What is colonic inertia

What exactly is colonic inertia and how to recognize it?

Even though the majority of people generally do not payattention to the health of their gastrointestinal system until some problem presentsitself, the fact is that it can be kept healthy very easily. It is enough to leada healthy lifestyle, to have healthy eating habits and to exercise regularly. Unhealthyhabits may lead to a number of problems and diseases of this system.

Colonic inertia is actually a medical term for the conditionin which either nerves or muscles in the colon do not function properly, whichprevents fecal matters from moving through the colon normally. Although theexact reasons that cause colon inertia are not really clear to doctors andscientists, the fact is that diseases of nerves or muscles, excessive use oflaxatives, stress, pregnancy, lack of physical activity and exercising, andinadequate intake of water and fibers are closely related to this condition. Besidesthis, there are medications that also affect functioning of the colon, and someof them are antidepressants and antacids. The symptoms and signs that may indicate colonic inertia maydiffer from person to person, but generally, those that can be expected arewatery diarrhea, pain in the abdomen, which is sometimes followed by ache andcramps, vomiting, nausea, constipation, as well as bleeding from the analregion, which may also be fatal sometimes, stomach distention and slow gastricemptying.

How to treat and cure colonic inertia?

Since practically every single mentioned symptom may be asign of some other condition, it is important to consult a doctor and do thenecessary analysis in order to get the right diagnosis and an adequatetreatment. Abdominal colectomy is a procedure that is usually done in caseswhen colonic inertia might be in question.

As for the treatment, several options are available, butmore or less, the majority of the patients are highly recommended to changetheir eating habits and to include in their diet more fruits and vegetablesthat are rich in fibers. It is also recommended to drink more water every day,but warm instead of cold, since it helps with bowel movements. In cases inwhich these changes do not give any positive results, some kind of a surgery will be the nextpossible solution suggested by the doctor, and it usually involves removing ofthe colon.