Bowel Dysfunction
Suffering from bloating, gas or constipation? Instead of taking laxatives or medication that work by softening your stools and in turn weakening the muscle which makes up your bowel, perpetuating the problem, why not try some self-massage techniques?
Putting positive pressure onto your tummy in a repeated rhythmic motion can stimulate peristalsis by mechanically singling a sense of fullness and physically moving things along.
Other natural ways of helping digestive motility are physical exercise, deep breathing techniques and even inversion exercises and positions which help trapped air find its way around the maze that is your bowel. The prayer pose, aka Sujood, can also help in this way.
There are multiple things you can do to help your body along when it is in difficulty, drugs should only be a last resort.
Your Bowel is a Muscle that requires strength and conditioning like any other muscle in your body.
Long term use and reliance on laxatives often result in de-conditioning of these muscles perpetuating the problem.
Conditions such as IBS, constipation, and abdominal bloating can often be caused by dysfunction in the muscular lining of the bowel. This dysfunction can be in the form of muscular tightness, focal knots and spasms which can all be influenced by massage, physical exercise and breathing techniques.
In this video, Chiropractor and functional medicine educator Dr Rizwhan Suleman explain how the use of manual techniques, cupping and manipulation can help stimulate the bowel to function better.
Cupping therapy is such an adaptive tool. Like a paintbrush, there are so many ways to use it and apply it.
In this case, we are using silicone cups to stimulate proper digestive function in a case of severe constipation. The negative pressure of the cups is creating a mechanical stretch response in the bowel which in turn triggers peristalsis. You can literally hear the action as the digestive system starts churning once the cups are on. Coupled with abdominal breathing techniques this is a calm and gentle way to help the body restore proper function and motility.