Lifestyle and home remedies

You can make changes to your daily life that may help relieve your symptoms. Such changes are likely to include:

• Increasing the amount of fiber in your diet. Fiber adds bulk to your stool. The bulk helps push the contents of your intestines along so that they can be eliminated when you have a bowel movement. Aim for 14 grams of fiber for every 1,000 calories in your daily diet.

  Nutrition labels on food packaging list the amount of fiber in a serving. The best sources of fiber are fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Eat fruits and vegetables with the skin on, and choose whole fruits and vegetables over juices. Look for breads and cereals that list whole wheat, oats or bran as the first ingredients.

• Trying bulk laxatives and stool softeners. Bulk laxatives, such as psyllium husk (Metamucil, Natural Fiber Therapy, others) and calcium polycarbophil (FiberCon, Fiber-Lax, others), absorb fluid in the intestines and make stools bulkier, which helps trigger the bowel to contract and push stool out. However, they should be taken with water or they can cause obstruction.

  Stool softeners, such as docusate (Colace, Surfak, others), help mix fluid into stools, making them easier to pass.

• Drinking water throughout the day. Drinking enough water and other fluids helps to keep your bowel movements soft and easy to pass. For variety, you may want to add lemon juice to water for flavor. Or try other noncarbonated and caffeine-free beverages. Prune juice can be helpful because it has a natural laxative effect.