Overuse of laxatives can make colon muscles lazy

Seema, a playwright in her late 40s, resorted to laxatives when she would feel constipated. Ten years on, incessant use had led to such total dependence that it has badly affected her bowel motility.The rampant abuse of over-the-counter laxatives, which can become a habit and gradually descend to complete dependence, has made bowel movement almost an impossibility for many in the city.

Laxative-induced constipation, experts say, is a new health concern and its spread may spiral out of control if not tackled. People suffering from chronic constipation must seek a doctor's advice before buying over-the-counter laxatives, they stressed.

"Constipation due to long-term use of laxatives is the latest public health concern and its proportion in the total number of chronic constipation cases is consistently on the rise. It is prevalent among people over 40 years of age in Pune," proctologist Ashwin Porwal of Healing Hands Clinic, a centre for treatment of constipation, said.

Ov er-the-counter medicines allow individuals to self-treat common symptoms. Among the various OTC medicines available in India, laxatives are commonly used and abused since many options of laxatives are available in allopathy, homeopathy, ayurveda or herbal.

"Just because laxatives are easily available it does not mean they are safe and suitable for everyone. Therefore, for people suffering from constipation, it is necessary to take laxatives only under the supervision of a proctologist," Porwal said. He runs mobile vans in the interiors of western Maharashtra to provide medical care to patients suffering from constipation, piles, fistula and hernia.

Patients who have been prescribed laxatives by a doctor in the past continue to self-medicate and use the medicines for a prolonged period.

"People's reliance on medicines is increasing by the day and simpler, natural means to deal with health issues are forgotten. Most people buy a strip of laxative when constipated, bu t it is not the best idea. Laxatives are like little bombs that go off in your colon," Porwal warned.

Laxatives cause bowel movements by irritating the colon which causes the muscles in the colon to go into a spasm, artificially ejecting the stool, he said. "Essentially, laxatives make the muscles in the colon 'lazy' leading to chronic constipation and a dependence on them. Unless a doctor has prescribed laxatives, one should stop taking them freely. They are not the answer and will only worsen constipation," he added. Clinical nutritionist Dhanashree Jadhav said, "Constipation can be prevented or managed by making changes to the diet and lifestyle rather than relying on laxatives. But there is lack of awareness."

The chronic use of laxatives ultimately leads to increasing constipation and the need for even stronger purges. "It can result in the loss of essential nutrients and water and cause severe electrolyte imbalance, fatigue and cramps among other harmful effects. Laxative abuse can cause severe health problems and lead to hospitalization," Jadhav added. The consumption of refined, processed and preserved foods, fast foods and what we call 'junk food' is on the rise leading to the elimination of fibre from the diet and an increasing rate of gastrointestinal issues. "Besides, the city is filled with students and young professionals who want food "on the go". A busy lifestyle where there isn't sufficient time to eat, obviously doesn't allow sufficient time for digestion. It can cause constipation or other digestive disorders," another clinical nutritionist Preeti Budhwani said. Besides lifestyle modifications, some treatment modalities like MCDPA that includes medicine (M), constac (C) which is a herbal laxative powder formulation, diet (D) physiotherapy (P) and ayurvedic (A) oil therapy which aims at the root of the problem rather than simply trying to manage symptoms and biofeedback therapy that helps in evaluating pelvic muscle function accompanied with kegel exercises and colon hydrotherapy can help resolve constipation to a large extent.

"Normally, if you are eating a diet high in insoluble fibre, drinking adequate water, and exercising daily, this is enough to maintain a healthy, constipation-free digestive system. Constipation occurs when we deviate from this time-tested formula," ayurvedic consultant Nimarjeet Rajpal said.

Source: Overuse of laxatives can make colon muscles lazy