Bowel Health is quite a taboo subject in India. Sedentary lifestyles, unhealthy consumption of junk food, low water consumption, excessive snacking on oily food and lack of awareness on the often underrated topic of Constipation has lead to a significant increase in cases of unhealthy guts.

Excreting what you eat is as important is eating itself. If you don’t pass regular stool, you can face a number of bowel issues, the most common one being constipation.

A taboo.

Constipation affects almost one in seven people in India and still people are reluctant to talk about it because of the taboo around the subject in our society. We talk about sex and reproductive health to our teenagers so why not about constipation? Why is it such an embarrassment to tell someone you’re facing a poop issue?

People will keep suffering from it and pass it off as a routine thing until it gets severe which is when you’re compelled to see a doctor. Don’t do that! As soon as you feel something is wrong down there, don’t self medicate. See a medical professional and talk about it to your loved ones.

If you have a problem with pooping, you shouldn’t avoid talking about it.  How can you solve the problem unless you talk about it to someone at least?  You just have to let go of the inhibitions and speak to anyone, even a family member about it.

What is constipation?

According to doctors, constipation is a condition where a person has fewer than 3 bowel movements a week. Other important signs include: hard, dry stools that are difficult to pass and the feeling of an incomplete bowel movement.

Constipation if not treated in time may lead to a variety of complex health issues. It also leads to stress, depression and lowers your overall sense of well being.

There are many factors that can cause or worsen constipation. The three most common are:

1. Not eating enough fiber.
2. Not drinking enough water.
3. Not doing enough exercise.

How can you avoid being constipated?

1)    Eating a lot of fruits, veggies and green leafy vegetables that are high in fibre.

2)    By drinking at least 3-4 liters of water every day. This is good for your general skin and health too and facilitates healthy bowel movements.

3)    Engaging in regular physical activity. If your job involves sitting on a chair and working on a computer with a hectic timeline try incorporating physical activity by taking the stairs instead of the elevator, getting up from the chair and stretching regularly and walking as much as possible.

Let’s try and make our lives smoother. One of the ways this can happen is through getting out of a shitty situation by talking to people about it and seeing a doctor before it gets too chronic. Let’s try and lead a happy, fulfilling and healthy lifestyle by eating right and incorporating some or the other form of physical exercise in our daily routine. Don’t be embarrassed about constipation, it happens to almost everyone and there’s nothing demeaning or wrong in talking about it.

So the next time you feel stuck up down there, don’t hesitate and take a step forward to remedy it by visiting a doctor.

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.’