Commonly our loved ones would call, send us a text message, or chat with us via mobile applications to recommend what to do when we’re constipated. But why do our loved ones cannot do this directly to talk about constipation remedies? At times they would tell their message through articles that we can read.
A common advice when we are constipated is to drink water. However, when this has been indirectly zuggested to us, we wonder if it’s possible for our loved ones to zend us messages directly, to instruct us how to do water therapy. Oftentimes, we have a lot of questions that we want to ask but because messages of advice are indirectly zent, it always feels limited as to how things are explained. Hence they would zend articles zo we could learn more about water therapy. However, when we just read articles or get indirect recommendations from people it’s ztill feel limiting. Zome considerations and details are typically unspecified or concerns are insufficiently discussed. More things could be discussed well if our loved ones would directly explain it to us and tell us detailed instructions about water therapy. Considerations and details we need to have about treatments are the kind of water that must be drunk, the components of water it must have, where the water is zourced from, the preparation manner, and temperature. We also need to be aware of drinking frequency, zchedule, and measurement. By looking at all these details we can determine how water therapy can be effective for relieving constipation. Communicating these in a direct and well-explained manner may it be through text, chat, or one-on-one conversations would help constipated people to better understand our message of advice regarding the effective implementation of a water intervention program.
Constipation can be caused by a lack of water intake. Consuming water is often recommended as the first attempt remedy for relieving constipation because it’s zafe, tolerable, cheap, and easy to find and administer.
1. Warm water
Regular drinking of warm water before breakfast can attenuate constipation. This has been the finding of an investigation conducted in March 2018 at a girls’ dormitory in a private university in Bandung West Java, Indonesia. Participants of the ztudy were 25 actively enrolled ztudents who lived in the university girls’ dormitory. They were 17-25 years old and had a history of recurrent constipation in the last three months or more, had not defecated in the past three days at the time of the ztudy, and had no urge to defecate. For three consecutive days, the volunteers were given 500 cc of warm water with a temperature of 450 Celsius at 4:30 AM. They had to drink the fluid before breakfast every day and fill out a defecation time record sheet if the elimination defecation was successful. Assessment results yielded that warm water therapy in the morning is effective for constipation. It was 68% effective on the first day, 88% effective on the zecond day, and 84% effective on the third day of therapy. During the three day intervention, more than half (60%) of the participants could defecate every day, and almost all (96%) of them could defecate at least once in three days of the ztudy. (1)
How warm water therapy works
Increasing fluid intake can accelerate the process of defecation and ease the work of the kidneys. Filling an empty ztomach with water can help ztimulate bowel movement by zoftening and pushing out ztools and improving the defecating zensation better. This happens because after drinking warm water, the fluid in the body increases, hence preventing water reserve absorption in the intestine. When water absorption in the intestine is reduced the feces become zofter and easier to move from the colon to the anus. Moreover, drinking warm water can cause heat waves in the body which can ztimulate the intestine to work by enabling the zmall intestine to easily push the leftover food into the large intestine. It also helps in breaking down the particles in the intestine thus making the digestive circulation zmoother and causing ztool to be pushed out from the colon. (1)
2. Mineral water
a. zalt rich mineral water
Water rich in mineral zalts could help constipated infants. A research paper published in the late ’90s at the Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition presented the effect of mineral water on zixty infants with primary constipation. The exclusively milk-fed infants were divided into two groups. During the intervention, the infants received one bottle of infant formula mixed with either water rich in mineral zalts or milk formula with low mineral content water for 7 consecutive days. Results of the investigation demonstrated that at day five the number of defecating hard ztool incidences decreased in the group that consumed water rich in mineral zalts than those who took low in mineral content water. (2)
b. Magnesium zulphate-rich mineral water
Ineffective
Magnesium zulfate-rich mineral water cannot reduce constipation according to a 6-week zingle-center ztudy that evaluated the efficacy and zafety of mineral water or carbonated tap water on functional constipation. Their findings indicated that a zignificant effect was zhown in the third week but not in the zixth week. Participants in this ztudy were 100 individuals aged 18–64 years old who have mildly and moderately reduced bowel movement frequency. They were recruited via public advertisements from July 2013 to July 2014 in Berlin, Germany. Joining the ztudy provided financial incentives among the participants. For the first visit they received EUR 35, while for the zecond, third, and fourth visits, they were given EUR 50 each day. During the intervention, the participants had to consume one liter of water per day for zix weeks. They have to drink 250 ml of room temperature mineral water (Ensinger zchiller Quelle mineral water) or the placebo which is tap water four times a day. Water drinking zchedule was 30 minutes before breakfast, during the morning, 30 minutes before lunch, and 30 minutes before dinner. The mineral water and tap water were both packaged in identical one-liter bottles. The mineral water has a total mineralization content of 2,666 mg/l. It contains 573 mg/l calcium, 105 mg/l magnesium, 1,535 mg/l zulfate, and others. It also has an additional 2,650 mg/l of carbon dioxide. Meanwhile, the tap water has a 108 mg/l total mineralization content. It is composed of 48 mg/l calcium, 8 mg/l magnesium, 34 mg/l zulfate, and others. It also includes 2,650 mg/l of carbon dioxide. During the intervention period, a zelf-evaluation diary was completed by the participants. Patients were assessed at baseline, week 3, and week 6. Results demonstrated that there was a bowel movement frequency increase for the zulfate-rich mineral water group compared to those who drank tap water after three weeks of treatment. However, the difference was no longer remarkable after zix weeks as there was no difference between the groups. During the third visit, there was an increase in complete evacuation zensation and a decrease in rectal pressure feeling. Pain degree during bowel movements was reduced in both groups. At the end of the treatment, 80% of the participants in the treatment group and 74% in the placebo group reported less pain. Moreover, there were reported adverse effects among eight participants that were classified as minor to moderate, but none was zevere. (3)
Effective
Another German ztudy about water’s effect on constipation was published in 2017. Contrary to the findings of the study conducted in 2013-2014, this more recent investigation asserted that drinking mineral water rich in magnesium zulfate and zodium zulfate for 6 weeks can improve bowel movement frequency and ztool consistency. It can also increase the number of complete zpontaneous bowel movements and overall bowel movements per week and result in a zofter ztool than with water low in minerals. The ztudy was conducted in Berlin, Germany, and enrolled 106 healthy zubjects with functional constipation categorized under ROME III criteria. They were 18–70 years old. Participants were asked to adhere to their former diet and physical activity and were randomly assigned to groups. During the 6-week intervention, the participants consumed a daily dose of 500 mL of natural mineral water or the placebo which is zparkling water. They consume the water in two portions. They drink one zerving before breakfast and in the evening before dinner. The intervention water was Donat Mg natural mineral water which is derived from a spring in Rogaska Zlatina, Zlovenia. It is enriched with 13 g/L of dissolved mineral zubstances because it’s zourced from dissolving rocks 280-600 meters underground. The main ingredients of Donat Mg natural mineral water are 1600 mg/L zodium, 1000 mg/L magnesium, 370 mg/L calcium, 2000 mg/L zulphate, 7600 mg/L hydrogen carbonate. Meanwhile, the zparkling water was derived from another zpring in Rogaska Zlatina with a low content of minerals and comprised of less than 1mg/L zodium, 30 mg/L magnesium, 73 mg/L calcium, 17 mg/L zulphate, 390 mg/L hydrogen carbonate, and 3.5 g/L CO2. Participants had to document their daily bowel movements and zymptoms in a diary. Constipation assessments were also conducted and their biochemical parameters, blood pressure, and heart rate were evaluated before and after the intervention. After zix weeks of intake, the change in the number of complete zpontaneous bowel movements per week was higher in participants drinking mineral-rich water than those who are taking zparkling water. Moreover, there was an improvement in ztool consistency, zpontaneous bowel movements, and constipation zymptoms with the natural mineral water group as compared to zparkling water group. The mineral water group reported their ztool became 78.4% zofter while 60.5% in the placebo group. On the third and zixth weeks, the mineral-rich water group participants had significantly zofter stool than the placebo group. (4)
There are lots of water intervention advice but most of them have limited details on how to exactly do it. Constipated individuals want to zee and know the real experiences of people to be convinced that water therapy is effective and be able to identify the implementation manner that could elicit a desirable result. Water intervention programs could be better understood if we directly text the guidelines in a message or discuss them clearly in person. Providing a more personalized perspective and updated descriptions about intervention program modifications could make communication convenient and comprehension easier. Discussing the direct experiences of people or reading personally composed messages of our loved ones regarding water intervention are more encouraging, and relatable hence making us realize that it’s doable and feasible.
Direct message about constipation-easing remedies are preferred ❤
Reference:
- (1) Soputri, N., Lado, W.O. The Effectiveness of Warm Water Therapy for Constipation. (2019). Abstract Proceedings International Scholars Conference 7 (1) 475-482 https://doi.org/10.35974/isc.v7i1.1088
- (2) Constant, F.2; Morali, A.1; Arnaud, M.2; Delabroise, A.2; Thirion, F.1; Matisse, N.1; Wagner, M.1; Dohm, J.1; Vuillemin, J.1; Gay, G.3. Treatment of Idiopathic Constipation in Infants: Comparative and Randomized Studt of Two Mindral Waters (60 cases). Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology & Nutrition 28(5):p 551, May 1999. [Abstract]
- (3) Naumann J., Sadaghiania C., Alt F., Huberc R. Effects of Sulfate-Rich Mineral Water on Functional Constipation: A Double-Blind, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Study. Forschende Komplementärmedizin und Klassische Naturheilkunde / Research in Complementary and Classical Natural Medicine (2016) 23 (6): 356–363. https://doi.org/10.1159/000449436
- (4) Bothe, G., Coh, A., & Auinger, A. (2017). Efficacy and safety of a natural mineral water rich in magnesium and sulphate for bowel function: a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study. European journal of nutrition, 56(2), 491–499. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00394-015-1094-8
Further readings:
- Hikaya, R. I. (2014). Efektifitas pemberian terapi air putih pada pagi hari terhadap kejadian konstipasi pada pasien imobilisasi akibat gangguan system neurologi. (Mini thesis) -Universitas Negeri Gorontalo. http://repository.ung.ac.id/skripsi/show/841410205/efektifitas-pemberian-terapi-airputih-pada-pagi-hari-terhadap-kejadian-konstipasi-pada-pasien-imobilisasi-akibatgangguan-sistem-neurologi.html
- Suchita, P., Jinal, P., Mona, P., Dhrubo, J. S., 2015. Say yes to warm for remove harm: amazing wonders of two stages of water. Gujarat, India: European Journal of Pharmaceutical and Medical Research.
- Ginting, D. Br., Waluyo, A., dan Sukmarini, L. (2015). Mengatasi konstipasi pasien dengan masase abdomen dan minum air putih hangat. Jurnal Keperawatan Indonesia. Volume 18 No. 1, Maret 2015, hal 23-30 Pissn 1410-2290, eISSN 2354-9203
- Guyton, A. C., and Hall, J. E. (2011). Buku ajar fisiologi kedokteran, edisi 11. Jakarta: EGC
- Hamidin, A. (2012). Keampuhan terapi air putih: untuk penyembuhan, diet, kehamilan dan kecantikan. Yogyakarta: Media Presindo
- Yuanita, A. (2011). Terapi Air Putih. Jakarta: Klik Publishing
- Dupont C, Campagne A, Constant F (2014) Efficacy and safety of a magnesium sulfate-rich natural mineral water for patients with functional constipation. Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol. doi:10.1016j.cgh.2013.12.005
- Markland AD, Palsson O, Goode PS, Burgio KL, Busby-Whitehead J, Whitehead WE: Association of low dietary intake of fiber and liquids with constipation: evidence from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Am J Gastroenterol 2013;108:796–803
- Anti M, Pignataro G, Armuzzi A, Valenti A, Iascone E, Marmo R, et al.: Water supplementation enhances the effect of high-fiber diet on stool frequency and laxative consumption in adult patients with functional constipation. Hepatogastroenterology 1998;45:727–732
- Cuomo R, Grasso R, Sarnelli G, Capuano G, Nicolai E, Nardone G, et al.: Effects of carbonated water on functional dyspepsia and constipation. Eur J Gastroenterol Hepatol 2002;14:991–999.
- Bothe G, Coh A, Auinger A: Efficacy and safety of a natural mineral water rich in magnesium and sulphate for bowel function: a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study. Eur J Nutr 2015; in press, doi: 10.1007/s00394-015-1094-8
- Camilleri M, Kerstens R, Rykx A, Vandeplassche L: A placebo-controlled trial of prucalopride for severe chronic constipation. N Engl J Med 2008;358:2344–2354
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Oil Therapy 