How to Maintain Good Bowel Movements?

Every person has different bowel habits. The type of stool depends on the time it spends in the colon. If you are going regularly for defecation then it is considered a good bowel habit or normal bowel function. Most people empty their bowels one time a day. By being regular means that bowel should be soft yet well-formed and there should be no difficulty while defecation. Emptying your result is an important part of good bowel health. There should be no straining while emptying the bowel. Regular bowel habit represents Vata balance and good digestive health.

Importance of Regular Elimination

According to Ayurveda, regular evacuation of the bowel is very important. As per Ayurveda bowel is a waste material of our body and it should be eliminated on a regular basis. What if we are not regular? Well it can lead to various health ailments physical as well as mental too. So, it should be regular, if it’s not regular then it indicates our digestive health is not good. Irregular bowel movement is the root cause of various diseases. The form, frequency and transit time of bowel plays a major role in colon health. Constipation is a major cause when stool is not passed out but accumulates in the body.

Ayurvedic Aspect

As per Ayurveda ” Dosha dhatu mala moolam he shareeram” Dosha Three energies of the body (Vata Pitta and Kapha), dhatu (Tissues) and mala (Waste material) are mains of body. The three are the base of our body. The mala here represents entities that are end products of metabolism and their expulsion is necessary. The accumulation of mala leads to diseases. The mala (excreta) is composed of different elements. Feces is mainly composed of earth elements and mainly exhibits the dominance of vayu (Air) and Agni (Fire) Mahabhoot. The stool is formed from undigested food particles but it also contains intestinal secretions.

Types of stools on the basis of three energies

Vata Pitta and Kapha are three energies of our body that maintain equilibrium in the body. Any kind of imbalance in these thrèe energies leads to various health ailments. We are going to discuss how it affects bowel movement.

• Vata type Elimination: when Vata is elevated, it causes bloating, colic pain, and constipation. The stool is scanty in quantity and it’s dry. One can suffer a lot of pain while defecating.
• Pitta type of Elimination: An imbalance in pitta dosha leads to an urgent tendency to pass stool. The stool is usually soft, liquid and oily. The odor of such stool is stringy and acidic.
• Kapha type of Elimination– If Kapha dosha is increased in your body, the amount of stool is large, oily, and heavy. It Is also associated with a feeling of heaviness.

When there is involvement or multiple dishes it can lead to more serious diseases.

Bristol Stool Scale

Thus, scale is an indicator of different types of stools. It will give you the basic knowledge and it’s easy to understand.

• Type 1: The Appearance of stool is hard and in the form of lumps and they are hard to pass. It indicates a person is constipated.
• Type2: The stool is in the form of a log-shaped.  It is also a sign of constipation.
• Type3: The shape of the stool is log-shaped but this time crackles are also present on the side surface. It is a normal form and easy to pass.
• Type 4: Type 4 is smooth and snake-like. It is considered normal and it should happen every 3 to 4 days.
• Type 5: In this type stool is the same as that type one but they are soft and easy to pass. This type of stool means you are lacking fibers.
• Type 6: this type of stool is fluffy and mushy and edges are ragged. It’s a sign of mild diarrhoea. Good hydration can help you to improve this.
• Type 7: This type of stool is completely watery and there are no solid pieces. It is insured as diarrhoea. It indicates your drugz give system is not working properly.

Stool Color

Along with size and consistency stool color also plays an important role to know about normal body functioning. The varying shades of brown are considered as normal. The black color stool is a sign of bleeding in the upper gastrointestinal tract. It can also occur if you are taking any iron supplements. If your stool is clay-colored or white or pale it means it’s lacking bile pigment which is essential for colored stool. It indicates a block of bile ducts or it can be due to side effects of certain anti diarrhoea medicines. A red-colored stool is clearly indicative of bleeding in the lower gastrointestinal tract. And yellow colored stool is present when there is excessive fat in your body or due to disease of gallbladder and liver. Floating stool is a sign of malabsorption in which your body is unable to absorb fat.

How to maintain a good bowel habit?

A good bowel movement is important for our health, as changes in bowel movements is not a good sign. We can improve it by falling below steps;

• Increase your fiber intake in your diet. It will give you relief from constipation. Fresh fruits (Berries, pears, apples, melons) vegetables( Broccoli, carrots, peas, beans) and whole grains, nuts, and seeds are the richest sources of fibers. Limit intake of dairy products like cheese, full-fat milk instead of that you can take skimmed milk and probiotic yogurt.
• Stay hydrated as it will help in regulating bowel movements. Increase your intake of water to avoid dehydration. Avoid canned juices, you can take gooseberry or aloe vera juice or herbal tea.
• Stress can cause irregular bowel movements hence adopt stress-reducing activities (exercise and meditation) in your daily routine.
• Don’t hold your urge to go to the washroom as it can elevate your problem.

In short, develop good bowel habits by making a few simple changes. The different types of stool indicate our health status. By making good dietary habits we can have normal bowel.