What is constipation

We often hear people talk about constipation, but some people don’t understand what constipation is. Constipation is actually a symptom of reduced bowel movement. Normally, people have bowel movements once a day, but with constipation, they may have bowel movements only once every two, three or even longer days. The following is some introduction to constipation. You can use TCM analysis to understand the causes of constipation in more detail.

1. What is constipation?

Constipation is a symptom of many diseases, not a disease itself. Common symptoms are a significant decrease in the frequency of bowel movements, with bowel movements occurring every 2 to 3 days or longer, irregularly, and dry and hard feces. Long-term constipation will affect the functioning of the spleen and stomach, causing abnormal conduction of the large intestine and a large amount of toxin accumulation, which will lead to other symptoms such as gastrointestinal discomfort, bad breath, and pigmentation. Traditional Chinese medicine believes that constipation is mostly caused by internal heat and qi stagnation, and the heat should be dissipated to eliminate the stagnation. Therefore, to eliminate constipation, it is necessary to fundamentally regulate the body. Do not rush to use drugs that are highly irritating to the stomach and intestines.

II. Overview

Constipation can be mild or severe and can be temporary or long-lasting. Since the causes of constipation are many and complex, once constipation occurs, especially severe and prolonged constipation, such patients should go to the hospital for examination in time to find out the cause of the constipation to avoid delaying the diagnosis and treatment of the primary disease, and to solve the pain of constipation in a timely, correct and effective manner. Do not abuse laxatives.

3. TCM Analysis

Traditional Chinese medicine believes that after food enters the stomach, is digested by the stomach and transformed by the spleen, and the essence is absorbed, the remaining dregs become feces. This is mainly due to the digestion and transformation functions of the stomach and spleen, "stomach qi fails to descend" and "spleen fails to function properly", and the dregs accumulate in the body and cause constipation. Zhang Zhongjing listed Chengqi Decoction as a symptom of "spleen deficiency" because "the spleen cannot transport body fluid for the stomach", and believed that the disease was related to cold, heat and qi stagnation.

Cause Analysis

(1) Heat accumulation in the stomach and intestines: This is caused by alcoholism and spicy food, or by residual heat after typhoid fever, which causes loss of body fluids and leads to dryness of the intestines.

(2) Stagnation of Qi: Worrying and feeling uncomfortable, sitting for long periods of time and not moving much can cause Qi to stagnate, resulting in the inability of Qi to spread and descend, and dysfunction of Qi conduction. This causes waste to accumulate in the body and not be able to descend, leading to constipation.

(3) Deficiency of Qi, Blood, Yin and Body Fluid: Internal injuries caused by overwork, physical weakness after illness, childbirth and old age, which can lead to deficiency of body fluid, Qi, blood or both. If Qi is deficient, the large intestine will be unable to conduct electricity.

(4) Yin-cold stagnation: In people with yang deficiency or the elderly, cold stagnates the intestines. Cold stagnates and blocks yang, causing fluid to stagnate, the intestines to become blocked, and the bowels become blocked, leading to constipation.