Nutritional Increase fibers in your diet To avoid constipation, consume fiber via fruits, vegetables, and cereals. It is suggested that you take around 20-30 grams of fiber per day. You can work with a nutritionist on how to consume enough fiber in your diet. There are also resources online that will tell you how much fiber is in food, and you can use that reference to calculate how much fiber you ate in a day. Increase your fluid intake When you travel long distances or are busy at work, you may not drink as much water as you need to. This can cause constipation. To provide yourself with adequate water even if you are traveling or working, you should always have a container for drinking water beside you as a reminder. Drinking plenty of water, around 8 glasses per day, is good not only for constipation but many other health concerns such as dry skin. Increase your intake of foods rich in potassium If you experience constipation, eat foods rich in potassium, such as mushrooms, sweet potatoes, yogurt, prunes and prune juice, carrot juice, soybeans, bananas, oranges, melons, and peaches. Make sure to speak with your medical provider about how much potassium is recommended for you.

Intestinal obstruction A medical problem that could mimic the manifestation of constipation is an intestinal obstruction. This can occur if you have previously had a surgical operation that caused adhesions (scarring) of the intestines, leading to the obstruction. In addition, a tumor that has been growing in your intestines could also lead to a physical blockage. Intestinal obstructions can also occur spontaneously, be it due to defects from birth, or due to underlying inflammatory bowel diseases. The best way to find out if you have been suffering from intestinal obstruction is to consult your medical doctor, who can request an x-ray of the abdomen in order to confirm or deny the diagnosis. There are two kinds of x-ray that could be requested for your abdomen, depending on whether you want to use the contrast medium or not. If you use contrast, then it is an x-ray of the abdomen with contrast, and you will be asked to drink the solution prior to the procedure. Contrast helps the medical provider view the pathway of the intestines and colon. When the contrast shows up on x-ray, it appears as a white shadow. This shadow will help in distinguishing one structure from another, thereby ascertaining what has been taking  place in your abdomen.

Causes of Constipation Nutritional Lack of fiber in your diet Barring other factors, your bowel movement could take place easily and regularly if you include sufficient amounts of fiber in your diet. The reason for this is that fibers provide bulk to your stool, and this will help in the swift elimination of your waste matter. In the absence of sufficient fiber, your stool becomes sticky, and become attached to the inner lining of your large intestines. Hence, it’s fast and easy elimination will be prevented. Lack of fluids   When your stool is dry, it will be very difficult for your intestines to eliminate it.  Sufficient fluid is required to make your stool soft and less sticky. In addition, more fluid in the large intestine will also provide the necessary volume and bulk to stimulate the muscles to contract. When intestinal contraction takes place, your stool will be gradually moved towards the outside, effecting its expulsion from the body Lack of potassium Potassium is an electrolyte very much required for the contraction of your intestines. If your dietary intake of potassium for several days and months is low, it could lead to constipation. This is very common among the elderly, whose nutrition has been compromised because of poor supervision and management of their diet.

Constipation is a condition in which you experience difficulty with your bowel movements. More precisely, if you defecate less than three times a week, then you are experiencing constipation. If you experience constipation, its cause must be determined, and more serious conditions must be ruled out. Management should begin once constipation is detected because if it persists for long periods of time, some undesirable consequences on your health will start to set in. In some instances, management of constipation is as simple as drinking more water. In other cases, treatment may involve comprehensive changes to your diet, implementing physical exercises, and possibly the need for medication. For some, structural abnormalities, such as intestinal obstruction, adhesions, or tumors, could be preventing prompt elimination of your waste matter. In these last situations, medical interventions, such as using medication and/or surgical intervention, will be needed. Symptoms The first manifestation of constipation is a drastic decrease in the frequency of defecation; or worse, a complete stoppage of defecation. In addition, there is excessive straining before passing a bowel movement, or a complete inability to pass a bowel movement even with straining. Besides the difficulty in expelling your feces, your stools are described as hard and you feel abdominal fullness.

The treatment recommended for these patients includes addressing all areas of the patient’s needs. While there is no cure for the disease, there are medications that can slow the progression of symptoms or improve function. Pharmacological treatment mainly focuses on addressing memory and cognitive deficits. A medication that can reverse the disease would be groundbreaking. Research continues with hopes for advancements in the future. Medications Choosing a medication to treat someone with Alzheimer’s depends on many factors, but a decision that should be made with an educated provider, typically a primary care or specialist in geriatrics or neurology. As stated before there is no cure for Alzheimer’s, only treatments to slow the progression of symptoms and improve quality of life. While there are several drugs on the market for Alzheimer’s disease, there are no drugs for other memory disorders such as mild cognitive impairment or frontotemporal dementia. It is important to recognize that the same drugs that are used to treat Alzheimer’s disease are frequently used to treat other types of memory disorders- so having a prescription for one of these medications does not mean that your doctor thinks you have Alzheimer’s and has not told you so! A conversation with your doctor is always reasonable if you have questions about your medications.