Purpose of Bowel Training
- Establish bowel method suitable for individuals and regularly empty the intestines to prevent constipation and fecal impaction.
- Maintain the best hygiene condition; retain self-dignity and sense of health to improve the living quality.
Need of Food and Water
- Maintain balanced diet and drink at least 2,000c.c. of water daily.
- Eat high-fiber food such as whole grains (brown rice, oatmeal, and whole-wheat bread), dry beans (soy beans, edamame, red beans, black beans), roots (potato, sweet yam, taro, corn), vegetables (roots, leafy vegetables, bean plants), seaweed, fruits (banana, apple, papaya, black dates, kiwi, pineapple, dragon fruit, and tangerine).
- Avoid eating simulating food such as pickled or marinated food, curry, Chinese BBQ sauce, bubbled drinks, high-fat food (chicken skin, fish skin, pork skin, meatball, peanut, dried watermelon seeds, and deep-fried food), tobacco and alcoholic drinks. Avoid excess spicy food and coffee.
Suitable Food Therapy
- Sesame Porridge: Cook rice or brown rice 60 gram, black sesame powder 30 gram and water into porridge. Serve director or add two spoons of honey for lubrication.
- Chinese Yam and Chicken Strip Porridge: Some fresh Chinese yam, dried ginger 3 slices, add chicken strips and rice to cook into porridge; the porridge keep the spleen healthy and warms up the intestines.
Intestinal Massage Techniques
The best time to massage the abdomen is 30 minutes after meal. Sit on the toilette, sit and lie down, or lie down on the left side on the bed, massage from the lower right abdomen up to the transverse colon and then to the upper left abdomen, and then toward the lower abdomen.
Acupoints Massage
- Zusanli: On top and outside of the calf, 3 cuns under the knee acupuncture points, about horizontally 3 fingers wide, and one finger wide from the front edge of tibia.
- Effect: Cures digestive system disease and improves constipation.
- Zhongwan: 4 cuns up the belly bottom, equivalent to horizontally six fingers wide or in the middle of the sternum xiphoideus and belly bottom.
- Effect: Cures digestive system disease.
- Tiansu: 3 fingers wide from the belly bottom, one each on the left and right side.
- Effect: Cures intestinal disease and promotes intestinal movement.
Digital Stimulation Techniques
If there is hard stool by the anus, put on the gloves and lubricate the ginger with oil (Vaseline, baby’s oil), gently touch around the skin of the anus with index or middle finger. Wait for the anus to loosen and dig out the hard stool. When the stool by the anus has been cleaned well, place the finger 2 cm into the anus, turn around and when the stool reaches the anus, ask the patient to squeeze to release the stool.
Precautions for Bowel Training Process
- Balanced diet and proper exercise.
- Avoid staying overnight and lead a regular lifestyle.
- Avoid stress and emotional tension.
- Cooperate with previous bowel pattern or execute regularly after certain meal (preferably after breakfast).
- Abdominal massage.
- Digital stimulation.
- If bowel movement fails by aforementioned condition, use anal suppository (30 minutes before meal) or Glycerin Enema, under the instruction of doctors.