Diarrhea is a disease associated with frequent, unnatural bowel movements than your regular, resulting into loose and watery stools “until you find a treatment matching to the cause.” The reason why I mentioned that is because the disease can occur over different causes, and it is very important to determine them if you are to get healed quickly and through the right treatment. The longer you take to find out the cause and the fitting treatment, the longer it takes to get rid of diarrhea.
What could be the main causes?
More often than ever, we’ve heard that eating something that does not agree with the composition of our body or getting a flu are the root causes of diarrhea. But unfortunately, there’s more to what can cause the unpleasant experience to your abdomen.
- Medications : It may present to you as a complete shock, but yes, there are certain medications (not all) such as antibiotics that can cause havoc in your intestine, leading to unwanted change in bowel movements due to an infection. Antibiotics are powerful against the bad bacteria, however, the patient’s good bacteria also suffer at the same time.
- Bacteria : Not just E. coli and salmonella bacteria but also viruses like Norwalk virus and hepatitis virus A, B, C can be culprits for your repeated trips to the bathroom. These can bring about some serious disturbance in the regular process of your digestion.
- Sugar : Fructose is a type of sugar that your body may find it challenging to break down. If that happens, the aftermath could be an upset stomach and soft stools. The sames goes with artificial sweeteners.
Heard of “traveler’s diarrhea”?
As I mentioned earlier, treatment of diarrhea has a direct correlation with the cause of the disease and the type and time of implementing the treatment. Likewise, traveler’s diarrhea can go untreated for a long time because it takes time and thorough research and examination to find out the type of bacteria or virus that has entered the traveler’s body during his travel. Having said that, it also depends on the physician’s expertise and the tests or equipment used.
NB : You suffer from traveler’s diarrhea if you pick up an unfamiliar bacteria that your body is not used to dealing with when traveling abroad or places you’re not accustomed to.
Are there any home remedies?
The best thing about these diarrhea fixes is that they not only help to relieve the symptoms, but also fight off the infection.
- Ginger or chamomile tea : It’s one of the go-to natural remedies for treating abdominal cramping and intestinal inflammation. You can also eat a small grated portion of ginger with honey or drink green tea as alternative remedies.
- Fenugreek seeds : Their high mucilage content qualifies them as one of the highly recommended home treatments for diarrhea.
- Saccharomyces boulardii : Sounds like a bacterium, but it’s not. In fact, it is yeast that “acts” like a bacterium. It helps in proper absorption of nutrients and warding off pathogens in traveler’s or antibiotic-associated diarrhea.
How to maintain healthy bowel movements to avoid diarrhea?
Living with the feeling of fear of not being close to the washroom, bloating, unsettling gas and stomach cramps can be disastrous and very taxing to your body. Every doctor’s advice would be to “prevent diarrhea instead of dealing with it.” So how do you do that? Well, firstly, you have to agree that your probiotic home remedies, like yogurt, and tablets are not your ultimate solution. The key here is to know how you can avoid contact with bacteria and other causes.
- Wash : Food is one of the common channels bacteria can enter your body. Wash your foods thoroughly before preparing them. Similarly, wash your hands to get away with harmful bacteria before consuming any meal.
- Clean : This applies more for the cooks in your house or those who prepare food for you everyday. Maintain a clean kitchen and ideal refrigeration to disallow the entry of bacteria into your food.
- Check : When on the move or having a vacation overseas, make sure you are familiar with the travel warnings, if any. Beware of undercooked meat and tap drinking water!
It may be harmless to see your stool turning watery or dark temporarily, pointing out digestive problems, fructose reaction or lactose intolerance. But the other day, it may call for immediate medical intervention for serious health issues, such as even cancer. The color, shape and smell of your poop shout out the current status of your health, and therefore, the subject of stool certainly needs more attention. Appalling, but true!
More by Dr. Victor Marchione:
Sebaceous Cyst : Signs and Causes
There Could be a Thyroid Problem Down your Throat!
He is a respected leader in the field of smoking cessation and pulmonary medicine. He has been featured on ABC News and World Report, CBS Evening News with Dan Rather and the NBC Today Show. As well as being on the Advisory Board for Bel Marra Health, he is also the editor of the Health eTalk newsletter.
