While it is a topic not many people like to talk about, constipation certainly effects many people (and it makes people grumpy). Constipation is one of the most common gastrointestinal complaints in North America. How does constipation occur? When bowel movements are hard and difficult to pass constipation occurs causing abdominal pain, bloating and a feeling that your bowels may not have emptied fully. As part of normal digestion of food your body uses peristalsis (mini muscle contractions) to move waste products through the digestive tract. When the waste moves to the large intestine (colon), fluids and electrolytes are removed http://www.healthstandnutrition.com/what-to-do-about-constipation/