Constipation Health Video

Constipation is the condition of experiencing hard feces which are difficult to pass. Learn remedies and treatment options for constipation in this health video.

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High fiber diet
Keep yourself properly hydrated
Seek medical advice

About this Author

Dr. Stallworth is board certified in rehabilitation and phsycial medicine. She graduated from Baylor College of Medicine and finished her residency at Baylor. Dr. Stallworth is known for being a superb and compassionate physician that believes in not only health of the body of the mind as well. She currently serves on the board of Centennial Medical Center and is a former board member of the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. She now resides with her family in middle Tennessee.

DR. CATHERINE STALLWORTH: Hi, I'm Dr. Cathy Stallworth. And today, I'd like to talk to you about constipation. Constipation is a symptom, not a disease. And it's typically defined as fewer than three bowel movements a week. So many people think that they have constipation if they're not having a bowel movement everyday. But actually, if you're having a bowel movement every two to three days, you probably don't have constipation. People who have bowel movements fewer than three times a week and feel that they are experiencing constipation typically have stools that are hard, dry, small, and very often, they have difficulty eliminating that stool. In order to understand constipation, you first need to understand how the colon works. Food typically enters the colon, or large intestine, from the small intestine and this here is on the right lower side of the abdomen, sort of in the area of the appendix. What happens is as food matter moves into the colon, it moves up the ascending colon and to the transverse colon and down the descending colon. As food moves through, fluid is absorbed into the body. So if you're dehydrated, your body is going to absorb lots and lots of fluid from the food matter. As the food matter passes through the colon, toxic waste accumulate and form stool. Constipation is very, very common in Americans and it's primarily related to our diet. We tend to consume a diet that is very high in processed foods and very low in fiber. About four million Americans experience constipation on a daily basis. Another problem is dehydration. A third very, very common problem is the use of medications. There are many medications that can contribute to constipation and those include things like some of the antidepressant drugs, seizure medications, many of the opioid pain medications, several of the medications that help control blood pressure also can affect constipation. I'd like to show you some foods that are high in fibers. That if you're having constipation, you might think about using some of these foods. A whole wheat bread. This slice of bread has 3 grams of fiber in it. It's not squishy; it's very firm, and that tells you that there's fiber. You could also always look at the label. Bran cereal, one cup of bran cereal has 14 grams of fiber. Orange, 4 grams of fiber. And another one of my favorites, beans. Most people don't realize this but a serving of beans such as these has 14 grams of fiber. So again, by doing something very simple, like adding a serving of beans, adding a serving of bran cereal, you've met your daily requirement for fiber. If you are having chronic constipation, you're not responding to simple measures. I definitely advise that you get in to see a physician about this problem.

Constipation Health Video

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