When ya gotta go, ya gotta go. But what if you can't?

Unburden yourself with these tried and true natural remedies, which really get things moving.

To complete this How-To you will need:

• Acupressure moves
• Yoga poses
• Rhubarb
• Flaxseed
• Preventive measures
• A footstool (optional)

Step 1: Try an acupressure trick

Try this acupressure trick: Hold your hands up, palms toward you, and tap the sides of your hands against each other. Then, cross your arms in front of you like a genie, so that your palms rest on your elbows and tap that area. Alternate tapping the two points for five to 10 minutes. This helps induce a bowel movement by stimulating your colon.

Step 2: Strike a pose

Try yoga: the shoulder-stand pose and wind-relieving pose both move the stomach and intestines in directions that can help food pass through the body. Find video instructions on Howcast.com.

Step 3: Eat rhubarb

Eat rhubarb, which contains anthraquinone, a compound that has a laxative effect.

Step 4: Avoid foods that can constipate you further

Avoid foods that can constipate you further, like sugar and sweets; white bread, white rice, cheese, and hard-boiled eggs.

Step 5: Take flaxseed

Take one tablespoon of ground flaxseed two or three times a day with at least 8 ounces of water.

Step 6: Raise your knees

When the urge hits and you're on the toilet, help move things along by lifting your legs off the floor so that your knees are higher than your bottom. This simulates a squat, the ideal position for moving your bowels.

Tip: Putting your feet on a stool makes this more comfortable.

Step 7: Prevent future bouts

Prevent future bouts by drinking more water, eating more fiber-rich foods, and getting enough exercise. Too little of any of these can cause constipation.

Thanks for watching How To Relieve Constipation Naturally! If you enjoyed this video subscribe to the Howcast YouTube channel!

About the author

An enthusiastic believer in the power of natural healing, Alice has spent virtually her entire 17-year career in the natural-health publishing field helping to spread the word.

She is an advocate of self-education and is passionate about the power of group knowledge sharing, like the kind found right here on HealthierTalk.com. Alice loves to share her views on holistic and natural healing as well as her, sometimes contentious, thoughts on the profit-driven inner workings of traditional medicine.

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