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Dealing with Senile Constipation: Solutions and Dietary Recommendations for the Elderly

Constipation in elderly people gets worse with age… The body’s excretion system needs to be improved to get better. Complex dietary fiber ‘psyllium husk’, ‘fermented brown rice’… It balances dietary fiber and produces enzymes, leaving you feeling soft and refreshed.

I ate a lot, but hardly anything came out. The body cries out for the remaining digested food waste to leave the body, but when a signal is received and the person sits down on the toilet, there is no relief. Even if you go to the hospital and take laxatives to see if there is a health problem, the effect is only temporary, and over time, it starts to build up again. Just thinking about going to the bathroom hurts my body and mind.

The older you get, the more important it is to stay cool. Senile constipation should not simply focus on excretion. You must improve the environment inside your body where it cannot be released and change it into a constitution that can release it well.

1 in 4 elderly people suffer from ‘senile constipation’… Significantly reduces the quality of life

One in four elderly people in Korea suffers from senile constipation. This is because as you age, your intestinal function declines and your activity level decreases due to aging. This is also the reason why water intake decreases due to poor digestion. Additionally, as problems arise in the body and the number of medications taken increases, secondary constipation may occur. In the quality of life evaluation of the elderly, elderly people with geriatric constipation scored about 8 points lower (out of 100) than those without constipation, which is similar to the level of decline in quality of life felt by patients with chronic diseases such as diabetes or high blood pressure.

Constipation is not just about not being able to lie down for a long time. Even if you defecate every day, if you feel excessive force during defecation, an unpleasant feeling of residual stool, abdominal bloating, or excessive gas, this is also constipation. If stool comes out in small particles like rabbit poop, constipation should be suspected.

To solve constipation, you need to improve your body’s excretion system.

If constipation is left untreated, it can lead to ileus or intestinal perforation, where stool causes a hole in the intestine. Additionally, when feces accumulate in the intestines, toxins are generated, which increases inflammation and lowers immunity, raising the risk of various complications. Experts warn that in the case of chronic constipation that lasts for more than 3 months, hardened stool will repeatedly irritate the anus and colon walls, causing various colon and anal diseases.

In the case of constipation, you should not simply focus on excretion. Constipation is often caused by poor lifestyle habits and a damaged excretion system in the body. Even if you have severe constipation and go to the hospital and get prescribed medication, it will only result in temporary discharge and will not solve the fundamental problem of constipation. Additionally, over-reliance on medications due to chronic constipation can make it more difficult for the intestines to function on their own. To solve constipation, you must improve your own excretion system by correcting your lifestyle habits and strengthening damaged bowel functions.

Complex dietary fiber ‘psyllium husk’… Refreshes a stuffy stomach

Constipation in elderly people is often chronic, and in these cases, improving eating habits is the top priority. What is helpful in this case is ‘psyllium husk’, which is rich in complex dietary fiber. Psyllium husk is the inner husk of plantain seeds and contains more than 80% of dietary fiber. It is also a composite dietary fiber containing both soluble and insoluble dietary fiber. When soluble dietary fiber encounters moisture, it dissolves in water and turns into jelly. This helps soften the stool and absorbs cholesterol and waste products from the body that are excreted into bile as the stool passes through the intestines. Insoluble dietary fiber does not dissolve in water, but passes through the stomach and absorbs moisture, expanding up to 40 times. Therefore, the volume of stool increases, stimulating the intestines and promoting intestinal movement. In other words, the two types of dietary fiber contained in psyllium husk help soften stool, increase its volume, and expel it quickly. In one study, when 170 patients with chronic constipation were given psyllium husk twice a day for two weeks, they found that the water content and weight of stool and the total number of bowel movements significantly increased.

In addition, psyllium husk has various effects. Because it contains tannin, it is excellent for breaking down neutral fat and removing and decomposing fat in the blood. A large amount of dietary fiber allows unnecessary cholesterol to be excreted without being absorbed and slows down digestion to prevent sugar levels from suddenly rising.

If you want a good job, remember the ‘1 to 3 rule’

If you want to empty your body, you must remember the 1:3 rule of dietary fiber. The ratio is 1 part soluble dietary fiber to 3 parts insoluble dietary fiber. Psyllium husk is the opposite, as it is composed of 70% soluble dietary fiber and 30% insoluble dietary fiber. You must fill it with insoluble dietary fiber to fully appreciate its true value.

Since psyllium husk contains a lot of soluble dietary fiber, if you fill it with just a little bit of insoluble dietary fiber, the ratio of soluble to insoluble will be adjusted and the amount will increase, so you can experience a definite effect. Brown rice is a representative insoluble dietary fiber, and when consumed with psyllium husk, a 1:3 ratio is achieved.

Why am I constipated even though I eat a lot of vegetables?

When people get older and feel sick, many people turn to vegetables rather than meat. The problem is that these people also suffer from senile constipation. Why? This is because digestion was not carried out properly. Digestion is the first step of excretion. When the digestive system weakens due to aging, the food consumed is not sufficiently broken down and nutrients are not properly absorbed by the body. If you suffer from constipation even if you eat a lot of vegetables, or if you need to pay attention to improving digestion as well as excretion, pay attention to fermented brown rice.

Brown rice helps digest food and helps the body absorb nutrients so that what we eat can be used beneficially in our body. A large amount of enzymes produced when brown rice is fermented break the food into small pieces and form nutrients useful for digestion and absorption in the intestines. Through this process, only the nutrients from food are absorbed and unnecessary waste is sent down to the large intestine.

Psyllium husk with no side effects, the longer you use it, the better the effect.

The best way to resolve constipation is to have stool come out naturally and cleanly. For this purpose, it is a good idea to consume foods rich in dietary fiber, such as psyllium husk or brown rice. These methods do not solve the problem in a short time. If you force stool out by taking medication or using an enema, you will only excrete it, and if your body does not change, it will accumulate again. Psyllium husk and brown rice are not prescription drugs that give a signal as soon as you eat them. It is important to improve the excretion system by taking it consistently for at least 6 months. If that happens, you can achieve refreshing, pleasant stools that are digested and pushed out by your body on its own, rather than expelled by external stimuli.

Psyllium husk has no special side effects when consumed, but it has the property of attracting moisture, so it must be consumed with a sufficient amount of water. This is because if you drink less water, your body may absorb water in order to expand.

A problem that occurs when constipation in the elderly becomes severe – ‘intestinal obstruction’, which is a blockage of the intestines
– ‘Abdominal discomfort’ that lasts all day
– ‘Intestinal perforation’, where a hole is created in the intestine due to a bowel movement.
– ‘Peritonitis’ due to intestinal perforation
Reporter Tae Hyeon-ji [email protected]

2023-11-14 18:00:00

#elderly #people #constipation.. #leave #sick

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