Acupuncture Blog

Research reports from industry and university researchers continue to indicate that constipation affects a broad swathe of the population. The numbers suggest that some 10% of the population has experienced constipation within the last six months and some smaller fraction experience it on a chronic basis. Therefore the demand for constipation treatments remain large but also the industry has responded with a plethora of remedy products.

Many entrepreneurs interested in entering the market for supplying constipation treatments may be discouraged by what may seem to be a mature, stable and saturated market. The real situation however, is both more hopeful and bleak simultaneously. The reason is that there are few if any constipation remedies that are effective for everyone all the time. The market is split into various treatments of varying efficacy, with little diagnostics to distinguish which patients benefit from which treatments.

The current state of affairs in the constipation treatment market is that products can be categorized into 4 divisions. The four can be summarized as the following: over-the-counter medications or ones requiring prescriptions, nutritional supplements available to most consumers without prescription, natural herbal agents not in the purview of the FDA, and finally a novel but handful of molecular therapeutics that target root biological causes of constipation.

Supplemental agents encompass brand names like Metamucil which are derived from natural sources of high fiber usually. An example of a natural source are psyllium husks, which are the seed husks of the plantago plant. They are ground into powdered form and mixed with liquids for a high fiber drink. Supplemental agents are usually safe but still need to be taken with plenty of water for the right bulk effect.

Herbal agents have come to mean senna, which is a shrubby, bushy plant of Middle Eastern origins. In the past, cascara and aloe have also been used as natural laxative herbs, but the FDA banned such substances for safety reasons. Now, senna is the primary herb for treating constipation. Senna can be purchased in capsule form or tea form. The herb has been used for thousands of years and is thought to be mostly safe, but as with any medication agents consultation with a physician is recommended before dosing.

The largest class of laxatives in the market of constipation treatments is the one that includes OTC agents found in pharmacies and apothecaries. Such laxatives come in various brand names, have various active ingredients and act in different ways. Patients might consider trying two or three classes before settling on any one. For example, lubricant laxatives help reduce water uptake by coating food in an oily cover. If a patient doesn’t respond to it, he or she might try a stimulant laxative that causes the gastrointestinal tract to contract more often for speeding up movement of contents.

The newest entrants to the market for constipation treatments are the compounds with molecular specificity. This means that these medicines were designed specifically to hit chemical “signalers” or “nerve centers” in the gut. The drug Amitiza (or lubiprostone) is thought to physically interact with a ClC2 receptor that allows passage of calcium ions in and out of the intestinal space. This likely affects water balance which in turn affects how foods move through the colon.

Readers wishing to know more can browse over to learn about treating constipation. Niche detail articles on constipation risk factors are available.