Health Essentials
Constipation; ‘diarrhoea’ of information on this
Constipation can contribute to abdominal pain and bloating
I have been wondering why I have this urge to write about constipation soon after the month of May during which we indulged in issues of blood pressure. This may have been influenced by the frequent complaints I hear day in day out about constipation. Do all these complaints qualify to be described as constipation?
Many people would rather not talk about constipation but if you have suffered from a bout or two you will definitely appreciate how painful and frustrating it may be. There is this other group of people who is obsessed with constipation and believes that all their problems will be solved once they can move their bowels frequently. Their bad mood is blamed on constipation, poor appetite also assumed to be from constipation and constipation cannot be excluded from any bout of headache they experience. This category of people swears by enemas and some of the concoctions they resort to could corrode the best of intestines.
Constipation may present as infrequent bowel movements or extremely hard stools that may cause unbearable pain. Periodic constipation may be relieved by the appropriate diet, proper hydration and exercise but chronic constipation is often more worrying and may require medical attention. Do not force yourself to be someone else, as individuals our bowel movements vary. Some may go up to three times a day while for others three times a week is just right. Listen to your body. It may appear absurd that we are discussing constipation at a time that Accra is flooded with diarrhoea stools and scattered black bags but some people may find this life-saving.
We will focus on chronic constipation, which occurs when we experience two or more of the following for at least three months;
• Less than three bowel movements in a week
• Hard stools that are difficult to pass
• Straining to move bowel
• Abdominal discomfort and bloating
• Frequent use of enemas and laxatives
• A sensation that your bowel is never really empty.
COMMON CAUSES OF CONSTIPATION
• Lack of exercise
– Regular exercise promotes muscle contraction in walls of the intestine.
• Poor water or fluid intake
– Drink about two litres of water a day
• Poor diet
– Ensure you have a lot of fibre in your meals
– Fruits and vegetables a must and go easy on refined foods such as polished rice.
• Change in routine
– Change in diet and time for meals as well as a lack of proper facilities to move bowel can all set the stage for constipation.
• Ignoring the urge
– If you have to go get the right place and go. Ignoring the urge frequently could lead to constipation but can we blame those who ignore the urge because they have to pay money for every single episode?
• Overuse of laxatives
– This is akin to teaching your bowel to wait for assistance before it performs.
• Certain medical conditions
– Medical conditions such as diabetes, anxiety and depression, abnormal potassium and calcium levels and an underactive thyroid have all been blamed.
• Bowel Disease
– Several of these and may include irritable bowel syndrome and tumours
• Pregnancy
– Changes in hormones or pressure on the intestines from the foetus may cause constipation.
• Side effect of some medication
– Some pain medicines and even some vitamins and supplements may have constipation as a side effect.
• Local pain
– Pain around the anus from infected haemorrhoids or cuts may lead one to suppress the urge.
For some of us the problem may be simpler than we can imagine; our intake is so little the body absorbs virtually everything. This scenario is very common in exclusively breast fed babies and may not be classified as constipation.
DO NOT IGNORE THE FOLLOWING
Quite often we delay seeking help for constipation but whenever you have any of the following it is better to act fast:
• New constipation
• Fever
• Rectal pain
• Bleeding from the anus
• Anaemia
• Abdominal pain with vomiting
• Weight loss
• Family history of colon cancer or other bowel disease.
THE UGLY SIDE OF CONSTIPATION
Chronic constipation may lead to developing haemorrhoids which may bleed or become painful, tears in anal tissue from hard stools that worsen the constipation and straining may even push rectal tissue out through the anus and may require surgical repair.
MANAGEMENT
Prevention is key and the focus should be on lifestyle modification. In some cases especially involving adults, health professionals may need to manually evacuate impacted stools from the rectum. Medications may be needed or as the causes showed one may have to stop taking some medicines and also certain conditions will need to be treated to stop the constipation.
The least we should all do is to eat meals that are rich in fibre and as stated earlier it includes fruits and vegetables, bran, nuts and seeds. Do not forget to drink adequate amounts of water or other healthy fluids and make sure you exercise almost every day to help speed the transportation of waste through the intestine. This is also a bonus for those who exercise regularly because they get some protection from colon cancer. Last but not least; establish a routine and whenever you feel the urge answer in a civilised way and place.
AS ALWAYS LAUGH OFTEN, ENSURE HYGIENE, WALK AND PRAY EVERYDAY AND REMEMBER IT’S A PRICELESS GIFT TO KNOW YOUR NUMBERS (blood sugar, blood pressure, blood cholesterol, BMI)
Dr. Kojo Cobba Essel
Health Essentials Ltd/ Mobissel
(dressel@healthessentialsgh.com)
*Dr. Essel is a medical doctor, holds an MBA and is ISSA certified in exercise therapy, fitness nutrition and corrective exercise. He is the author of the award-winning book, ‘Unravelling The Essentials of Health & Wealth.’
THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK – “although chest pain is commonly attributed to heart disease, many people with heart disease say they experience a vague discomfort for which PAIN doesn’t seem to be an adequate description”
References:
• Chronic Constipation – Harvard Medical School (Patient Education Center) – leaflet
By Dr. Kojo Cobba Essel
The conventional wisdom has always been that we should all strive to keep our blood pressure low. Even though this is true, having really low blood pressure can be dangerous, as it can impair your body’s ability to absorb oxygen, resulting in damage to the heart and brain.
Low blood pressure is when your blood pressure reading is lower than 90 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg) for the top number (systolic) or 60 mm Hg for the bottom number (diastolic).
Low blood pressure (also known as hypotension) can occur in anyone, though it may be more common depending on your age or other risk factors: genetic makeup, taking certain medications, and having certain diseases (diabetes, heart conditions).
The cause of low blood pressure isn’t always clear. However, it may be associated with the following:
- pregnancy
- hormonal problems
- some over-the-counter and prescription medications
- heart failure
- abnormal heart rhythms
- widening or dilation of the blood vessels
- heatstroke
- liver disease
- loss of blood from bleeding
- low or high body temperature
- a severe blood infection
- severe dehydration from vomiting, diarrhea, burns or fever
- a reaction to medication or alcohol
A sudden drop in blood pressure robs the brain of adequate blood supply. This can lead to dizziness or lightheadedness. Other symptoms include fainting, blurred vision, nausea, fatigue, lack of concentration, and in extreme conditions shock.
If you experience any of the above symptoms, seek emergency medical attention as it is important to determine the cause of low blood pressure so appropriate treatment can be given.
Some people are known to take alcohol in an attempt to increase their blood pressure but that is a path I will not recommend. Others opt for caffeinated drinks like coffee and tea. Caffeine can increase blood pressure due to peripheral pooling of blood and may cause complications.
Dr Kojo Essel often recommends that one engages in exercise, which is your best “weapon to normalise blood pressure.”
Quite often when one has low blood pressure, standing still for long periods of time can cause a further drop. In such people, Dr Essel highly recommends taking several steps even if standing in one place to help maintain blood pressure at a safe level.
Other ways of managing low blood pressure are:
- adding a little salt to food (do this with caution to avoid excesses and downsides of increased salt intake)
- increase water (other fluids) intake to increase blood volume
- may need to wear compression stockings in extreme situations
- some may require medication
- pay attention to body positions; do not move quickly from sitting to standing position for instance
- eat small portions of food at a time
- exercise should be a combination of strength training and cardiovascular exercise that increases heart rate
As always: laugh often, ensure hygiene, walk and pray every day, and remember it’s a priceless gift to know your numbers (blood sugar, blood pressure, blood cholesterol, BMI).
Source:
Maureen Masopeh, Content Creator (Health Essentials Ltd)
References:
- Dr Kojo Cobba Essel; Unravelling the Essentials of Health and Wealth
- Mayoclinic; Low Blood Pressure (Hypotension)
- WebMD
By Dr Kojo Cobba Essel
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IF you truly love yourself, you had better read this piece while standing!
The other “inactivity” that rivals sitting for long periods when it comes to poor health and untimely death is LONLINESS! Sitting and Loneliness are the new Smoking.
It is often common to hear a parent tell a child, “Sit quietly and watch television and I will make a quick dash to town.” Well, this harmless and well-meaning statement is now being vilified. That parent could have said “smoke a few sticks of cigarettes while I dash off to town.” Yes “sitting is the “new” smoking.”
Scientists: they keep coming up with many weird findings and unfortunately, we realise after much ado that they may be right. People with sitting jobs have twice the rate of cardiovascular (heart & blood vessel) diseases as those with standing jobs – the bankers are cringing in their seats I bet.
It appears that compared to sitting,
• Sitting continuously brings similar challenges that smoking poses a gossip team. After an hour of sitting, if you walk for a minute or two.
Standing is hard work. Imagine that you need to engage many muscles to stand upright, and this burns energy. Sitting on the other hand is extremely relaxing.
When we sit, the “physiology of inactivity” kicks in and when we think we are relaxing in a chair made from heaven, our body instead rewards us with many bad things; enzymes that break down fat may drop by about 90 per cent calorie burning drops to frightening low levels and soon good cholesterol that protects us also drops. If you sit long enough even your insulin effectiveness drops and you will be courting diabetes in the long run.
I sincerely believe in getting a workout during the day, but you should not think that it gives you a license to sit at your desk for hours on end. We should ensure that we get up from our desk to walk briefly or even stretch. I am not giving you an excuse for loitering around your office or forming ings. When you have a meeting with a handful of people you could lace your boots and start walking while you talk. Who knows being out of a box (office etc) could help you think “out of the box” or even think like “there is no box”. The best aspect of such a meeting is people are more attentive since they are unable to fidget with their smart phones and other gadgets.
All lectures and classes (children are really suffering in school these days) should have a “Heart Preserving” five-minute break after every hour. Spend that time walking and stretching.
All long movies should have commercial breaks that should be used to at least stand
Whenever in doubt, at least stand for a while.
Well some people are trying innovative ways of even having small treadmills at their desk that keeps them moving, others are adopting a new chair design that essentially makes you stand at your desk, a few others sit on exercise balls that forces them to adjust their positions all the time but for the rest of us simply taking breaks and using every opportunity to move is just what the doctor prescribed.
AS ALWAYS LAUGH OFTEN, ENSURE HYGIENE, WALK AND PRAY EVERY DAY AND REMEMBER IT’S A PRICELESS GIFT TO KNOW YOUR NUMBERS (blood sugar, blood pressure, blood cholesterol, BMI)
Dr. Kojo Cobba Essel
Health Essentials/Medics Clinic
(www.healthessentialsgh.com)
Dr. Essel is a medical doctor with a keen interest in Lifestyle Medicine, He holds an MBA and is ISSA certified in exercise therapy, fitness nutrition and corrective exercise. He is the author of the award-winning book, ‘Unravelling The Essentials of Health & Wealth.’
Thought for the week – For good heart health; exercise often, eat healthy, do not smoke, minimise alcohol and sit less
By Dr. Kojo Cobba Essel
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