Constipation Relief for Christmas
Thanksgiving just ended and if you are like many Americans, you might be feeling the need for some constipation relief after all that food backed you up. The holidays are one of the most dangerous times for developing chronic constipation because of the tendency towards overeating and consuming more than the average amount of sugar. So how can you keep things moving and avoid needing constipation relief this Christmas season?
Some quick and easy tips for avoiding constipation between Thanksgiving and Christmas
- Stay Hydrated - without enough water, your body attempts to extract the needed liquid from your colon – leaving your stool dry and your body susceptible to constipation (chronic or occasional). Dehydration can be intensified by the extra coffee and alcohol that is typically consumed over the holiday season. These drinks dehydrate you and make your colon work in overdrive to try to get water from your food.
- Keep exercising! Oftentimes people relax their exercise regiment over the Thanksgiving holiday and allow it to stay relaxed until after New Years. But steady exercise is one of the best things you can do for natural constipation relief. Cardiovascular and stretching exercises help induce peristalsis (intestinal contractions) and reduce the time food stays in your body. This is important because as discussed above, the faster stool moves through your body, the less time the intestines has to extract water from it and cause constipation.
- Be aware of the effect of flying on your colon - traveling is very common over both Thanksgiving and Christmas. When flying, you are bombarded with an above average amount of radiation because there is less atmosphere to filter out harmful particles from space. Pilots and flight attendants have been shown to have higher incidences of cancer from this radiation. For your purposes, this radiation can damage the beneficial bacteria in your colon that is essential for healthy intestinal contractions and may require supplementation to help keep your regular. See our article “Radiation Exposure During Air Travel and Constipation Relief” for more information about this.
Stay Regular over Christmas
Staying hydrated and exercising you can do on your own. If traveling a lot via plane, you may need a probiotic supplement to help counteract the negative effects of radiation and to help with intestinal contractions. A good probiotic supplement as well as daily intake of fiber (which must be accompanied by water to prevent further constipation) should keep you regular as you prepare for Christmas. When the big day comes, try a digestive enzyme to help your body break down your food to prevent bloating, increase the nutrition you get from your food and provide constipation relief (which hopefully won’t be needed!)
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