If your bowels are not moving, all the toxins and waste products of daily living remain and recirculate in your body, leading to disease. With constipation there is trouble emptying the bowels daily, and stools may be dry and hard, making them difficult to pass and forcing you to strain. In some cases, you may experience incomplete passing of the stool and feel the urge to have a bowel movement after you've just had one. Many people suffer from constipation in Western cultures, where sedentary lifestyle, unhealthy diet, and stress are prevalent. Constipation is caused by a fiber-deprived diet, hormonal changes, side-effects from pain medications, illnesses, and, in some cases, misshapen intestines. Regular bowel movements are essential for a long, healthy, and productive life.

In Chinese medicine, the bowels are recognized as being connected to the liver and spleen digestive systems. Besides improper diet, many cases of constipation are due to prolonged stress and emotional imbalance, causing the liver energy to stagnate and preventing natural peristaltic bowel movements. Other cases of constipation involve prolonged blood and fluid deficiency, drying up the stools and making them hard to pass.

Usually constipation is one of many symptoms of a medical condition such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), gallstones, colitis, Crohn's disease, bacterial overgrowth in the small bowel, or endometriosis. Our treatment for constipation focuses on discovering the primary condition and then freeing the liver energy, stimulating the natural movements of the bowels. W also address the underlying cause, be it emotional, dietary, or deficiencies of blood and fluids.