Bowel

Our bowel habit should be regular and motions should be passed as a process of relaxation with a sense of complete emptying. The motions should be soft and formed: not sticky, floaty or slimy. Blood most commonly comes from haemorrhoids, or piles. which are engorged veins just inside the back passage. Piles are caused by straining. To keep stools soft and movements regular, eat lots of vegetable fibre. Try having a teaspoon of whole or ground linseeds in a glass of vegetable juice daily. Bright red blood on toilet paper can also come from an "anal fissure", which is a painful tear of the anus caused by passing large, hard stools. Anyone with rectal bleeding or irregular bowel habits should see their GP, to exclude polyps, inflammation of the bowel lining or Crohn's disease. Bowel cancer is very rare in people under the age of 35.