The Colon Cleansing & Constipation Resource Center is sponsored by Global Healing Center, Inc. The Resource Center’s website features information on constipation, articles on colon cleansing, and research on the latest treatments. For more information, please visit The Colon Cleansing & Constipation Resource Center.
Posts Tagged ‘Healthy’
How Healthy is your Cat’s Colon?
When it comes to colon health, cat digestive systems are quite similar to those of humans. Just as with humans, cats can suffer from a number of digestive disorders. In fact, constipation is relatively common in felines. Therefore, as a pet owner, it is important for you to understand how to recognize digestive problems as well as how to help your cat maintain a healthy colon.
Feline Constipation
Concerning colon health, cat constipation is relatively easy to recognize. Fortunately, it is fairly easy to help your cat recover from feline constipation.
Just as with human colon health, cat colon health problems have a great deal to do with the age of the cat. As in humans, older cats are more susceptible to constipation. Those that are eight-years-old and above are more likely to become constipated. Nonetheless, it is possible for a cat of any age to become constipated.
A cat with bowels that are functioning efficiently will usually have one or two bowel movements every day. Of course, just as with humans, every cat is different. Signs of feline constipation include:
No bowel movements, or very infrequent bowel movements
Straining during a bowel movement
Painful bowel movements
A sudden decrease in the amount of stool produced
When it comes to colon health, cat constipation is a sign that something is not working correctly within the digestive tract. And, if you fail to take action, your cat may become quite ill. Signs the constipation has advanced and is becoming serious include:
Failure to keep itself groomed
Lethargic behavior
Loss of appetite
Crouching and hunching up
Vomiting
Passing a small amount of diarrhea, which is runny and blood-tinged
Some potential causes of cat constipation include:
Ingesting foreign bodies, hair, and animal bones
A dirty litter box
Recent hospitalization
Lack of exercise (let your cat out to run)
Obstructions, such as improperly healed pelvic fractures or tumors
Medication
Hair matted with dirt/mud
Injuries from cat fights
Obesity (don’t overfeed your pet please or share your meals)
Parasites, usually obtained from dirt, animals, or unclean water
To maintain proper feline colon health, constipation needs to be treated as soon as possible. The first approach is to address the underlying cause of the problem. A cat that is dehydrated, for example, may receive intravenous or subcutaneous replacement fluids to help encourage a bowel movement.
If a change of the underlying cause is not enough to get things moving again, the veterinarian may administer an enema to your pet to help induce a bowel movement. If the cat is severely constipated, however, it may be necessary to place the cat under anesthesia and remove the feces manually. This can be a very time consuming process.
Feline Obstipation
Feline obstipation is similar to constipation, but must be treated differently. Whereas constipation is characterized by difficulty in eliminating waste, obstipation occurs when the cat’s bowels are blocked and it is unable to pass any waste at all. The cause of obstipation and the signs and symptoms of the disorder are usually the same as with constipation.
Feline Megacolon
A cat that suffers from chronic constipation or obstipation may ultimately develop Megacolon, which is a distended colon with poor movement. When this occurs, fecal matter remains in the colon and becomes continuously drier. As a result, the colon becomes filled with waste almost as hard as concrete.
Maintaining Colon Health Cat Style
Maintaining your cat’s colon health requires many of the same steps for maintaining the health of a human colon. Placing your cat on a high fiber diet, for example, will help prevent your cat from becoming constipated. Like humans, cats are unable to digest fiber. As the undigested fiber sits in your cat’s colon, it absorbs water and helps loosen the stool while also providing it with extra bulk.
Since cats tend to have more sensitive digestive systems than humans, however, it is important to implement a high fiber diet slowly. Changing your cat’s diet too abruptly can cause it to experience gas pain. Therefore, you should spend about five or seven days gradually modifying your cat’s diet.
Foods that can be added to your cat’s diet to increase its fiber intake include:
Canned pumpkin
Bran
Vegetable meal
Whole grains
Your cat may not want to eat any of these foods alone. Therefore, you will need to mix them in with your cat’s canned cat food. It is also important to ensure your cat drinks plenty of water. This is particularly important when increasing fiber consumption since the fiber will absorb water within your cat’s digestive system.
By helping your pet maintain proper colon health, its digestive problems should not be of serious concern. However, if problems arise, contact your veterinarian right away to take care of the issue before it worsens.
Digest It is an all natural herbal colon cleansing treatment that has changed hundreds of thousands of people's lives through it's gentle and effective whole body safe and effective internal cleansing.
Click here to get a risk free trial of Digest It
Click here to get a risk free trial of Digest It
A Healthy Child And Irritable Bowel Syndrome Relief
There are many conditions and illnesses that can effect the wellbeing of your child and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a particularly difficult one for them to cope with.
IBS is a common intestinal disorder that causes cramps, bloating, gas, diarrhea, and constipation in a child. Sometimes, it is also known as “nervous stomach” or a “spastic colon.”
In adults, the colon or large intestine is about 6 feet long. It connects the small intestine with the rectum and anus. The Colon performs the major function of absorbing water and salts from digestive products that enter from the small intestine.
The digestive products may remain in the large intestine for several days until most of the fluid and salts are absorbed into the body. The undigested part of the food is then passes through the colon by muscle contractions.
Nerves, hormones and electrical activity in the colon muscles control the colon motility (contraction of intestinal muscles and the movement of the contents).
Colon movements propel the contents slowly to the rectum. The material is then stored to the left side of the colon and remains there until a bowel movement occurs.
When having a normal bowel movement, the muscles of the colon and the rest of the body have to work in sync. When this process is interrupted, the undigested food particles of the colon don’t move through as intended resulting in either constipation or diarrhea.
Specific treatment of irritable bowel syndrome varies from child to child. The main objective of treatment is to restore normal daily bowel function as early as possible. It begins with the positive diagnosis of IBS, which gives the child reassurance that he or she does not have any life-threatening condition.
The physician based on child’s age, overall health, and extent of the problem determines the method of treatment for IBS. The physician may ask you about medical history of the child and the irritable bowel syndrome symptoms present, so it’s recommended that you make a note of their bowel habits in the run up to the visit to the doctor.
Often children with IBS can feel uncomfortable and embarrassed about their condition and don’t want their peer group to know. There can be some psychological impacts that need to be managed carefully. Ask your doctor about counseling if you think it would help them come to terms with their symptoms.
Continue reading to discover natural methods of relieving IBS symptoms and sign up for our Free IBS newsletter.
While treating the condition, it is important to identify and relieve stresses surrounding the child. Parents and teachers are encouraged to support the child rather than concentrating on the pain. Usually if the child is helped to focus on something fun or pleasant during a painful episode it can help.
There have been various debates about the use of high fiber foods in children as they can caused bloating and gas, however they may be a good option if the child is suffering with constipation. It is best to introduce fiber slowly and build up over time, allowing the body to become used to it and therefore reducing the possibility of bloating and gas.
Medications may be recommended, although it is usually avoided whenever possible, and will depend on the severity of the symptoms. Also biofeedback and acupuncture have become part integral parts of the treatment strategy for some children.
Remember that the child is not defined by their condition. The child and irritable bowel syndrome are not linked at a psychological level, and managing the symptoms as a normal activity is important. IBS is something that needs to be managed, and if it is, a child can lead a normal functioning life.
Sign up for the free Irritable Bowel Syndrome Newsletter and discover new and natural methods to manage your free irritable bowel syndrome newsletter
Digest It is an all natural herbal colon cleansing treatment that has changed hundreds of thousands of people's lives through it's gentle and effective whole body safe and effective internal cleansing.
Click here to get a risk free trial of Digest It
Click here to get a risk free trial of Digest It
Posted in Bowel movements | 
Tags: Bowel, Child, Healthy, Irritable, Relief, Syndrome | 
No Comments »