How To Treat Cold and Damp Constipation

Cold and damp constipation

This condition correlates with either Ayurveda Manda Agni or Chinese medicine Spleen Yang Deficiency which mean a slow digestion.

Cold and damp lazy colonconstipation consists of infrequent bowel movements. This condition is usually due to the digestive system being clogged with mucus and due to a lack of mobility in the colon, resulting in sluggish bowels. When there is finally enough energy to stimulate peristalsis (the wave-like motion of your intestines which expels stool) the result is copious stools and possibly with phlegm. Slow digestion is a part of a general slow metabolic rate, which may also be associated with heaviness, lethargy and tiredness,depression and hypothyroid.

The main causes for sluggishness or congestion of the colon include too much heavy or mucus forming foods, inappropriate food combinations, excessive sleeping, sleeping during the day and a sedentary life style.

Sluggish bowels type constipation requires additional roughage and fiber in the diet to keep the bowels clean and moving. The satisfying daily release of a long, large stool indicates adequate soluble and insoluble fiber in the diet. The fiber absorbs moisture which increases the size of the stool, and stimulates the intestine muscle layer to contract and move the stool down the line. Avoiding heavy, constipating foods such as sweets and sugar, cheese, yogurt, bread, pastries and animal protein is necessary for restoring balance. Often fasting is helpful, increased physical and mental activity, aerobic exercise and less sleep.

Treatment:

This condition is treated with a warm, light and dry diet. Avoid rich foods which are cold, heavy and fatty.

1. Eat only when truly hungry; do not eat before the previous meal has been digested, but only when there is a sense of lightness in the body and strong appetite. Keep a regular meal schedule and downtime to enable digestion and absorption.
2. Avoid over eating. Eat only to the point that you are 80% satiated.
3. Avoid snacking between meals. This practice will help you to relearn the sensation of hunger and fullness and will give your digestive system a valuable rest between meals. As you eliminate sugar and refined grains from your diet and your body becomes adapted to burning stored fat as fuel, you will likely find yourself hungry less often.
4. Eat fewer meals, only main meals, usually 3 meals a day, sometimes 2.
5. Eat dinner no later than sunset.
6. Avoid eating at night.
7. Eat consciously and attentively. Meals should be prepared deliberately and thoughtfully, and should be eaten in an environment that is relaxed.
8. Pay attention to your posture during and after eating. Sitting in a twisted way impairs the function of the digestive organs.
9. Chew the food well.
10. Amount of food – relatively small meals, avoid eating too much and leave some space in the stomach. Stop eating before totally full.
11. Simple and easy to digest meals – Avoid very varied meals or hard-to-digest food combinations.
12. Cooked and hot food – most of the food should be cooked and served hot.
13. Fresh food – cook often, you can store food in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
14. Food texture – Avoid foods that are wet, moist, compressed and fatty. Prefer food in a more dry texture, such as baked / stirred / steamed vegetables.
15. Minimize or eliminate the consumption of dairy products from the diet.
16. The nature of the food – Eat foods of light and airy quality
17. Flavors – emphasize in the diet the bitter and pungent flavors
18. Energetics – prefer hot and light foods and use digestive stimulant spices such as ginger, black pepper and cinnamon.
19. Spices – stimulate digestion and encourage the movement of food through the digestive tract.
20. Use aromatics – aromatic herbs and spices, such as cardamom and Hing, stimulate gastric emptying and propel stagnant food from the stomach into the small intestine.
21. Avoid drinking water adjacent to meals – up to 15 minutes before eating, during meals and two hours after eating. If you are thirsty you can drink a small cup of herbal tea as is customary in the eastern countries.
22. Take a short, light walk after meals. A light walk after meals leads to better digestion and better health.
23. Exercise on a regular basis
24. Keep the abdomen and low back covered and warm

Foods to avoid:

1. Sugar, including high fructose corn syrup, agave syrup and maple syrup.
2. Uncooked and cold food such as excessive raw vegetables and fruit. Cooking is pre-digestion of your food. By cooking the majority of your food, you lighten the load on your digestive system. Cooking can be light and short or prolonged, depending upon the items at hand. For instance, vegetables may be stir-fried or steamed shortly, while beans should be cooked longer. Although cooking may destroy some nutrients, it makes the remaining nutrients much easier to assimilate, so the result is better nutrition.
3. Iced drinks are especially harmful to the digestive power.
4. Unhealthy fats such as hydrogenated fats, fried foods and refined vegetable oil. These foods cause phlegm and block the body channels.
5. Stimulants tend to exhaust the adrenal glands and hinder the body’s ability to generate heat (yang), therefore minimize or avoid caffeine.  

Recommended food items

Cereals:buckwheat, quinoa, basmati brown rice, round brown rice, black rice, red rice,  barley (grits), spelt grains, fryki (smoked green wheat), oat grains, rolled oats, millet,rye crackers and buckwheat rice cakes, rough bulgur, spelt bread toast

*Legumes (properly cooked):lentils, green mung beans, adzuki beans, red beans, and chickpeas

Cooked vegetables:stalks of celery, broccoli, cauliflower, string beans, green peas, beets, asparagus, fennel bulb,cabbage, Brussels sprouts, kohlrabi, radish, turnips, red pepper, artichoke, chard,pumpkin, squash, onion, celery root, parsley root, carrot, potato, zucchini, sweet potato, tomato, eggplant, okra

Live vegetables: rocket, garden cress, water cress, mustard leaves, arugula, baby leaves, endive, coriander, parsley, dill, green onion, chives, Arabic lettuce, onions, carrots, kohlrabi, radish.

Algae: Nuri seaweed (lightly roast over a flame and crumble over the food on the plate) and Higiki added to cooking.

Animal food: best avoid or for mosteat small amounts of turkey or chicken (preferably low fat, breast) and eggs, occasionally.

Milk and dairy products: best avoid or for most eat small amounts of goat yogurt.

Fruits:lemon, grapefruit, apples, pears, dried fruits (blueberries, apples, pineapples, and apricots), plums, apricots, cherry, raspberry, blueberry, strawberry, and loquat, grape, papaya.

Nuts and seeds:roasted sunflower seed, pumpkin seeds and freshly grinded flax seed

Oils: cold pressed sunflower oil, corn oil, mustard oil. To a lesser extent sesame oil, olive oil, grape seed oil, safflower oil.

Sweeteners:bee’s honey that has not been warmed, with a solid texture, preferably at least a year old.

Spices: dry chili, black pepper, mustard, horseradish, garlic, ginger, turmeric, cloves, cardamom, Hing, fenugreek, cinnamon, Ajuwan, celery seeds, basil, thyme, rosemary, marjoram, tarragon, hyssop, mint, fennel.

Beverages:ginger tea, cinnamon, sage, moss and so on. A little honey can be added to the tea, but it is better to avoid sugar and milk. Black coffee with cardamom is appropriate in low doses. Suitable Alcoholic beverage is dry red wine, and on special occasions a short drink of liquor is acceptable.

Optional daily menu for this condition:

Drink options following awakening:

hot water or herbal tea or chicory coffee or chai without milk or with a touch of cereal milk.

9:00 Breakfast:

• Fluffy Buckwheat with stir-fried / oven baked vegetables and green salad
• “Tabula” salad – quinoa and millet
• Granola without nuts with carrot juice / pomegranate juice / green smoothie
• sprouted bread Toast / chapatti with olive oil and hyssop / homemade pesto / orange lentil spread / vegetable spread / honey

12:00 in between snack:

• Best avoid
• A baked apple or 2-3 pieces of dried fruit

14:00 Lunch:

1. Vegetarian meal:

• Suitable cooked grain (basmati rice/barley gritsetc), 30% of the meal
• Baked Vegetable, 50% of the meal
• Legumes (if digestion allows), 20% of the meal

Or

2. Non vegetarian meal:

• Buckwheat / quinoa , 30% of the meal
• Baked/steamed Vegetable or green salad, 50% of the meal
• Chicken/Turkey breast 20% of the meal
• A cup of green tea

17:00 in between meals

• A few items of dried fruits and a handful of lightly roasted pumpkin seeds
• A fresh fruit

19:00 Dinner:

• Green Vegetable omelet and spelt/sprouted toast/cracker with homemade pesto and green salad
• One of the recommended cereals and oven-baked vegetables
• Buckwheat noodles and stir-fried vegetables, with Mung bean sprouts
• Homemade chickpea omelet, one of the recommended spreads, cooked vegetables (green beans, peas, asparagus, corn, etc.)
• Vegetable pie and millet / millet-mung patties and green salad

22:00 before bedtime:

• Avoid

Medicinal herbs:

Taking mild laxatives, like Triphala, gently scrape your colon clean and keep you regular.

San Jivani

ChitrakHaritaki

Light laxative and purgative herbs can be used – Aloe, Rhubarb and Senna. These herbs also help remove fat and reduce weight. 3 gramsof powdered rhubarb root along with 2 grams of dry ginger can be taken in one cup of warm water before sleep for more severe cases.

Trikatu