Page 28 - Seniorstoday September-2023 Issue
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Try bowel training - Your doctor may Make sure children who begin to eat solid
suggest that you try to train yourself to foods get plenty of fibre in their diets.
have a bowel movement at the same time Keeping a record of bowel movements,
each day to help you become more regular. stool characteristics, and dietary and other
For example, trying to have a bowel factors may help find a suitable treatment.
movement 15 to 45 minutes after breakfast
may help, because eating helps your colon COMPLEMENTARY AND
move stool. ALTERNATIVE REMEDIES
Give it time - Allowing time for defecation, Other possible therapies include
without stress or interruption, may also acupuncture, massage, herbal remedies.
help. Make sure you give yourself enough
time to have a bowel movement, and use OTHER TREATMENT OPTIONS
the bathroom as soon as you feel the need If constipation does not respond to
to go. Try to relax your muscles or put your treatment or if there are other symptoms, a
feet on a footstool to make yourself more doctor may suggest an abdominal imaging
comfortable. study — such as a CT scan, MRI scan, or
Try to manage stress - To reduce your X-ray — to see if there is a blockage due to
stress; you can try various approaches, an underlying disease process in the gut.
such as meditation, yoga, and breathing If there is, you may need specific
exercises to counseling, massage, and self- prescription medications or surgery to
hypnosis. resolve it.
Continued from 21....
misled parents into believing that inhaling which appear to be health promoting.
steam could prevent or treat respiratory Folk wisdom isn’t likely to disappear
tract symptoms. This was particularly anytime soon. So we need to understand
disheartening because studies published what makes people believe in it and to
worldwide since 1969 have highlighted the what extent it challenges beliefs in science.
dangers of steam inhalation. There seems to be a complex relationship
While some examples of folk wisdom have between beliefs in folk wisdom and what
a level of biological plausibility, others do people actually do to protect their health.
not. For instance, the belief that “an apple a Understanding this relationship could be
day keeps the doctor away”, a medical folk key to preventing its harmful effects. Lives
proverb from around 1870, was probably may depend upon it.
based on the wisdom that apples are full
of nutrients. Interestingly, scientists have The writers - Katrine K Donois is a
found that though the vitamin content of PhD Candidate in Psychology (Science
apples may not be particularly exceptional, Communication) at the Angila Ruskin
apples are considered a so-called functional University and Hassan Vally is Associate
food (which must meet a scientific criteria, Professor, Epidemiology at the Deakin
unlike “superfoods”) because of the number University. Republished with permission from
of bioactive substances that they have TheConversation.com
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