When can I poop out last year's poop?

Today is the sixth day of the Lunar New Year, and AI asks everyone a somewhat embarrassing question: In the new year, have you... pooped?

During the Chinese New Year, who doesn’t have a few days of life like this - Ge You lying on the sofa watching TV series day and night, eating chicken, duck, fish, seafood and ham to his heart’s content, sleeping until he wakes up naturally and then staying in bed until noon.

I don't think about defecation when I have enough food and clothing. Suddenly I look back and find that I still have a pile of poop from last year! I only take in but not out. Am I a Pixiu?

New Year, New Poop | Pixabay

Constipation is not pleasant. In order to avoid struggling with the inability to poop in the last two days of the holiday, we have prepared two poop strategies for you, a basic version and an advanced version.

Basics

Drinking water

During the holidays, people tend to drink plenty of alcohol and beverages, but it is easy to neglect drinking water. When going out for fun, the inconvenience of going to the toilet will also limit water intake. Insufficient water intake is a common cause of constipation.

The first question for dry stool: Do you drink enough water? 2,000 ml is just right.

Remember to drink more water during the Spring Festival | Pexels

Vegetables, fruits and whole grains

In our intestines, there are about 1014 intestinal bacteria living in harmony with us. What do they like to eat? Soluble dietary fiber is the best.

Which foods can provide more fiber? Vegetables (especially melons), fruits and whole grains. These foods not only bring us delicious enjoyment, but more importantly, they provide food for the bacteria in our stomachs. If we eat less on weekdays, or during festivals due to changes in environment, diet and lifestyle, the bacteria will be hungry. Once they are hungry, it doesn't matter, but people will start to suffer from constipation and bloating.

Dry stools Question 2: Do you eat enough fruits and vegetables? One pound of melon vegetables, half a pound of leafy vegetables, three or four ounces of fruit, and coarse grains and potatoes are also necessary.

Eat more fruits and vegetables | Pixabay

Avoid prolonged sitting

Sitting for a long time is a normal part of our lives. Studies have found many harmful effects of sitting for a long time, including slowing down gastrointestinal motility and causing dry stools.

Dry stool Question 3: Have you been sitting for a long time? Sit for an hour, then get up and move around.

Avoid sitting for long periods of time | Pixabay

Advanced

Develop a good habit of regular bowel movements

The urge to defecate is also a luxury? It may sound incredible, but it is not an exaggeration. Many people in the "high-level" group do not have this feeling. In this case, regular defecation after getting up in the morning is a behavioral intervention. You may not be able to defecate at the beginning, but if you practice for five minutes every day for a few months, you may establish a conditioned reflex and cultivate the feeling.

Defecation should also be a ritual. The surrounding environment should not be disturbed. It should not take too long, and especially not reading in the toilet.

In terms of posture, squatting is more conducive to defecation than sitting. However, toilets are mostly toilets, so you can try this posture: elbows on knees, body leaning forward, back straight. These postures are mainly to give full play to the role of abdominal muscles. In the preparation stage, first do abdominal breathing, start to relax the anus, then continue to relax and expand the abdominal muscles, and finally contract the anus to end, all in one go and feel refreshed.

Soluble dietary fiber and probiotics

The dietary guidelines recommend a daily intake of about 30 grams of dietary fiber. In fact, if you compare it with a food composition manual, you will find that our daily intake of vegetables, fruits and whole grains is likely to be less than the recommended amount, and dietary fiber from food alone may not be able to meet the needs of intestinal bacteria.

In order to make the bacteria happy, you can appropriately supplement some soluble dietary fiber preparations, which are simple and direct, and the effect is obvious. Preparations include pectin, oligosaccharides, etc. There are many types, just choose products produced by regular manufacturers. There is currently no type exclusive to Chinese people, you can try them all, there is always one that suits you. At the same time, in order to make the intestinal bacteria happier, appropriate probiotic supplementation may also be beneficial.

For people who suffer from constipation, soluble dietary fiber is the first choice for home and travel, especially when they go out for fun and their life rhythm is disrupted.

Emergency treatment: laxatives and enemas

These two methods are mostly used for emergency situations, but are not suitable for long-term use.

Commonly used laxatives include osmotic laxatives, such as polyethylene glycol and lactulose, as well as stimulant, bulk laxatives and prokinetic drugs. The efficacy of these drugs may vary from person to person, so it is recommended to use them according to the doctor's advice or pharmacist's opinion.

Commonly used enema materials include enema solution or "Big Rat" glycerin enema, which is suitable for rectal fecal impaction, simple to obtain, fast and effective.

Long-term use of these strategies may cause intestinal smooth muscle atrophy, worse intestinal motility, and may cause chronic damage, so you need to follow your doctor's advice and don't use them indiscriminately.

The "magic drug" enema is only suitable for emergency use, not for long-term use | Photo by the author

So, why do people get constipated easily? In addition to the disruption of daily life and eating habits during holidays, there are many other reasons, such as being busy at work and holding back poop, sitting for long periods of time, rectal prolapse, as well as nerve, muscle and medication problems. There are many reasons, and there is often more than one truth.

If you are troubled by constipation, you can go to a regular hospital's gastroenterology department or basic surgery department for treatment, especially when constipation and diarrhea occur alternately. The diagnosis and treatment of chronic constipation is very standardized. There are guidelines in China, and there are also guidelines and consensus in Europe and the United States. No folk prescriptions are needed, just go to a regular doctor.

References

[1] Gastrointestinal Motility Group, Chinese Society of Gastroenterology, Chinese Society of Surgery, Colorectal and Anorectal Surgery Group. Chinese Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Chronic Constipation (2013, Wuhan). Chinese Journal of Gastroenterology, 2013, 33 (5): 291-7.

[2] Chinese Medical Association Anorectal Physicians Branch. Guidelines for surgical diagnosis and treatment of constipation (2017). Chinese Journal of Gastrointestinal Surgery, 2017, 20(3): 241-3.

Author: Kang Junren

Editor: odette

An AI

After finishing last year's poop, I can start the new year of moving bricks/studying/losing hair.

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