CONSTIPATION – BAD HABITS
Perhaps the most common cause is simply bad habits.
If the urge to empty the bowel is ignored because it is inconvenient, the stimulus may not come back. The large bowel acts as a reservoir, holding the contents until it is convenient to be emptied.
Water is also absorbed. The contents of the small bowel are fluid, and the motion becomes firmer as water is absorbed in its passage through the large bowel or colon. If there is ‘hurry up’ and the passage is too rapid, the motion will be fluid. This is what happens in diarrhoea.
If the passage is slowed, too much water is absorbed and the motion becomes hard and difficult to pass. This is constipation.
Repeated constipation may lead to the taking of laxatives which can be habit-forming.
Laxatives may be taken by mouth or inserted into the rectum. The simplest work by lubrication and liquid paraffin is the most common of these. Long term use may lead to leakage from the anus and soiling of the underwear. It interferes with the absorption of fat and the fat soluble vitamins. Paraffin taken at night may trickle down the windpipe and slowly build up in the lung, causing a type of pneumonia.
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