Convalescent Diet.—The return to solid food is made gradually as in other intestinal disorders, by giving the most digestible foods first. Soft toast, soft eggs, fine cereal gruels, well-cooked rice, well-baked white potatoes, meat, wine or fruit jellies; then lightly broiled beefsteak, lamb chop, chicken, sweetbreads, or brains given in small quantities until the intestinal tract has regained its vigor.
Foods to Be Avoided.—Highly seasoned foods must be avoided on account of their astringent qualities, which may cause constipation. Long, tough-fibered meats, coarse vegetables, rich foods, in fact anything which may cause intestinal indigestion, must be eliminated from the dietary. A decomposition of the foods lying in the lower part of the small intestine is dangerous to such individuals, since such products are highly toxic in character and exceedingly irritating to the already tender appendix.
CHRONIC CONSTIPATION
Chronic constipation is so universal a condition that it must be treated and overcome whenever it is possible. This condition is not only the cause but the result of disease. It may be induced by improper food, poor hygiene, sedentary habits, lack of exercise, the taking of drug preparations such as cough sirups which contain opium in some form, the constant taking of cathartics and enemas, or it may be an hereditary condition.
Diet, Exercise, and Fresh Air.—The chief means of overcoming this deplorable chronic condition is by regulating the diet and increasing the amount of exercise in the fresh air.
At times it is necessary to resort to artificial stimulation of the intestinal movements; at others, on account of the disease of which it is only one of the symptoms, it is dangerous to irritate the already inflamed mucous membranes lining the intestinal wall. In these cases the physician prescribes the method of procedure. In ordinary cases, however, the following suggestions may be used as a guide in overcoming the condition.
Available Foods.—It must be borne in mind that the food must not be too concentrated in character or it will be so completely absorbed as to leave little or no residue for the feces, and since the waste products of metabolism, both of food and body materials, must be eliminated, a certain amount of fecal matter is necessary to assist in this work. Vegetables, such as celery, turnips, lettuce, asparagus, string beans, spinach, and beans, lentils, lima beans, and onions; fruits, such as raisins, figs, and prunes; and cereals which have not had all the bran removed, such as cut oats, cracked wheat, etc., on account of the cellulose they contain, act admirably in overcoming chronic constipation. It is found, however, that when even these are not sufficient in certain cases, bran added to the food, either alone, with the breakfast cereal, or in the form of biscuits, muffins, or cookies, will give just the necessary amount of ballast to the food mass to make it stimulate the peristaltic movements by its pressure upon the intestinal walls.
Stimuli to Peristalsis.—Foods yielding certain acids exert a stimulating action upon intestinal peristalsis.
Available Foods.—Those particularly valuable for this purpose are limes, oranges, apples, prunes, figs, raisins, and most fruit juices (with the exception of blackberries, which are constipating), tomatoes, and rhubarb. The fruit juices may be diluted with water or carbonated water (in the latter case the action is increased because of the gas contained in the water), and taken the first thing in the morning, or the fruit may be eaten at night before retiring, and in the morning on an empty stomach. Prune pulp or prune jelly may be given to children as well as to adults. The action of this fruit is augmented by the addition of senna leaves. A conserve made of prunes, figs, and raisins given in teaspoonful doses at night and before breakfast often gives splendid results in curing chronic constipation.