A fairly common disorder, which affects the intestines, irritable bowel syndrome affects many adults across the world. If you are suffering from this disorder then you would have problems with bowel movements, mostly the irregularity of it. Sometimes you may suffer from constipation, other times you may suffer from diarrhea and the type of stool will also vary often between thin and hard or soft and liquid.

Common symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome
Some of the common symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome or ibs are as follows:

Constipation or diarrhea, the latter of which can become quite severe during certain episodes
Gas or bloating which can make you uncomfortable
Cramping around the stomach area especially the lower belly which tends to become worse after having food and better after bowel movements
Quality of stools may vary quite a lot from time to time such as very hard to lose
Stomach may start sticking out and become misshapen
May also come with sexual as well as urinary problems
Causes of irritable bowel syndrome
The causes for irritable bowel syndrome vary from person to person. This disorder usually has triggers and yours may be different from someone else suffering from the same problems. However some general triggers and causes could be:

Hormonal problems: this is especially the case with women who tends to suffer from ibs more than men. Hormonal changes in the body such as before and after pregnancy and menopause or periods are known to be common.
Dietary causes: this is one of the major external triggers that have been reported by people. A variety of foods are known to have triggered or cause ibs. Some of the foods that have been implicated are beans, chocolate, cauliflower, cabbage or milk among many others.
Underlying illnesses: sometimes ibs itself may be a symptom of a larger underlying problem such as gastrointestinal disorders, such as bacterial overgrowth and gastroenteritis.
Mental health and stress issues: people going through psychological stress such as before exams or reviews have known to have ibs as stress becomes a trigger in their case. If you have mental health issues in the long run, these are also known to trigger or cause ibs.
Treatment options
Some of the treatment options for ibs are:

Antibiotics
Mental health counseling
Antidepressants
Medications for bowel spasms
Medications for diarrhea or constipation
Specialized medications for ibs for other underlying conditions.

Symptoms, Causes and Treatments for Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Urinary Incontinence is the sudden urine loss that occurs involuntarily in women. Some of the factors which cause urinary incontinence are pregnancy, menopause and childbirth. It should be noted that urinary incontinence by itself is not a disease, but is a symptom of other underlying disorders such as diabetes, infections and other conditions.

Causes of temporary cases of urinary incontinence include:
1. Constipation
2. Urinary tract infections
3. Excess consumption of alcohol and caffeine
4. Consuming carbonated drinks
5. Use of artificial sweeteners
6. High doses of vitamin B and vitamin C
7. Being on sedatives, muscle relaxants, blood pressure and heart medications
8. Eatables which are too spicy, acidic or sugary

However, persistence of incontinence might be due to a more serious condition. Some of the causes are stated below:

Age: The bladder muscles tend to weaken with age. This affects the bladder s urine holding capacity.
Pregnancy: Hormonal changes and increase in weight during pregnancy can cause incontinence.
Menopause: Oestrogen is responsible for the healthy maintenance of the lining of the urethra and bladder. The onset of menopause causes the oestrogen hormone levels to drop. The gradual damage of the bladder tissues causes incontinence.
Childbirth: The bladder control muscles are weakened during normal vaginal delivery, thus leading to incontinence.
Obstruction: Occurrence of tumours in the urinary tract can block the normal flow of urine which can cause incontinence.
Hysterectomy: The same ligaments and muscles support both the bladder as well as the urethra. With removal of the uterus by hysterectomy, the pelvic floor muscles are deteriorated. This leads to urinary incontinence.
Neurological disorders: Conditions such as multiple sclerosis (autoimmune disorder in which the immune system destroys the protective sheath of the nerves), Parkinson s disease (disorder affecting motor functioning of the body), brain tumours, spinal injury or strokes are capable of causing incontinence.

Different forms of urinary incontinence are classified on the basis of their symptoms:

Urge incontinence: Urge or urgency incontinence occurs when there is a leak before the person reaches the toilet.
Stress incontinence: Small amounts of urine leak out during normal physical movements such as sneezing, coughing and exercising. This happens because of the minimum stress exerted on the body, and hence, the name.
Functional incontinence: Sudden leakage of urine occurs due to external deterrents or physical disabilities such as not being able to find a toilet.
Overactive Bladder: This is characterized by frequent and urgent urination.
Overflow incontinence: A full bladder, at times, leads to unexpected leakage.
Transient incontinence: If urine leakage occurs due to temporary situations such as infections, or new medications.

Did You Know - Constipation Can Also be a Sign of Urinary Incontinence

Curd is a staple in every household in India; whether it is served with piping hot parathas or by itself after a meal. The simple food item is packed with a number of nutrients and helps in increasing the health benefits in your body.

Here are a few reasons why you should be eating curd, almost every day:

Probiotics help in digestion: Curd, being rich in probiotics (good bacteria), improves digestion as it kills all the harmful bacteria in the digestive tract and aids the proliferation of good bacteria. Probiotics also help in the prevention of various digestive issues such as cramps, bloating and abdominal pain caused due to Irritable Bowel Syndrome.
Promotes weight loss around the belly: A hormone called cortisol, also called the  stress hormone  persuades the fat cells to produce more fat around your belly area. Consuming a cup of curd daily increases the amount of calcium in your body which limits the release of cortisol, thus, helping you lose weight. Curd also retains one-third of lean muscle mass which helps you maintain your physique post those dropped kilos for a longer time.
Curd strengthens your immunity system: A cup of curd is loaded with good bacteria which is essential for fighting off germs, thereby making your immune system stronger and more persistent. Making curd a part of your daily diet is a great idea as it is effective in preventing yeast infections around the vaginal area.
Toughens up your skeletal system: Like all dairy products, curd is rich in calcium which is necessary for strong bones and teeth. Apart from calcium, curd is rich in phosphorous and together, they quicken the bone growth process and helps in preventing arthritis and osteoporosis.
Helps in improving cardiovascular health: Eating curd helps in improving cardiovascular health as it discourages the spread of cholesterol around the arterial area, thus, reducing the risks of a coronary disease. Curd reduces hypertension which is a pre-cursor to most heart ailments.

5 Reasons You Should be Eating Curd Daily 

With the super busy lifestyle that everybody is gravitating to, there is less and less time for everything, including cooking and eating. Thus, more and more processed foods are finding their way into our refrigerators, as they can just be picked up and eaten anytime hunger pangs are felt. And, we do not immediately realize that processed foods are devoid of all the essential ingredients. What we end up eating has less fiber, more salt, and more preservatives (generally not very safe for all), all leading to an unhealthy lifestyle.

Refined flour, white sugar, cheese, canned juices, frozen foods, cheese laden pizzas and breadsare all yummy, but not something that is readily accepted and digested by your stomach. Try eating pizza with loads of cheese for two days and experience the bloated feeling for yourself. Not to scare you, but imagine this; you would have to eat an entire medium pizza to get 2 g of fiber. Where as, your body requires about 25 to 40 g of fiber per day for regular health maintenance.

Biologically, our digestive system requires a lot of fiber, which adds to the roughage. This is very important as it helps in digestion and aid in cleansing the bowel later. The function of the large intestine is to remove water and essential ingredients when food passes through it. Junk food passes through quite quickly, thereby, leading to loss of water and ingredients. A lot of digestive issues are also related to lack of fiber in the food, like polyps, colon cancer, irritable bowel syndrome, high cholesterol, and obesity. 

Most of us are aware, but tend to ignore the fact that junk food is as the name suggests, junk. There is hardly anything of nutritious value in it. On the contrary, it contains lots of salt, fat and artificial chemicals, which though, make it very tasty, but has zero nutrition value. 

Try to eat only junk food for about a week regularly, and you will surely feel:

1. Bloated (a lot of gas due to indigestion)
2. Dehydrated (excessive salt needs more water, which we don't realize)
3. Constipated (lack of fiber leading to reduced bowel movement)
4. Weak and lousy (due to lack of nutrition)

This of course does not include the harmful effects on skin, hair, looks, etc. It does not mean you have to stop eating junk completely and eat only healthy food all the time. The human body is adaptive and can adjust to a lot of variations. It is not wise to try the example above (eating pizza for a week), however, binging on junk food once a week would definitely not hurt. Use your discretion as nobody knows your body as well as you do.

Constipation and Junk Food

Constipation is something which not everyone is very open to talking. Everyone tries to avoid the topic as much as possible. They are happier discussing their sore throat or maybe a headache. Everyone likes to keep constipation to themselves. So here are some home remedies that can be used to help solve the problem of constipation.

Olive Oil
Just take one tablespoon of olive oil before eating anything else helps to solve the problem as it works best on an empty stomach. So in case, anyone forgets it, they can have it again once they have not eaten for a while. Mixing it will lemon juice is an option (not mandatory) as it helps lighten the flavour.

Fresh Lemon Juice
Drinking one cup of warm water with a lemon squeezed into it is a good way to get rid of constipation problems. It contains citric acid. It helps in removing the toxins and undigested materials. Once mixing it with warm water reduces the lemon flavour and also provides fluids to make sure things return to the way they should be. A doctor would also recommend the same thing.

Coffee
Well if the coffee was a solution, then most of the people would happily be sipping coffee throughout the day. However, overdoing anything is not okay. 1-2 cups of coffee are fine as coffee is diuretic or in simple terms, it increases the frequency at which a person will urinate. But more coffee does the complete opposite thing. As a result, even the water which was supposed to soften the stool ends being drawn out by excess coffee.

Baking Soda
When it comes to home remedies, baking soda is one of the best solutions. It is the cure to many problems. It s an incredible solution to constipation. Baking soda is a bicarbonate which means it will ensure that air comes out of the body one way or another, thus, relieving the pain from pressure. Just mix baking soda with a 1/4th cup of warm water, and it is ready to go. It works better if the concerned person can drink it as fast as he can.

Conclusion
Keeping all home remedies aside, it s crucial to consult a medical practitioner as the home remedies can only help us to a certain extent. Thus we mustn't depend on them completely. A medical practitioner, on the other hand, would be able to guide the patient in a proper and better way. So a timely visit never harms in any way.

Ayurvedic Herbs/Oil--

Seasamum Till for Kaf-vataj
Almond oil for Vat-prikriti
Kalaungi oil for DM and neurological rediculopathies caused by DM

Constipation - Home Remedies At Your Rescue!

Constipation usually refers to the troublesome bowel movement. It is normally referred to a condition where you defecate less than normal. Most people usually experience this at some point, yet it is not considered very serious unless it becomes a persistent problem. Instead of immediately turning to some medicine or laxative, (which usually worsens the issue) attempt some basic home solutions to get rid of your inconvenience, and prevent it from returning. Some of the most effective home remedies to get relief from constipation are:


Oil: Start your day by taking 1 tablespoon of olive oil. It works best when you have an empty stomach, so have it before you eat anything else. In case that you forget, wait until later when you have not eaten for some time. You can blend it with a bit of lemon juice. 
Lemon juice: The citrus extract in lemon juice acts as a stimulant for your digestive system and can flush out toxins and undigested material that may have developed along the walls of the intestine. Avoid blending the juice with water, as this may dilute the effect of the former. 
Caffeine: Caffeine is a natural solution for the digestive system. One or two cups are fine, however, ensure you do not try too hard. Consuming a lot can have the reverse impact. Coffee is a diuretic and makes you urinate more frequently and as often as possible. Yet, it can have a negative impact too. In case that you drink it in excess, it can bring about blockage by dehydrating the body and drawing out water that would otherwise soften your stool for easy passage. 
Fiber: Natural foods have a tendency to contain a huge amount of fiber. To put it plainly, fiber is a material that cannot be processed and it acts like a sponge. It draws water from its environment, making it swell, which makes the stool soft and adds bulk and mass to it, which helps it pass normally. 
Aloe Vera: It is best to use aloe vera gel straight from the plant itself. The gel straight from the plant is more concentrated than processed aloe juice so do not use more than 2 tablespoons. In case that you do not have an aloe plant, then drinking aloe juice can accomplish similar results. 
Baking soda: Baking soda lies at the heart of home cures. It is so flexible, and it practically does its work 95% of the time, as per many medical studies. It works well for constipation (and abdominal pain as a rule) since it is a bicarbonate. It will urge air to leave you somehow and calm pain from the pressure. It additionally re-alkalizes the stomach, killing the acid to some degree and helping waste pass through your gut.

Ayurvedic Remedies to Help You Get Relief from Constipation

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