Barely Once Every Three Days? Chronic Constipation: What Your Diet and Stress Are Blocking

Our gut goes beyond merely being an organ that digests food. Modern medicine has revealed that the gut is so intimately connected to the brain that it is called the 'second brain.' This is referred to as the gut-brain axis. To understand the causes of chronic constipation, we must pay attention to how this gut-brain axis operates and how the environment inside the gut changes. First is the link between stress and hypomotility of the gastrointestinal tract. Chronic stress elevates levels of cortisol, our body's stress hormone, which affects the autonomic nervous system and suppresses intestinal peristalsis. The parasympathetic nerve needs to be activated for the gut to move comfortably, but stress excessively stimulates the sympathetic nerve, reducing blood flow volume to the gut and decreasing digestive enzyme secretion. Just as a startled person develops indigestion if they eat, the intestines cannot function properly when tense. This is in line with the concept of qi stagnation in Donguibogam. Just as the flow of qi is blocked by stress, an imbalance in the nervous system interferes with the natural movement of the intestines. Second is the impact of gut dysbiosis. Trillions of microorganisms live inside our gut, and their balance plays a decisive role in digestion and defecation. Healthy gut microbiota ferment dietary fiber to produce short-chain fatty acids, which serve as an energy source for large intestine cells and play a crucial role in promoting intestinal motility. However, when gut dysbiosis occurs, where beneficial bacteria decrease and harmful bacteria increase due to a Westernized diet, antibiotic overuse, and stress, short-chain fatty acid production decreases and intestinal mucosal permeability increases, potentially triggering inflammatory responses. This hinders intestinal peristalsis, makes stool hard, and can even affect enteric neurons to worsen constipation. Heat accumulation (yeolgyeol) in Donguibogam can be compared to a state where body fluids dry up and the intestines become parched due to inflammation or an adverse environment inside the gut. Third is the importance of diet and lifestyle habits. Insufficient intake of fiber and water is one of the most common causes of chronic constipation. Fiber increases stool volume and absorbs water to soften stool, and it serves as food for the gut microbiota to create a healthy intestinal environment. Adequate water intake is essential for softening hard stool. In addition, regular physical activity helps activate intestinal motility. Conversely, a diet centered on processed foods and a lack of exercise become primary culprits that harm gut health. These points can also be linked to the concept of blood deficiency in Donguibogam; the idea that the intestines dry out because blood is deficient can ultimately be seen as a state where intestinal function weakens because nutrients and moisture are not sufficiently supplied. Ultimately, whether in Eastern or Western medicine, we can see that lifestyle habits that disrupt our body's balance and harmony are the core causes of chronic constipation.