Page 35 - NAMAH-Jul-2019

Namah Healthy bowel habits

and person’s own bacterial flora. In teething fingers to help empty the bowel, either by
children, the odour of faeces may emit a strong performing a manual evacuation of the faeces
sour smell. or supporting the perineum. Many physicians
advise people to rise early in the morning
Quality of healthy bowel habits and consume copious quantities of warm
water. Drinking warm water in the morning on
1. Able to hold on for some time following waking facilitates easy evacuation of faeces.
the urge to go to the toilet till one gets
acomfortable place to defecate. However, There should be enough fibre in one’s
one should never ignore the urge to have diet to ensure that faeces are soft and pass
a bowel movement. painlessly and easily. Constipation can be
2. Able to pass a bowel motion within about one of the indications of hypothyroidism or
a minute or two after sitting down on the aluminium poisoning. Chronic constipation
toilet seat. could lead to other complications. Straining
3. Able to pass a bowel motion without even to pass faeces could lead to the development
the slightest strain or struggle. of haemorrhoids, rectal prolapse or anal fissure.
4. Have an absolutely cleared feeling after Dry hard faeces can cause faecal impaction,
one passes motion. leading to intestinal obstruction.
5. Faeces are soft yet well-formed. You can
consider faeces well-formed when they Diarrhoea
settle at the bottom of a water column in A common condition in which the patient
the commode and the water around the passes watery faeces more than three times a
faeces is clear. day. In case of diarrhoea, the water content of
faeces is more than 85%. Prolonged diarrhoea can
Common clinical conditions related to cause severe dehydration requiring emergency
bowels care. Chronic diarrhoea can be an indication of
disorders like hyperthyroidism and irritable
Constipation bowel syndrome. One should drink lots of
A common problem might result in hard, dry fluids to overcome the dehydration caused by
faeces that are difficult to pass. It can be caused diarrhoea. Diarrhoea or abnormally frequent
by a faulty lifestyle like non-consumption defecation is a characteristic symptom of
of a fibre-rich diet, lack of physical exercise many diseases and disorders. If defecation
and less consumption of fluids leading occurs too fast, before excess liquid is
to dehydration. Drinking adequate water absorbed, diarrhoea is the result.
before each meal will result in maintaining
good hydration. Functional constipation is a Incontinence
bowel disorder that presents as persistently Faecal incontinence (FI) in adults is estimated
difficult, infrequent or seemingly incomplete to affect 2% of the population.The incidence of
defecation. It is estimated to affect one-third anal incontinence is grossly underestimated
of the people in a population with a sedentary because of under-reporting. Many have
lifestyle. There are instances where a person combined urinary and faecal incontinence.
with constipated feelings uses his own Physiologically the bowel movement is

35