If I ask you to list your priorities, I think it would be something like this
1. Job
2.Family
3.Friends
4.Looking cool on social media
.
.
10000. Health
I am not exaggerating. We, the selfie taking, snapchat loving, fast food eating, staying up overnight generation, hardly have time to pause and think about our health.
A few years ago, after living off on a diet of takeaway pizza, tetra pack juices and India’s favourite instant noodles, something happened. Rather something stopped happening. Waking up in the mornings was painful; I did not feel like eating anything and I would just be restless. For the first few days, my friends assumed that I just had my periods and that was the reason for my crankiness but when it continued on to the next week, they were concerned. I confided in someone and told them all about it. Instead of getting some well-meaning advice I heard laughter. It was one of the most embarrassing moments of my life.
Since I was staying in a hostel at that point of time, I didn’t have my mom to talk to and I was not sure of which doctor to visit in a new city. The result? I was constipated for a month and I chose to bear the pain and try all the nonsensical home remedies instead of going to the doctor.
When I finally could no longer take it, I went to the nearest hospital and inaudibly mumbled “I have constipation” when the kind doctor asked me what was wrong.
My doctor nearly screamed at me when she heard what I had been doing. I had tried everything, from having a teaspoon of castor oil to eating bananas all day in a bid to facilitate my bowel movements. Nothing worked. She made me realize how irresponsible I had been with my health and when I look back to those painful days, I realize that I had been underperforming on all my important projects, and was generally quite short tempered for no reason. Constipation in India is a silent disease. It not only affects physical health but also wreaks havoc with your mind. When you are obsessed about getting better and at the same time wanting to hide your condition from others, nothing matters. I realize I was stupid. Constipation was just like any other disease yet for some reason I was convinced that it would make the butt of all jokes.
I want to highlight 7 quick facts about Constipation through my blog:
- A“normal” bowel routine can range anywhere from 3 bowel movements a day, to 3 bowel movements a week. If you feel that your bowel movements have been irregular, then consult a doctor, it’s better to be safe than sorry, my friend.
- Some important signs of constipation are hard, dry stools that are difficult to pass, the need to strain and the feeling of an incomplete bowel movement.
- Constipation can occur because of a lack of healthy diet. Do you know that we need to take in at least 25 to 35 grams of fibre daily. Also, doctors go hoarse telling us to drink at least 2 liters of water daily, yet we rarely pay heed to their advice. Lack of enough fluids in the body can be a major contributor to constipation.
- The Indian toilets are ideal especially when you have constipation. If you are not comfortable using it, do try Constipasana, where you use a footrest while sitting on a western toilet. It will help you ease your bowel movements.
- Never ignore the nature’s call. No matter where you are. You will just increase your chances of getting constipation.
- Physical exercise is important. You may be dead tired after a hard day at work, but take some time out for your health. Health is wealth, is not just a clever rhyme; it is the truth.
- People who have suffered from constipation often complain of anxiety, physical discomfort, poor appetite, depression, poor sexual satisfaction, stress and reduced confidence, all of which lead to a poorer quality of life.
You can save yourself the trouble simply by visiting a doctor. I cannot stress enough on the fact that it is important to go to a doctor and not rely on home remedies.
I hope you found our open and candid Constipation Conversations useful and that our quick facts helped you learn something new.
Disclaimer: I attended a panel discussion on constipation awareness facilitated by Abbott India Limited. Any opinion expressed in this blog is my personal opinion and not the opinion of Abbott India Limited. Abbott India Limited does not assume any liability for the content of the blog. The blog post is not meant to be a replacement for a doctor consultation, nor is it a medical recommendation or prescription of treatment for people having constipation problems. Any reader of this blog suffering from constipation problems should specifically consult his/her doctor for the same and follow the suggested course of treatment
We remember the day seven years back when were travelling in a Mumbai local trying hard to come up with a name for our blog when struck us; Khushboo was always called a Jack of all Trades. The name stuck (with a slight modification, of course) and Munni was born.
Six years, over 100 collaborations, lakhs of readers and several awards later; our love for blogging continues to grow. We continue to write on an eclectic range of topics from the funniest autorickshaw signs that we have spotted in Mumbai to how to bathe an elephant. We are true blue Munni of all Trades and we hope to continue on this joyride with our fellow Munnis and Munnas.
Lots of great information and points on a subject few of us want to acknowledge and talk about. Yet, as you say, it is a very important consideration for our health and well-being. So many of us simply take our health for granted and that is not a very smart thing to do. The better we look after our system, the longer we are likely to enjoy a happier and longer life. Thank you for this worthwhile post.
I am glad you liked reading the post. Constipation can be an embarrassing topic to discuss with your family and friends but it is very important that we do so. Visiting a doctor at the right time can reduce the unnecessary pain and discomfort.
Health is indeed the most important aspect of our lives.. need to take care of it.. The detailed info on constipation is really very useful.. My sister-in-law suffers from severe constipation.. will pass on the info to her.
I hope your sister in law has already visited a doctor and she is taking the recommended medications. It is important that we get help in time and not follow home remedies blindly. Food habits and regular exercise helps, too 🙂
A healthier diet actually helps tremendously. I used to have serious bowel issues and the one thing that helped the fastest was eating better. It definitely made me more regular.
This was incredibly informative and will definitely be a huge aid to some people I know! Thanks for sharing, I’ll be sure to pass it on! xx
Lots of love,
Marina Rosie xx
http://marinawriteslife.blogspot.fr/
useful post! Life style and diet are so, so important! and health should be our number one priority because the rest of them depend on it! x
I understand healthier diet is very important. I eat fibers in good quantity to gt rid of constipation.
Just right now, my sister is having a constipation and she was uncomfortable to talk about it. I wont really mind talking about it, because it’s about health. Even my husband tells me to lower down my voice when I talk about it. Anyways, I told my sister to eat a lot of fiber and drink a lot of liquid. She’s been eating unhealthy and now she’s suffering. This is a very informative posts and I will forward it to her. Thank you!
How awful that you waited a whole month before seeing a doctor. You must have been so uncomfortable. I am glad that you have shared this post and offered good advise to people who may suffer from a similar situation. I agree uncluding fibre and drinking water will definitely help to kerp you constipation free.
I’ve been so busy lately with so many things on my plate that needs to be done. This post is a great reminder that we should value our health more than anything else. I as well experience constipation several times and truly it always bother which leads to a lot cynical things. Yes, having an exercise is always the best, I get to go back to gym soon. Thank you so much for sharing this with us.
It depends on the age of the person you are talking to though. If you are talking to a senior citizen, health becomes number one. Unfortunately, sometime at that age, conditions may be too late to reverse. No one really likes talking about constipation, but it is a real big problem if you have it. Prevent while you can.
Good on your for writing this. I suffer with IBS so I can totally relate to this, we do need to talk about health more!
Constipation for a month?! That’s a serious condition. I poo daily before going to work. I’ll be worried if I missed my daily bowel movement,
By the way, eating Bananas won’t help you in your bowel movement. It’ll just make it worst. As far as I know, Banana is for when you’re having diarrhea or hyperacidity.
I think many people are constipated right now because of the eating habits they have. Taking dietary fiber supplements and psyllium husk may help.
Hahaha! I love how you’ve beautifully written in words, about a topic, which is very difficult to discuss! I’ve been hearing about Constipasana, and how Indian toilet is so much more sensible than western commodes!!!
GOOD STUFF TO REMIND US OF HOW MUCH IMPORTANT OUR HEALTH IS AND SHOULD BE, YOU DID WELL TO POINT OUT THE FACTS HERE TOO, AM AMAZED AT HOW SO LITTLE YET SO MUCH HAPPENS WHEN WE DONT GIVE OURSELVES FULL HEALTH ATTENTION.,
A healthy diet is really important. It’s really important that we are aware of detecting and remedies for constipation.
Once I was in the hospital, I saw a patient complaining of no bowel movement. He looked like a woman having labor. Our natural biological process should not be obstructed and we should have a proper treatment for our bodies. Constipation sounds like a simple discomfort, but it can lead to a more serious complication if not resolved quickly, and this article here is a testimony.
Important health issue and it has to be addressed. Health is wealth after all. Sadly, like you said, we give least priority to it. Sometimes, I think squat toilets are better.
informative post! i didnt know that was the normal range. learn something new every day
Health is so important! It should always be our top priority. But we alway feel invincible, until we find out we’re not. Great focus on constipation here. Good to be more aware! And I think a lot of people find it hard to talk about it. So it’s very important to be able find the information easily!
this is an important post about a subject we usually don’t talk about. Which is a shame. Constipation can be the sign of some illnesses or the wrong dosage of medicine. It is important to keep track of all of your bodily functions when you suspect anything wrong.
My mother-in-law suffered in silence for a long time, until she finally opened up, and found out that by adjusting her medication she was finding bowl relief.
Blessings!
This is such a useful post!- The younger generation who drink cola in place of water would do well to follow the prescriptions in this post.Thanks for sharing Khushboo.