Why You Feel the Urge to Poop After Eating: A Doctor Explains
Many people experience the need to use the restroom shortly after eating, and according to medical experts, this is a completely normal occurrence.
A healthcare professional on TikTok recently highlighted this common phenomenon, reassuring those who frequently rush to the bathroom after meals that they are not alone.
Understanding the Gastrocolic Reflex
Despite what it may seem, feeling the urge to have a bowel movement immediately after eating does not mean that your food is being digested unusually fast. Instead, this sensation is due to the “gastrocolic reflex.”
According to VeryWell Health, the gastrocolic reflex is a natural physiological response that stimulates movement in the lower gastrointestinal (GI) tract after consuming food. This reflex helps create space in your digestive system for incoming food by triggering contractions in the colon.
Dr. Salhab explains that as the stomach expands with food, it signals the brain, which then prompts the colon to contract. This reaction often leads to the urge to have a bowel movement. The waste that is expelled, however, is not from the most recent meal but consists of older digested food and fluids stored in the colon.
When the Reflex Is More Intense
For individuals with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), the gastrocolic reflex can be more pronounced. According to the Cleveland Clinic, IBS can cause abdominal discomfort, bloating, constipation, diarrhea, and excessive gas.
Dr. Salhab notes that some people experience intense abdominal cramps or even diarrhea following meals due to heightened colon contractions. Fortunately, there are ways to manage these symptoms effectively.
Managing Symptoms
To reduce the severity of post-meal bathroom urges, Dr. Salhab recommends avoiding certain trigger foods and beverages. These include:
- Carbonated drinks
- Alcoholic beverages
- Certain citrus fruits
- Dairy products (for some individuals)
- Fried and fatty foods
By making mindful dietary choices, you may be able to minimize discomfort and maintain better digestive health.
Share the Knowledge!
If you found this information helpful, share it with your friends and family so they, too, can better understand their digestive health!
Queen Camilla’s ‘secret’ role to help Kate Middleton, revealed
When Kate Middleton underwent a planned abdominal surgery in mid-January, everyone hoped she heals well. However, things didn’t seem right when she was nowhere to be seen, with the Palace assuring the general public that the Princess was doing well.
Soon after, speculations and rumors started circulating around, and they only intensified after Kate posted a photo posing with her three children on the patio on Mother’s Day. The reason why, as we all know already, was that the photo was manipulated. This was quickly noticed by photoshop experts, but the truth is, one doesn’t need to be an expert to see that someone had edited the image before publishing.
Later, Kate posted on her social media that she was the one who edited the photo and while people praised her for confessing the truth, they slammed the Palace for not defending her.
On Friday, Kate put a stop to the rumors when she decided to address the public via a video in which she spoke of her health and revealed that after her abdominal surgery doctors ran tests that revealed the presence of cancer.
“My medical team therefore advised that I should undergo a course of preventative chemotherapy and I am now in the early stages of that treatment,” Kate video detailed. “This of course came as a huge shock, and William and I have been doing everything we can to process and manage this privately for the sake of our young family.”
The Princess further detailed that it had taken her time to recover from the surgery and “to explain everything” to her children George, Charlotte and Louis.
“As you can imagine, this has taken time. It has taken me time to recover from major surgery in order to start my treatment. But, most importantly, it has taken us time to explain everything to George, Charlotte and Louie in a way that’s appropriate for them and to reassure them that I’m going to be okay. As I said to them, I am well, and getting stronger every day by focusing on the things that will help me heal. In my mind, body and spirits. Having William by my side is a great source of comfort.”
She didn’t reveal the specific type of cancer she’s battling.
In the video, she asks for privacy during this difficult time for her and her family.
The Princess of Wales continued, “Having William by my side is a great source of comfort and reassurance too. As is the love, support and kindness that has been shown by so many of you. It means so much to us both. We hope that you will understand that, as a family, we now need some time, space and privacy while I complete my treatment. My work has always brought me a deep sense of joy, and I look forward to being back when I am able — but for now, I must focus on making a full recovery.”
“At this time, I am also thinking of all those whose lives have been affected by cancer. For everyone facing this disease, in whatever form, please do not lose faith or hope,” she concluded. “You are not alone.”
During Kate and Charles’ absence, it is their spouses who stepped in and took upon themselves to carry out royal duties.
Royal expert Angela Levin appeared on GB News, saying that Queen Camilla is “holding the royal family up.”
“I mean, to wait till you’re 73 is a long time before you can take the crown. I think obviously, at his age, it’s very difficult, but he’s very determined, and he’s only really just started to be king,” Levin said. “Supporting him very much, absolutely by his side, is Queen Camilla, who is going to all the engagements that they would have gone to together on her own.”
“And so that way he will feel it’s still moving, it’s still running, and they can discuss it and talk about it. And I think that’s marvelous. I mean, she is holding the Royal Family up and being strong. If you imagine 30 years ago, people were saying the whole Royal Family would absolutely disintegrate, and she would be of no use.”
Besides having revealed that she doesn’t want to be under the spotlight, Camilla is doing an excellent job and is very “accessible.”
“To support her husband. She understands him very well because they’ve been together for over 50 years, before they even got married. it’s a long time and they make each other laugh,” Angela Levin added. “They have the same sense of humor, they understand each other, and if you see them when they’re out, they move together. It’s very tandem.”
Today, it’s safe to say that Camilla is a much-appreciated member of the family, but both she and Kate once went through a media scrutiny.
For Kate, it was back in the day when her and William’s relationship went public, with the medial labeling as “Lazy Kate,” and “Waity Katie.”
Sadly, she once again experienced that scrutiny following the Mother’s Day picture incident.
In an interview with Today, The Telegraph’s associate editor, Camilla Tominey, claimed that the queen “has been trying to help [Catherine] through the media storm aspect in all of this.”
Tominey said, “I think before [Catherine] made the announcement because she was having to cope with the fallout of everything that was said about the Mother’s Day photo and everything else, I think Camilla lent some support.”
“Because let’s be honest, [Camilla] knows what it’s like to have a difficult press. She knows what it’s like to shepherd children through a media storm,” she added.
When Camilla’s affair with Charles was exposed, she was one of the most hated women in the country. At one point, she was even afraid to leave her house because she endured “torrents” of mistreatment from the public.
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