Constipation and Depression

Constipation and depression have a history of coinciding with each other. Is it coincidence or is there an underlying reason? Constipation can be a painful and troublesome condition, but does it cause clinical depression? And on the other hand, can depression actually cause constipation? I hope to help lay these questions to rest for any one suffering from these two conditions.

We should first look at what the diagnosis for constipation consists of. Constipation is when the individual has two or fewer bowel movements within a week. If three days pass with no bowel movement, it could pose a serious health risk. The stool will continue to harden the longer it’s in the body, making it even more difficult to expel. Patients are also considered constipated if they experience hard stools, straining or incomplete evacuations 25% of the time they do have bowel movements.

Depression can be the result of numerous factors. Lifestyle changes, eating habits, loss of a loved one and health issues can play a huge role in depression cases. Depression can also be rather difficult to diagnose in many cases. Understanding the signs and symptoms of both of these conditions will help you to have a better understanding of what to look for, how to deal with them and how to prevent them.

How to tell if you may be Depressed

The two most obvious symptoms of depression include feelings of sadness or hopelessness and a general loss of interest in daily activities that usually bring pleasure. Depression can be difficult to diagnose properly because it truly is a condition of extremes. It can cause weight gain or weight loss. It can cause insomnia or the sufferer may want to sleep all day. It can cause pain to move while at the same time causing restlessness. And yes, it can cause constipation or diarrhea.

Depression affects the body’s entire system, not just the emotional aspect. It causes the digestive system to function improperly. Headaches and bodily pain are commonplace. In a state of depression, the brain actually isn’t functioning the way it’s supposed to. It’s no wonder that depressed individuals feel as though the world is falling down around them. In a sense, it really is.

In the brain, there are two chemicals that affect your mood. Serotonin and norepinephrine. These two chemicals work as transmitters, sending signals from the brain to the nerves in the body. When there is a deficiency in these chemicals, the signals don’t get sent and it throws everything off. It’s interesting to note, that in most cases, the body can actually fix the problem itself. Unfortunately, it can take 1 to 3 years for that to happen and deeply depressed sufferers can’t wait that long.

To replace the depleted serotonin and norepinephrine levels, patients are usually prescribed Antidepressants. One of the main side effects of Antidepressants is constipation.

Why constipation makes us feel depressed

While constipation in and of itself does not cause clinical depression, it can cause someone to feel depressed. The reason is again because of the chemicals in the brain. Constipation prohibits food nutrients from being absorbed by the body. These nutrients are needed for the brain to produce the right amount of serotonin and norepinephrine. When constipated for a long period, the lining of the small intestine can actually build up a layer of toxins that fully prevent any nutrients from being absorbed. Toxins that are normally expelled by the body through bowel movements now have nowhere to go but to be re-absorbed by the body, making matters even worse.

Women are prime targets for both conditions, especially while pregnant. The body’s hormones are going so berserk that depression is rarely not seen during or after pregnancy. Another stage in a woman’s life that brings on depression is menopause. It’s been shown that estrogen provokes dramatic changes in the brain’s activity.

What can be done to prevent constipation and depression?

When you’re not feeling good, or feeling depressed about something, the most common thing people tend to do is head for some comfort food. It’s usually heavy and unhealthy but totally delicious, right? Unfortunately, those foods, when eaten in large quantities, wreck havoc on an already delicate gastrointestinal situation. It makes it almost inevitable that when you’re depressed, you’ll also end up constipated. It’s a vicious circle that many get stuck in.

The chances of becoming constipated and/or depressed can be dramatically lowered by eating a healthy diet and following a regular exercise routine. Avoiding alcohol and drugs can save the body from many traumas, both mental and physical. Try to follow a regular sleep pattern. Most importantly, if you begin to feel depressed, or have thoughts of suicide, you need to seek help as soon as possible.

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The Colon Cleansing & Constipation Resource Center

http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/constipation-and-depression-89922.html

The Health Benefits Of Colon Cleansing

Colon cleansing is an excellent way to improve your health and lose weight naturally. It has also started becoming quite popular in recent years because it can have such a positive effect on your overall health, and there are excellent home remedies and diets which can help you lose weight quickly using colon cleansing techniques.

Colon cleansing isn’t for everyone, and if you’re new to the concept it may seem a bit gross and strange. In general though, there are two common ways to do a colon cleanse: The first is to use enemas to flush toxins and waste out of your colon; and the second is to use herbs, recipes and remedies which cause your body to flush itself out naturally via standard elimination methods.

The best form of colon cleansing is a personal choice, but the fastest results often come from using enemas because they can clean your entire system out with just one or two applications.

Using herbal laxatives, teas, and supplements to cleanse your colon takes a bit longer to do, but tends to be much less messy and embarassing. There are however, herbs and teas which can have similar effects as enemas, so things can still happen quickly using these methods.

The colon is the human body’s waste disposal system. The waste that it moves out of your body contains harmful toxins, disease causing bacteria, and sometimes even parasites.

Human waste does not always move very quickly through the body though. In fact, due to today’s eating and activity lifestyle choices, most waste takes quite a long time to move fully through and out of your body. And the longer it takes to move through, the more time it has to “leak” those toxins and bacteria into your system.

By cleansing your colon, you’re helping your body to get rid of that waste and all the health hazards it contains more quickly. Thus there’s not enough time for it to start causing general health problems with the rest of your body.

Now there are some very simple formulas, recipes and products which can help you with colon cleansing. Home made lemonade is one of them. In fact, there’s even a lemonade diet which works quite well at both colon cleansing and causing quick, sometimes drastic, weight loss.

The lemon diet is more of a juice fast than anything though, and many people aren’t able to go without food for major lengths of time. You don’t have to use the lemonade diet to cleanse your colon though, you can do that simply by drinking 6-8 glasses of real lemonade each day. This helps your body eliminate more waste when you use the bathroom, and that of course is the goal of colon cleansing.

Epson salt is another natural option to use for cleaning your colon, and the recipe is quite simple. Mix a tablespoon of Epson salt with a quart of warm water, and drink it all at once. Stay close to the bathroom for about two hours though, because you will need it desparately.

Another easy colon cleanse option is to simply buy herbs and supplements. One specific herb that works quite well by is chlorophyll. Depending on how strong of a dose you take, the colon cleanse can happen just as quickly and dramatically as it does when using epson salt.

A less dramatic yet all natural way to cleanse your colon is to simply get more fiber in your diet. You can do this by eating more roughage such as salads and green leafy vegetables, or you can take a fiber supplement as well.

There is much more than can be written about the benefits of cleansing your colon, and all natural ways to go about doing it yourself from the privacy of your home. The above tips and information should be plenty to help you get you started though, and on your way to a much healthier, happier you.

If you’d like to simply give your colon a great cleanse a few times each year, one easy way to do this is to use a seasonal colon cleansing system.