By constipation is meant a condition in which there are infrequent and irregular movements of the bowels. But the cause and degree of constipation differ to such an extent in different cases that sometimes it is necessary to observe other signs connected with the trouble.

Acute constipation

Acute constipation usually requires correction of the causative disease or condition. All laxative drugs should be discontinued and the bowels cleansed by the use of tepid enemas. Exercise should be continued if there are no harmful results. The diet should be modified so that constipating foods are avoided and laxative foods or foods with bulk substituted. Salad and green vegetables, fruits and whole-grain products are some of these foods. The diet may be somewhat broader than these sug-gested, but these should be the predominating foods.

In acute constipation, there usually is some other acute disease, especially those accompanied by fever. Sometimes there is intestinal obstruction or a more or less paralysis resulting from the use of drugs inhibiting intestinal secretions. Often there has been merely an extra consumption of constipating food, or cessation of exercise when one has been accustomed to exercise.

Chronic Constipation

Chronic constipation is the most common condition. Thousands of people are and for years have been constipated. Some of the more important causes of this condition are an inactive life, conditions that lower the nerve and muscular tone and the circulation, such as neurasthenia, anemia, drug habits, resort to drug laxa-tives, neglect of nature’s calls, excessive eating, deficien-cy of foods with bulk impoper mastication and wrong combinations of food .

Symptoms of Constipation

Practically everyone knows the meaning of constipation when the condition itself or the name appliedto it is encountered. But a great many people are constipated while being unaware of the fact. If a man or woman eats three meals a day and has one bowel elimination daily that person usually is constipated. Many persons have one bowel movement a day or every second day and give it no thought. They may have from three to six or eight meals in the bowels, whereas they should have at most three meals in the bowels by having an elimination for every mean consumed. Naturally, if a person is eating sparingly there may be inadequate stimulation of the rectal nerve to cause an elimination after each meal. With a very limited diet one may safely have one elimination a day even when eating three times daily, provided there are no flesh foods to undergo putrefaction, and only a minimum of starches to undergo fermentation.

Treatment of Constipation

Practically all cases of constipation canbe corrected. Naturally, if there is some obstruction of a mechanical nature, this may need correction by some means other than natural treatment. These cases are comparatively few. One of the best means of improving bowel activity is by resting the bowels and permitting them to recover their normal tone. To provide this rest nothing should be permitted to enter them. This calls for the fast or the fruit juice diet. If fruit juices are taken they are absorbed and no residue reaches the bowels. It Is permissible to thoroughly cleanse the colon at the beginning of the fast by a high colonic irrigation or by a series of enemas. Once the bowels are cleansed by any of these method s and no food given by mouth the bowels begin to rest. This rest may continue for from three to ten days, depending upon general conditions . Nothing should be done to aid the bowels to move during this time after they have been cleansed as suggested.

One must obtain sufficient rest and sleep to permit of recovery or maintenance of normal nerve-tone. The bowels can not function well or continue to function well if the nerve-tone is allowed to reduce to any appreciable extent.

Another treatment of benefit is cold abdominal packs or the cold or hot and cold sitz-bath. The cold packs may be used daily for twenty to thirty minutes for a number of weeks with benefit. The sitz-bath may be used daily or every second day. If a cold sitz alone is used, it may continue for from one-half minute to three minutes, depending upon the water temperature and reactive powers. If alternate hot an cold sitz-baths are used the hot should be taken for three minutes and the cold for thirty to sixty seconds, and both may be repeated if desired.