Constipation refers to a decrease in bowel movements and/or dry, hard stools that are difficult to pass. Generally, not having a bowel movement for more than two days suggests the presence of constipation. However, bowel habits can vary significantly among healthy individuals, and the determination of constipation must be based on one's own regular bowel habits and whether there is difficulty in defecation. Factors such as psychological factors, changes in dietary patterns, misuse of strong laxatives, systemic debilitating diseases, and poor lifestyle habits can all lead to constipation. The etiology and pathogenesis of this condition are due to heat in the stomach and intestines, insufficient body fluids, stagnation of qi, or deficiency of qi and blood, and cold congealing in the body.
Deficiency of Body Fluids Type: The stool is dry and the feces are clumped, often brownish-black in color, with a small amount of stomach odor, occurring 3-5 times a day. This is accompanied by bad breath, oral ulcers, dry tongue and mouth, dizziness, headache, short and dark urine, irritability, easily angered, restlessness and heat in the hands and feet, palpitations, insomnia, weight loss, anemia, poor appetite with abdominal bloating; the tongue is red with little fluid, and the pulse is thin and rapid.
Qi Stagnation Type: Although the feces are not dry, they are difficult to expel; there is a feeling of abdominal bloating and a sense of heaviness in the anus, but no feces are passed after squatting over the toilet, or the bowel movement is incomplete, or there is still a feeling of heaviness after passing stool. This is accompanied by fullness and discomfort in the chest and hypochondria, reduced appetite, heavy-headedness, dizziness, fatigue, abdominal bloating, intestinal rumbling, frequent passing of gas, and belching; the tongue coating is often thin and greasy, and the pulse is taut and forceful.
Spleen and Kidney Yang Deficiency Type: Feces are retained in the intestines without the urge to defecate; even with the urge, passing stool is extremely difficult, accompanied by sweating and shortness of breath during defecation, and extreme fatigue afterward. There may also be dizziness, tinnitus, asthma, palpitations, soreness in the waist and back, preference for warmth in the abdomen, clear and long urination, poor appetite, and reduced food intake. The tongue appears pale, with a thick and greasy coating, and the pulse is weak.
It is recommended to perform moxibustion once a day, targeting 2 to 3 acupoints each time, with each acupoint being treated for 30 to 40 minutes. Rotate the points treated, with a 10-day period constituting one course of treatment, and then rest for 2 to 3 days before continuing with the next course. (If time permits and there is a need, more acupoints can be treated with moxibustion. The specific duration should be adjusted according to one's own physical needs.)
1. Develop good living habits, have a balanced diet with a preference for light and bland food, increase the intake of high-fiber foods and fruits such as bananas and watermelon, and avoid spicy and irritating foods. 2. Maintain a pleasant mood, strengthen physical exercise, especially abdominal muscle training, which is beneficial for the improvement of gastrointestinal function.