Natural and Effective Relief for Constipation

For people who are usually under high stress, living a rushed and hectic life, taking medications or just having inherently slow-moving bowels, constipation can quite often be a frequent and painful occurrence in their lives. All of the above reasons, combined with the lack of fiber intake in their diet, lack of exercise, dehydration or even the advancement of age will all lead to slower metabolism, waste buildup in the intestines and irregular bowel movements. Unknown to a lot of people, not being able to excrete waste product from their body can have dangerous effects in the long run. Constipation, left untreated, can lead to weight gain, the development of heart disease, high blood pressure, fatigue, frequent feeling of anger and depression. Fortunately, constipation is a condition that can be easily treated and prevented with simple and natural methods that are readily accessible to everyone.

Most fruits and vegetables are high in fiber and water content, and should be included in everyone's daily diet. Having 3 to 5 servings of fruits and veggies per day will definitely be beneficial to digestion and overall health. Other foods, such as whole grains, walnuts, pistachios and almonds also have loads of fiber, contain lots of "good" fats and are great to include in the diet. All of the above foods are commonly known and readily available in grocery stores, but to people who have stubborn constipation conditions, simply eating these may not be enough to relieve their problem. For patients who have a long history of constipation or more severe symptoms, it is necessary to bring on the powerhouses of natural laxatives.

4 Powerful Natural Remedies for Constipation
Sweet Potato: Wash and peel a sweet potato (2 servings), and cut into small cubes. Put the cubed sweet potato into a pot, add water to pot until the water reach about an inch above the sweet potato cubes, and bring to boil. Cook under high heat for about 15 minutes with open lid, and reduce heat to medium-low. Cover with lid and cook for about 30 more minutes and remove from heat. Cool for about 10 minutes and pour into serving bowls with water. Mix 1 teaspoon of honey per serving. Have one serving in the morning and one serving at night. For better results, take while warm.

Black Sesame Seeds: Toast 2 tablespoons of black sesame seeds and grind into fine powder. Pour powder into a bowl and add one cup of boiling water. Add 1 tablespoon of honey and drink the mixture twice per day, one in the morning and one in the evening.

Aloe Vera: Eat about 1/3 ounce of raw aloe vera per day. (Aloe has a bitter taste that may not be pleasing to many people. Take aloe with some honey will also do the trick and will taste a lot better.)

Banana: Cooked bananas are much more effective as a laxative than raw ones. Peel some bananas and steam over water for 20 minutes until soft and mushy. Add some sugar or honey to make a sweet banana mash and take one banana in the morning and one in the evenings.

Massage for the Bowel to Aid Regulation
In addition to the food remedies listed above, there is one very simple massage to do everyday right before turning in for the night to further help with bowel regulation and help you de-stress into a sound night of sleep. Just lie flat on the back each night just before sleep with feet flat on the bed and knees bent. Rub hands rapidly against each other to generate heat and put hands on the lower abdomen one on top of the other. Use the belly button as the center, rub the abdomen clock-wise around the belly button for five minutes and it's done.

Prescription medications for constipation and irregular bowel movement are available, but they are expensive and have risky side effects, so most of the time, people are very tentative about using them for their conditions. These natural remedies are very safe and have a proven reputation of being extremely effective for quick relief of constipation and prevention of its recurrence. Include a little more natural laxatives in your diet every day and do that little massage for yourself each night, and you can say, "so long and farewell" to constipation!