Some Little Known Causes of Constipation

On the TV series Weeds, suburban housewife Nancy Botwin takes to selling marijuana to support her family after her husband dies of a sudden heart attack while jogging. She has a dysfunctional neighbor named Celia. Celia has a teenage daughter that she considers grossly overweight even though in reality she's just a little chubby.

In one episode, Celia finds her daughter's stash of chocolate bars hidden underneath her bed. To teach her a lesson, Celia secretly replaces the chocolate with Ex-Lax. The daughter has quite an "accident" the next day at school.

The daughter then overhears her mother talking about what she had done and decides to get even. She replaces some of her mother's prescription pills with Immodium. This gives Celia the worst case of constipation she has ever had. Pretty funny, but in real life constipation is no joke. In severe cases it can even lead to an impacted bowl that requires surgery.

There are lots of common causes for constipation such as not eating enough fiber, a lack of exercise, and not drinking enough water. But there are some other causes of constipation that most people don't think of. According to CNN:

"Constipation also has other, less-well-known causes, including certain medications and supplements, as well as potentially serious medical conditions."

Hypothyroidism, or an under active thyroid gland, can slow a lot of the body's processes, and that includes those in the gut. If your constipation is chronic, then it's a good idea to get your thyroid level checked.

If you take painkillers for chronic pain, they can also sometimes cause the digestive system to slow. This is true even with aspirin and ibuprofen.

Chocolate and dietary supplements. It's Easter time and for some people, if they eat too much chocolate, it can cause them to suffer from constipation. Calcium and iron supplements can cause the same effect.

For years it was said that overuse of stimulant laxatives can cause dependence on them and make you constipated. But recent research has shown that other types of laxatives such as Dulcolax and stool softeners, can be taken every day.

Eating too much high fat, low fiber foods such as cheese and eggs, can cause constipation because they stay longer in the digestive tract before they can be broken down and digested.

And finally, diseases like irritable bowel syndrome and diabetes can cause your bowls to move slower. In the case of diabetes, it damages the nerves that control the muscles that move food through your system.

Source: http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20452199_14,00.html