the stomach, is digested by the stomach and transformed by the spleen, and the essence is absorbed, the remaining dregs become feces. This is mainly due to the digestion and transformation functions of the stomach and spleen, "stomach qi fails to descend" and "spleen fails to function properly", and the dregs accumulate in the body and cause constipation. Zhang Zhongjing listed Chengqi Decoction as a symptom of "spleen deficiency" because "the spleen cannot transport body fluids for the stomach", and believed that the disease was related to cold, heat and qi stagnation.

Cause Analysis

(1) Heat accumulation in the stomach and intestines: This is caused by alcoholism and spicy food, or by residual heat after typhoid fever, which causes loss of body fluids and leads to dryness of the intestines.

(2) Stagnation of Qi: Worrying and feeling uncomfortable, sitting for long periods of time and not moving much can cause Qi to stagnate, resulting in the inability of Qi to spread and descend, and dysfunction of Qi conduction. This causes waste to accumulate in the body and not be able to descend, leading to constipation.

(3) Deficiency of Qi, Blood, Yin and Body Fluid: Internal injuries caused by overwork, physical weakness after illness, childbirth and old age, which can lead to deficiency of body fluid, Qi, blood or both. If Qi is deficient, the large intestine will be unable to conduct electricity.

(4) Yin-cold stagnation: In people with yang deficiency or the elderly, cold stagnates the intestines. Cold stagnates and blocks yang, causing fluid to stagnate, the intestines to become blocked, and the bowels become blocked, leading to constipation.

Patients with severe constipation must eat more fresh fruits and vegetables. Regular consumption of fruits and vegetables can also be a good treatment for constipation. In daily life, you should not eat too much spicy and greasy food. Otherwise, it will aggravate constipation, so patients must pay special attention to it!