Diarrhea

Summary

Diarrhea is an extremely common health complaint which almost everyone encounters at various times within their lives. In the majority of cases, diarrhea only lasts for a few days and will usually resolve on its own. However, if diarrhea becomes chronic it can be a sign of a more serious underlying health problem.

Extreme caution: During rounds of looseness of the bowels, you must make sure to avoid dehydration caused by liquid loss, and the loss of electrolytes, which are ionized salts in your body, such as sodium and blood potassium which are required for proper functioning of the body. If not addressed, severe loss of electrolytes can cause death. If diarrhea persists for longer than three days, seek medical attention. Diarrhea in young kids (under 6 years old) should be addressed by your physician. This is particularly the case if blood is present within the stool.

Types of Diarrhea

There are two primary types of diarrhea — acute and chronic. Acute diarrhea is generally not serious and normally lasts no more than one to three days. Persistent diarrhea lasts much longer, is usually recurring, and sometimes alternates between looseness of the bowels and constipation. Chronic diarrhea, especially if it develops without any obvious causes, always requires the attention of a medical professional.

Another type of looseness of the bowels, known as traveler’s diarrhea, happens as a result of travel to new environments and is generally related to consuming new and unusual local foods on a trip. Traveler’s diarrhea is another form of E. coli, transmitted from unsanitary water and ice. Raw fruit, and abundant vegetables can be contaminated too, which is why, whenever traveling in certain foreign nations where the drinking water systems may be infected, it is best to not eat raw produce, and most importantly, not to drink or brush your teeth with local drinking water.

Symptoms of Looseness of the Bowels

The most common signs of diarrhea are loose, watery stools with a frequent urge to go to the toilet and defecate. It can often be associated with abdominal discomfort and cramping, as well as gas.

There is a significant difference between an occasional loose stool and diarrhea. Eating spicy or warm foods, or even eating a copious volume of certain foods, could make stool softer temporarily. For instance, apricots have a tendency to cause soft stools; this is simply a healthy cleansing tool and shouldn’t be worried about.

Causes of Diarrhea

Diarrhea is often nothing more than the body’s attempt to free itself of an excessive accumulation of toxins or a reaction to invading bacteria, such as germs, fungi, unwanted organisms, and/or viruses. Diarrhea may also result from food poisoning, drinking contaminated water, or it may be the body’s allergic reaction to a particular food. Many people who are lactose intolerant, for instance, experience diarrhea following consumption of milk or dairy products. Ironically, lack of fluids and/or lack of electrolytes, each of which can occur during diarrhea, can also cause it. Other factors that can cause diarrhea are anxiety, stress, and pharmaceutical drugs, as well as traveler’s diarrhea. Eating irritating or unhealthy foods, especially those which are highly processed, or even contain artificial sweeteners and/or other additive chemicals, can also cause diarrhea.

Among the drugs that can cause or exacerbate looseness of the bowels are: Accutane, Alka-Seltzer Antacid and Pain Reliever, Anturane, Real Bayer Aspirin, Bayer Aspirin, Bayer Regular Strength Enteric Aspirin, Bufferin Pain Tablets and Caplets, Ceptaz, Clinoril, Cuprimine, Ecotrin Enteric Coated Pain Killers, Feldene, Ilosone, Lamprene, Leukine Intravenous Infusion, Lopid, Marplan, Meclomen, Novantrone, Paraplatin, Piroxicam, Prokine I.V. Infusion, Retrovir, Rynatuss, Supprelin Injection, Suprax, Ticlid, Tolectin, Toradol I’m Injection, Trecator-SC, Trilisate, and Voltaren. Most antibiotic drugs can also provoke diarrhea attacks.

Taking high dosages of ascorbic acid can cause diarrhea-like symptoms when you reach the maximum amount of vitamin C your body may tolerate (referred to as a bowel-threshold dose). In such cases, symptoms will quickly pass once the dosage is decreased. Generally overconsumption of vitamin C is a purposeful act, used with the intention of purging the body, and is quite efficient and useful as a personal healing natural cure.

Chronic instances of looseness of the bowels can also be caused by more serious types of illness, including cancer, colitis, Crohn’s disease, hyperthyroidism, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), parasites, and tension.

Natural Remedies

Aromatherapy: The essential oils of chamomile, cypress, eucalyptus, or even peppermint can often relieve diarrhea associated with stomach cramps or spasms. For diarrhea caused by stress, the essential oils of lavender and neroli are a good idea.

Ayurveda: The Ayurveda plant triphala is a primary suggestion of Ayurveda physicians, both for dealing and preventing diarrhea. Additional useful herbal treatments include cumin, goldenseal, as well as nutmeg. For children with diarrhea, Ayurveda physicians recommend drinking blended plums and applying cumin paste to the child’s forehead and abdomen.

Detoxing Therapy: Acute diarrhea is most commonly an attempt by the body to rid itself of toxins, assisting the process with a one-day fluid fast of water, fresh-squeezed vegetable liquid, and/or broths and sauces, can often provide an end to diarrhea symptoms. If you frequently experience diarrhea, you may want to think about a short colon cleanse and see how your body responds. If positive, consider performing a series of brief colon cleansings, up to five days a month for 3-6 months to start, seeing if the episodes diminish. Frequent diarrhea can also be an indicator of parasites and bugs within the colon. Consider reading through the parasite protocol, soon to be on the site. Should you identify with the indicators, provide this information to your alternative doctor and take steps toward parasite testing.

Diet plan: During the initial stages of looseness of the bowels, you should refrain from eating food, especially fruit. Consume plenty of fluids, such as pure, strained water, barley water, grain water, and vegetable broth and fruit juices.

To prepare barley or grain water, follow these simple steps:

Take one cup of organic brown grain or whole barley of any variety. Rinse thoroughly and allow to drain in strainer while bringing 6 cups of pure water to a boil. Add the grain of choice and return to a boil. Turn down the flame after one minute and allow to simmer for one hour. Strain off the water for drinking. You can discard the grain or store in a container for up to 3 days to increase a quick muffin or bread recipe.

As your signs and symptoms start to ease up, you can reintroduce homemade organic broths and soups, especially freshly made organic vegetable, poultry or miso soup. When you are ready, if you are not lactose-intolerant, you can try consuming plain, unsweetened yogurt. Steamed, mashed or pureed starchy veggies such as carrot, red potatoes or yams are also good. Bananas are somewhat binding, so they are a great post-diarrhea meal. If you crave toast or even crackers, choose an organic whole grain variety, and chew fully to insure easier digestive function. Avoid beets, as they can make symptoms worse, as can a lot of combinations of foods at one time. It is best to choose one food and eat until you are full waiting a minimum of 3 hours before eating another food.

Once symptoms totally pass, gradually return to consuming solid foods, emphasizing organic whole foods, and drink fresh filtered water throughout the day. Avoid milk and dairy products except for a small amount of plain yogurt, and all foods to which you may be allergic. If you are not aware of your food allergies, consider being tested by a professional. As your strength as well as appetite come back, move on to including more veggies, fruits, whole grains, and organic free-range protein sources from meat such as lamb, bison, chicken, and/or wild-caught seafood.

For overall health, the following meals should also be avoided: All commercially processed foods, sugars, refined carbohydrates, unhealthy fats, alcohol, coffee and other caffeine products, sodas, and industrial non-herbal teas.

Nourishment and diet plan are key players within the healing as well as elimination of illness and disease. For a complete, nutrition loaded, whole foods eating plan, read the Whole-foods Diet. In many cases, a raw food eating plan can be very beneficial. For more information, read Raw Food Diet. You can print these complete articles for simple reference.

The Specific Carbohydrate Diet Plan – A dietary strategy that has been discovered to be effective within the majority of persistent diarrhea cases is called The Specific Carbohydrate Diet Plan. It was developed by Elaine Gottschall, M.D., in an effort to heal her four year-old child of colitis signs and symptoms, and is dependent on the research of the late Sidney V. Haas, M.D., who discovered that most gastrointestinal disorders are caused by an imbalance of carbs in relationship to the organisms that naturally occur in the gastrointestinal system.

According to Dr. Haas, if this relationship becomes unbalanced, the microorganisms grow unchecked and release toxins, causing poor absorption of food, and especially poor digestive function of carbohydrates, a staple of the western diet. To change this pattern, Haas, as well as later, Gottschall developed the strict nutritional regimen which comprises The Specific Carbohydrate Diet Plan. Based on her work with countless patients with severe intestinal disorders, Gottschall has found that the diet may yield total results within three weeks, but only if it’s completely followed. Its eating guidelines are listed below:

Avoid: All processed, smoked, canned, or breaded meat, fish, seaweed, cheeses, seeds, potatoes, yams, parsnips, chick peas, bean sprouts, soybeans, mung beans, fava beans, and cereal grains in any form, including flour. Avoid milk, and all products commercially produced from milk, dried out milk powders, buttermilk or acidophilus whole milk, commercially prepared yogurt, sour cream and ice cream. Do not consume soymilk, instant tea, coffee, espresso substitutes, alcohol, cornstarch, arrowroot, chocolate, carob, bouillon cubes, instant soups bases, any product created using refined sugars, agar-agar, carrageenan, pectin, catsup, molasses, corn and walnut syrup, any flour made from legumes, and baking powder.

Consume: Fresh or frozen, preferably organic meat, poultry, wild caught fish, organic eggs, organic raw milk and cheeses, homemade yogurt made at reduced temperatures from raw natural milk, and dry curd cottage cheese. Choose from a wide variety of freshly prepared, organic vegetables. Vegetables and fruits are the main stay of this diet. Absolutely no canned foods with the exception of sodium-free canned red salmon, white albacore tuna or sardines, preferably just on occasion. Daily juicing with fresh green vegetables is an important addition for healing and offers a person deep nutritional nourishment. With this and all illness, providing yourself with the most supportive nutritional profile possible is of main importance.

Follow this diet plan for as long as your symptoms persist. Adhering to this diet can be challenging, but maintenance is essential to obtain the desired results.

Fasting: A water or vegetable juice fast for 1-3 days is a superb way to relieve symptoms.

Herbal Treatments: The primary herbal remedy recommended by herbalists for diarrhea is known as Robert’s Method, which includes the use of comfrey, Echinacea, geranium, goldenseal, marshmallow root, stick root, slick elm, as well as wild indigo. Robert’s Method can be found on the internet and at well stocked health food stores. For best results, enjoy this mixture with licorice root tea. As your symptoms improve, continue taking Robert’s Method; in addition, include liquid chlorophyll in the quantity indicated on the bottle.

Homeopathy: Useful homeopathic remedies consist of Belladonna, Bryonia, and Colocynthis.

Hydrotherapy: Hydrotherapy is the process of using water, ice, steam and alternating between cold and hot temperatures to restore health. Remedies include complete body immersion, steam baths, saunas, sitz baths, colonic irrigation and the application of hot and/or cold compresses. Hydrotherapy is effective in regard to treating a wide range of conditions and can easily be used in the home as part of a self-care program. Numerous Naturopathic Physicians, Physical Therapists as well as day spas use Hydrotherapy as part of their treatment. In the cases of looseness of the bowels, soothing baths 2-5 nights a week, and alternating between hot and cold water packs positioned over the belly, are especially effective to relieve symptoms.

We recommend several at-home Hydrotherapy treatments. Please seek the advice of your alternative healthcare practitioner prior to undergoing these types of procedures in order to make sure they are right for you.

*Purified water is essential for any hydrotherapy treatment.

Liquid Therapy: Useful juice treatments include carrot and apple juice; carrot, apple, and celery; and carrot, celery, garlic, parsley, and green spinach. One of the most popular juices, consists of romaine lettuce, spinach and carrot and is a healthy choice.

Lifestyle: If you smoke, stop, and also avoid exposure to secondhand smoke. In addition, because diarrhea is often a result of anxiousness, it is important to learn how to effectively cope with and manage stress. Likewise try to get some exercise regularly.

If you are currently taking pain killers or additional NSAIDs, these could be exacerbating diarrhea signs and symptoms. Consider replacing them with safer, more effective natural remedies.

Nutritional Supplements: Useful supplements for diarrhea include vitamin A, ascorbic acid, activated charcoal tablets, digestive system enzymes, and probiotic formulas such as acidophilus and Bifidobacteria, in order to renew healthy intestinal flora which diarrhea may disrupt. The amino acid M-glutamine can also be useful, especially in cases of persistent diarrhea.

Two other highly effective supplements are fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS) and soil-based organisms. FOS is an all-natural carbohydrate microorganism which makes it possible for Bifidobacteria to thrive within the large intestine, where it helps to protect against harmful bacteria. Soil-based organisms are beneficial microbes found in soil. Taken as a supplement, they detoxify the gastrointestinal system while getting rid of fungi, molds, parasites, infections, and yeasts. They also help to improve the absorption of nutrition and enhance both defense and general cell performance, including the production of RNA and DNA. In addition, they also act as natural antioxidants.

Stress Reduction: Stress reduction techniques, for example biofeedback as well as hypnosis, are recommended for diarrhea brought about by anxiousness or tension. Stress reduction techniques are also very helpful for coping with emotions such as anger, depressive disorders, and hopelessness that can exacerbate diarrhea signs and symptoms.

Holistic health practitioners help their patients accomplish tension reduction by using various mind/body medicinal methods, such as psychophysiological feedback, hypnotherapy, and relaxation exercises.

Meditation is yet another form of stress management that is highly effective. There are many ways to meditate. One of the easiest is simply to sit comfortably in a chair with your eyes closed as you focus on your inhaling and exhaling. Do this for 5-10 minutes twice per day and gradually lengthen each session to 20-30 minutes. To enhance your time and efforts, concentrate on mentally repeating a peaceful expression each time you inhale and exhale, permitting all other ideas to arise and pass without becoming involved in them. At first, this may seem difficult, however with committed exercise you will ultimately find yourself able to do this while experiencing higher degrees of calm and serenity.

Alternative Expert Care

These therapies can also help to prevent and relieve diarrhea: Acupressure, Acupuncture, Applied Kinesiology, Environmental Medicine, Enzyme Treatment, Flower Essences, Guided Symbolism, Hypnotherapy, Magnet Therapy, Mind/Body Medicine, Naturopathic Medicine, Osteopathic Medicine, Oxygen Therapy, Qigong, Tai Chi, and traditional Chinese Medicine. (See Glossary for explanations of these Alternative Therapies.)