Constipation

Aloe Relief

Among its myriad uses, the humble aloe plant can help end bouts of constipation fairly quickly. Instead of the gel, you want dried aloe latex, which can be found at health food stores, herb shops and some grocery stores. Taken orally, it works by stimulating the muscles of the colon to contract, and should be used only on occasion. (For repeated use, it is safer to take fiber products like psyllium.)

Typical dosage of aloe powder is 250 mg to 500 mg, starting with the lowest dose and working upward.

Ginger Compress

A warming ginger compress can help stimulate sluggish bowels. To make one, set two gallons of water on the stove to boil. While the water boils, grate four tablespoons of fresh ginger root into a cheesecloth pouch. Dip the ginger pouch in the hot water, then wring the juice out of the pouch back into your pot. Remove from heat and return the pouch to the pot to steep. Dunk a thick towel into the water, wring out and place over abdomen until it cools. Reheat water and repeat the process four times.

An Acupressure Exercise

Here's a hands-on way to relieve the pressure and gas of constipation, and to keep the bowels moving. It's an acupressure exercise, performed on the floor.

1. Lying on your back with knees comfortably bent, find the spot three finger widths below the navel.
2. Press this spot slowly, firmly, downward­into your body-using all your finger tips at once.
3. Breathe deeply, release and repeat.

Performed over days or weeks, the exercise will help prevent constipation from recurring.

Saltwater Solution

Beyond the prune juice and commercial preparations, one simple method of relieving constipation starts at the kitchen sink. As soon as you get up in the morning, add two teaspoons of table salt to a quart of water, then drink up. Follow this up with a minifast, until the intestines empty out-usually within a few hours.

Note: This remedy is not for regular bouts of constipation. Caution: People with congestive heart failure, kidney disease or high blood pressure may not tolerate the additional salt.

Turning It Around

Strengthening of the abdominal, pelvic and lower back muscles can help relieve irregularity. Asian doctors recommend this simple waist-turning exercise to clear up constipation problems.

1. Stand with feet slightly turned out at hip width, and bend the knees a bit (kneecaps no farther forward than the toes).
2. Keeping the upper body upright, place your hands on your hips.
3. Rotate the torso clockwise, then repeat the same move counterclockwise.
4. Next, lean the torso to the side, first moving to the right then to the left.

Beginners should try 10 turns in each of the four moves, twice per day. Some devotees work up to 200 daily turns.

Root Relief

For recurrent bouts of constipation, before you reach for the over-the-counter drugstore treatments, and after you've eaten more fiber for a day or two, why not try to stimulate and normalize bowel function with a natural product? Herbalists and naturopaths often recommend tinctures (extracts) of any of the following herbs:

• angelica root
• dandelion root
• chicory root

Each of these should be taken as a 20- to 30­drop dose in a small cup of water, three times a day. If one doesn't work for you, try another­but don't combine them.

Reflexology Relieves Constipation

Try this three-step reflexology method to relieve occasional constipation.

1. While sitting in a comfortable position, pour some moisturizing lotion on your hands and work into the feet over a period of 5 to 10 minutes, kneading, stroking and squeezing along the way. Dust with foot powder, massaging until the lotion is absorbed.
2. Press both thumbs deeply into the center of the sole, into each foot's arch, one at a time, and hold for three minutes. This region of the foot is said to correspond with the intestines, according to principles of reflexology, the ancient medical art that uses reflex areas in the foot to affect organs throughout the body.
3. As you work on your feet, take time to close your eyes, breathe deeply and imagine your intestines relaxing. "See" yourself flowing freely down a river, along a path, wherever you wish to visualize. Think of this as the mindful laxative.