Everyday Tips to Relieve Constipation

There comes a point where almost everyone goes through it – constipation. A period of infrequent bowel movements or hard stools.   Constipation can be a very uncomfortable state, especially the longer it lasts. Though not severe, if not taken care of, constipation can cause damage to the veins and skin in your anus, in addition to significant damage to intestines.  Chronic constipation is also a risk factor for colorectal cancer.

Per the Mayo Clinic, there are a few risk factors that may increase your risk of constipation:

  • Older age
  • Women
  • Dehydration
  • Low fiber diet
  • Little to no physical activity
  • Blood pressure medications/treatments
  • Mental health conditions

Luckily our R-Health doctor, Julia Snyder, MD, offers tools to prevent and relieve constipation.

  • Eat a whole foods, high-fiber diet
    • Eat foods in their unprocessed forms without additives (i.e. sugar, salt, flavorings or preservatives)
    • Consider a trial of dairy and gluten free (two food groups that are likely to cause constipation for people)
  • Try adding 2 tablespoons of ground flax seeds to your daily diet for extra fiber
    • Grind the flax yourself every 2 days for an extra healthy fat boost
  • Eat more good fats and try coconut oil
    • g. – wild fatty fish like sardines and salmon, avocados, and olive oil (which lubricates the digestive system)
  • Supplement with magnesium, vitamin C and probiotics
    • Use 200 mg to 1,000 mg of magnesium citrate daily. Gradually increase the dose until you go once or twice a day. If you take too much, you will get loose stools. If that happens, back off a bit.
    • Vitamin C – you can take 2,000 to 4,000 mg in divided doses two or three a day, along with magnesium supplementation. The same principle applies here: If you begin to get loose stools, just back off a bit.
    • Many people who struggle with constipation are often deficient in healthy gut bacteria, so adding probiotics can help – try adding them for one month. The increased fiber in your diet will give them food to eat and they will be happy to stay.  Also add fermented foods/drinks to your diet.  (Fermented vegetables are found in the refrigerated section)
  • Drink about half your weight in ounces of water each day (add more for hot weather or exercise)
    • Try starting off your day with water and lemon (room temperature to warm)
    • Cold drinks slow down the bowels.
    • Try coffee or tea with an apple and walnuts/pecans/almonds for breakfast
  • Exercise regularly
    • Get up and move – just 10-15 minutes of walking a few times a day will make a big difference
    • Try Yoga – the combination of relaxation and movement aids in triggering the bowels to release
  • Give yourself time to go and listen to mother nature’s call!
    • Schedule time in to your morning – just like potty training your little ones!
  • Position yourself correctly
    • Put your feet up on a stool to mimic a squatting position. This allows the muscles to relax and the stool to exit more easily.

 

 

Following these suggestions are sure aids in constipation prevention and management. However, if you have questions, or have frequent constipation, notice blood in your stool, and have severe pain in your bowel and/or experiencing weight loss, be sure to reach out to your R-Health doctor for assistance.

Why do we react to foods?

Why do we react to foods? The most immediately serious reason is true food allergy.  A food allergy is mediated by the fast-responding antibody IgE. It might result in an immediate and intense reaction, such as anaphylaxis.  The most common symptoms include: tingling or itching in the mouth; hives; itching; and swelling of lips, face, tongue and throat or other parts of the body, among others. Treatment usually involves avoiding the culprit foods, using medications for reactions as needed, and possibly, desensitization through allergy shots.

Food sensitivities are less understood, but are thought to be a chronic, low-level reaction which can have a delayed response of one to three days after eating a triggering food. The most commonly associated symptoms are arthritis, IBS, migraines, asthma, eczema, and chronic fatigue.  If you have symptoms, IgG/IgA testing or other immune response testing can be useful for confirmation, and can be the basis for an elimination diet that could improve your symptoms.

Cross-reactivity to environmental allergens involves foods with similar proteins as outdoor allergens.  For example, if you have ragweed allergy you may also react to eating the melon family.

Celiac disease is an autoimmune response to gluten (found in wheat barley and rye).  Treatment is a lifelong gluten-free diet.

Reactive hypoglycemia and post-prandial syndrome happen when insulin levels rise after a meal and trigger symptoms.  Eating a balanced diet rich in protein, healthy fat and fiber, while avoiding high carb foods-especially refined carbohydrates or sugary drinks are first-line management.

Keeping Your Heart Healthy – The Importance of Blood Pressure Screenings

While February may be best known for Valentine’s Day, it’s also American Heart Month. This is a period geared towards spreading awareness of cardiovascular disease, and encouraging your family and friends to be proactive in monitoring their heart health. One of the best ways to do that is getting a heart health screening.

There are many screenings available – Fasting Lipoprotein Profile (cholesterol), Body Weight, Blood Glucose, Smoking/Physical Activity/Diet – but chief among them may be the blood pressure screening. According to the American Heart Association, this is one of the most important screenings because there are typically no symptoms for high blood pressure (HBP). If you have HBP you are at a much higher risk of:

  • Heart failure
  • Heart attack
  • Stroke
  • Chronic kidney disease

It’s important to check your blood pressure regularly, especially if it’s outside the range of 120/80 mm Hg. If so, it’s recommended you get this screening at least every two years. While your blood pressure levels may be affected by short-term factors such as emotion, stress, pain, and caffeine use, there are many other risk factors that can contribute to the rise of HBP:

  • Age
  • Race
  • Family History
  • Obesity
  • Tobacco Use
  • Low levels of Potassium/Vitamin D

While there may be many risk factors, the CDC believes there are many things you can do to take control of your blood pressure, and most importantly, developing healthy habits.

  1. Healthy Diet – A balanced diet, individualized for your health needs, can be crafted by your R-Health doctor.
  2. Maintain a Healthy Weight – Additionally, your R-Health doctor can work with you to determine a healthy weight range.
  3. Physical Activity – Physical activities not only help maintain healthy weight, but keep your heart active and healthy.
  4. Do Not Smoke
  5. Limited Alcohol Use

Though there are healthy habits to follow, and risks factors that may increase chances, the best first step is to get a blood pressure screening. With no true signs or symptoms, this screening is a vital step in preventing cardiovascular disease and a first step towards making lifestyle changes. In addition, your R-Health physician can help you decide upon individual lifestyle adjustments to keep your heart and your body healthy and happy.

Enabling Patient Communication with Our Secure Mobile App

Last year at this time, I was still working at a traditional fee-for-service practice. I was seeing countless patients, trying to squeeze as much as I could into my day, and would sit down at the end of the day to begin returning patient calls. By the time I called my patients, I would usually get their voicemail and thus would trigger a seemingly never-ending game of phone tag.

When I joined R-Health, I was excited about the opportunities provided by Direct Care. One of the most intriguing features of R-Health practices was the enhanced doctor-patient communication through a HIPPA compliant mobile app that is downloaded to both the physician’s phone as well as the patient’s.   Patients can use the app to communicate non-urgent medical questions at any time.  As part of my initial visit with new patients, I explain the app and how they can use it to communicate with me and my Health Guide. I have had patients reach out to me through the app, not only with medical questions, but have received follow up information after an appointment, photos of rashes, and pictures of medication bottles to verify names and dosage strengths.

And the best part – it eliminates the countless rounds of phone tag. Patients send me a message using the app, I return their message, and if needed, we can schedule a time that is convenient for us both for a call or an appointment.

After-hours, I can triage their care and often schedule them to come into the office that same day or next day. My Health Guide, our medical assistant, will often come in to the office the next morning and find that I’ve added patients to the schedule from our after-hours app communications.

You may be asking yourself, but how do you have any down time if patients can reach you 24/7?  What I’ve found to work best is that I schedule certain times in the evening to check the app and respond. I am clear with patients that the app is for non-urgent issues, and they should reach me on my cell phone for any urgent medical concerns. With this approach, I can maintain a great work-life balance while still being proactive and accessible to my patients.

I’ve also found that when patients know they can send me a message at any time, make an appointment with me the same-day or next-day, and generally have better access to me – they are more at ease. By building a trusting relationship, one with mutual respect and appreciation, I find I rarely receive inappropriate calls or messages during evening and nighttime hours.

Practicing in Direct Care – and with assistance of the mobile app – has given me back control. I can practice medicine the way that I think is most effective. I can spend the time I need with my patients, whether that’s face-to-face in the office, via text message on our secure app, or over the phone.

Dr. James Bancroft is a family physician at R-Health New Brunswick.