Introduction to Home Remedies for Diarrhea
You may blame it on a 24-hour bug or something you ate, but if you're like the average American, you'll suffer once or twice this year from diarrhea: frequent, watery bowel movements that may be accompanied by painful cramps or nausea and vomiting.Diarrhea is uncomfortable and unpleasant, but generally no big deal in otherwise healthy adults. However, if diarrhea becomes a chronic condition, the situation changes. Or if it affects the very young, the elderly, or the chronically ill, it can be dangerous. And if you're not careful to drink enough fluids, you could find yourself complicating what should have been a simple enough situation. In this article, you will find the home remedies you can follow to keep yourself healthy while you are battling diarrhea. You will also find out what to do in more extreme cases of diarrhea. But first, we will start with some more general information.
What Causes Diarrhea?
There are essentially two types of diarrhea: acute and chronic. Thankfully, the vast majority of diarrhea is acute, or short term. This type of diarrhea keeps you on the toilet for a couple of days but doesn't stick around long. Acute diarrhea is also known as non-inflammatory diarrhea. Its symptoms are what most people associate with the condition: watery, frequent stools accompanied by stomach cramps, gas, and nausea.
Acute diarrhea usually has a bacterial or viral culprit. Gastroenteritis, mistakenly called the "stomach flu," is one of the most common infections that cause diarrhea. Gastroenteritis can be caused by many different viruses. Eating or drinking foods contaminated with bacteria can also cause diarrhea. Other causes of acute diarrhea are lactose intolerance, sweeteners such as sorbitol, over-the-counter antacids that contain magnesium, too much vitamin C, and some antibiotics.
If you have chronic, or long-term, diarrhea that comes on suddenly and stays for weeks, you may have a more serious condition, such as irritable bowel syndrome or a severe food allergy.
Certain drugs, especially antibiotics, can cause diarrhea as a side effect. Magnesium-containing antacids and artificial sweeteners, such as sorbitol, are often overlooked culprits, as well.
Usuaully, diarrhea is simply unpleasant. In the elderly, however, diarrhea can be a life-threatening condition. Read about the dangers of diarrhea for the elderly in the next section.
For more information on the causes and consqeuences of diarrhea, try the following links:
- To see all of our home remedies and the conditions they treat, go to our Home Remedies page.
- Herbs can have many calming effects on your digestive system and help with potentially dangerous conditions like diarrhea. Get all the details in Herbal Remedies for Diarrhea.
- If you've had diarrhea long enough to lose a significant amount of fluid, try our Home Remedies for Dehydration.
- These Home Remedies for Food Poisoning are great to have on hand when you get surprised with and illness.
- If you feel nauseas as well, these Home Remedies for Upset Stomach are a big help.
Effects of Diarrhea on the Elderly
For most people, diarrhea is nothing more than a minor inconvenience. But for the very young and the elderly, it can be life threatening, even fatal. Diarrhea causes fluid loss, and babies and seniors are more vulnerable to fluid loss than are adults and older children.Dehydration can take days to occur in an adult, hours to days for a child, and seconds to minutes in a newborn. Unfortunately, diarrhea is harder to recognize in infants because they have anywhere from six to nine bowel movements a day, and if they are breast-fed, the movements can be very loose. But parents generally learn fast what their baby's normal stool looks like. If it becomes more liquid, if it's explosive, or if the odor changes, it's probably diarrhea. Call the doctor.
Breast-feeding is the best way to prevent diarrhea in babies. The colostrum, the special kind of milk produced during the first few days of the baby's life, is loaded with substances that help prevent gastrointestinal infections later in life.
There's also less chance of contamination with breast-feeding, since bottles don't have to be washed. And formula itself can cause allergic reactions that include diarrhea.
Diarrhea is less serious in children between the ages of 18 months and 8 years, but it still warrants a call to the doctor.
The elderly can't afford to lose much fluid, either, but that's because their circulatory system has changed with aging. Fluid loss can reduce the body's ability to circulate blood, raising the risk of stroke, heart attack, or kidney failure.
When the elderly have diarrhea, it's often difficult to know when they're becoming dehydrated. Elderly people are less likely than younger people to feel thirsty, and changes in the skin that signal dehydration aren't very apparent in aged skin.
The best clue: Are they still passing urine every hour or two?
If you're older and in good health but have a history of congestive heart failure and/or are taking diuretics, you should call your physician as soon as the diarrhea starts. Your doctor may want to adjust your diuretic use because diuretics increase fluid loss in the body.
Ironically, medical care can lead to some cases of diarrhea in the elderly. Older people are more likely to be on antibiotics, which can have diarrhea as a side effect. They're also prone to constipation and may self-medicate or have a physician recommend several types of laxatives, which can end up causing diarrhea. About half of the cases of diarrhea in the elderly are probably due to infections, the majority of which are viral.
Usually diarrhea comes suddenly and then you're back to normal. But if it lasts for an extended amount of time, you can find out what to do on the next page.
For more information on the causes and consqeuences of diarrhea, try the following links:
- To see all of our home remedies and the conditions they treat, go to our Home Remedies page.
- Herbs can have many calming effects on your digestive system and help with potentially dangerous conditions like diarrhea. Get all the details in Herbal Remedies for Diarrhea.
- If you've had diarrhea long enough to lose a significant amount of fluid, try our Home Remedies for Dehydration.
- These Home Remedies for Food Poisoning are great to have on hand when you get surprised with and illness.
- If you feel nauseas as well, these Home Remedies for Upset Stomach are a big help.
Serious Causes of Diarrhea
Sometimes diarrhea goes on ... for weeks. That's when a more serious problem is probably responsible. Your doctor can ferret out the cause. See a doctor for your diarrhea if:- You see blood in your stool.
- You experience symptoms of dehydration, including dizziness when you stand up, scanty and deep-yellow urine, increased thirst, and dry skin. Children may also cry without producing tears.
- You've got a fever or shaking chills.
- Your diarrhea persists for more than 48 to 72 hours.
- The person with diarrhea is very young, very old, or chronically ill.
Celiac disease. In this case, you can't digest gluten, which is part of wheat.
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Some people with IBS have constipation and some have diarrhea. Others alternate between the two.
Parasitic infections. These can hang on indefinitely.
Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis. These two conditions are similar, and no one knows their cause. But the end results are inflammation of the bowel and diarrhea, often accompanied by pain.
Systemic illnesses. Chronic diarrhea can be a complication of diseases such as diabetes, scleroderma, and hyperthyroidism.
Cancer. The cause of diarrhea is usually more benign, but one of the warning signs of tumors in the bowel is diarrhea, especially if blood is present.
Now that you know how to identify potentially dangerous conditions, go to the next page to find out how some simple home remedies can heal a run-of-the-mill bout of the runs.
For more information on the causes and consqeuences of diarrhea, try the following links:
- To see all of our home remedies and the conditions they treat, go to our Home Remedies page.
- Herbs can have many calming effects on your digestive system and help with potentially dangerous conditions like diarrhea. Get all the details in Herbal Remedies for Diarrhea.
- If you've had diarrhea long enough to lose a significant amount of fluid, try our Home Remedies for Dehydration.
- These Home Remedies for Food Poisoning are great to have on hand when you get surprised with and illness.
- If you feel nauseas as well, these Home Remedies for Upset Stomach are a big help.
Home Remedy Treatments for Diarrhea
Unless diarrhea persists, which can signal a more serious problem, you usually don't find out its cause. Treatment for a temporary bout is aimed at easing the symptoms and at preventing dehydration, the most serious consequence of diarrhea. If you're suffering from diarrhea, the following home remedies may ease the symptoms:Ride it out. If you're not very young or old or suffering from any chronic illness, it may be safe just to put up with it for a couple of days. After all, it's often your body's natural way of getting rid of something that shouldn't be there to begin with.
 ©2007 Publications International, Ltd. Dehydration is the most serious consequence of diarrhea. |
- Drink plenty of fluids. Consume two quarts (eight cups) of fluids a day, three quarts (12 cups) if you're running a fever. Plain water lacks electrolytes, but it's a good, gentle-on-the-tummy option that can help you replace some of the fluid that you've lost. Other choices include weak tea with a little sugar, sports drinks such as Gatorade, flat soda pop (decaffeinated flavors such as ginger ale are best), and fruit juices other than apple and prune, which have a laxative effect.
- Buy an over-the-counter electrolyte replacement formula. Pedialyte, Rehydralyte, and Ricelyte are available without a prescription from your local drugstore. These formulas contain fluids and minerals in the proper proportion.
Sip some chicken broth. Or any broth, but have it lukewarm instead of hot, and add a little salt to it if it's not already salty.
Rest in bed. Give your body a chance to fight the bug that's causing this.
Put a heating pad on your belly. It may help relieve abdominal cramps.
Try yogurt. Choose a brand that contains live lactobacillus cultures, which are friendly bugs that normally live in the gut. (Even people with lactose intolerance can often handle this type of yogurt.)
Eat easy-to-digest foods. Good choices include soup, gelatin, rice, noodles, bananas, potatoes, toast, cooked carrots, soda crackers, and skinless white-meat chicken.
Take the pink stuff. Stopping the diarrhea with an over-the-counter (OTC) medication may not be the best thing for your body, since the diarrhea probably reflects your body's attempt to get rid of a troublesome bug. If you do feel it's necessary, however, Pepto-Bismol is probably the safest OTC antidiarrheal medicine. It also appears to have a mild antibacterial effect, useful against traveler's diarrhea, which is usually bacteria-related.
Take Kaopectate or Imodium A-D. Again, you're probably better off going without antidiarrheal medication. If you absolutely need some relief, however, you can try one of these OTC medications. Imodium A-D slows down the motility, or movement, of the gut; Kaopectate absorbs fluid. Elderly patients should use these medications only with their doctor's approval, because decreased motility can be dangerous in an infection and can lead to bigger problems.
Don't do dairy. Avoid milk, cheese, and other dairy products (except yogurt, unless you don't usually tolerate it well) while you have diarrhea as well as for one to three weeks after it stops. The small intestine, where milk is digested, is affected by diarrhea and simply won't work as well for a while.
Cut out caffeine. Just as it stimulates your nervous system, caffeine jump-starts your intestines. And that's the last thing you need when you have diarrhea.
Say no to sweet treats. High concentrations of sugar can increase diarrhea. The sugar in fruit can do the same.
Steer clear of greasy or high-fiber foods. These are harder for your gut to handle right now. It needs foods that are kinder and gentler.
Wash your hands. Especially before preparing food. You don't want to pass your illness to everyone in the household.
These tips are invaluable, but sometimes you need more. In the next section, we'll show you home remedies that put a stop to diarrhea with foods and spices from your very own kitchen.
For more information on the causes and consqeuences of diarrhea, try the following links:
- To see all of our home remedies and the conditions they treat, go to our Home Remedies page.
- Herbs can have many calming effects on your digestive system and help with potentially dangerous conditions like diarrhea. Get all the details in Herbal Remedies for Diarrhea.
- If you've had diarrhea long enough to lose a significant amount of fluid, try our Home Remedies for Dehydration.
- These Home Remedies for Food Poisoning are great to have on hand when you get surprised with and illness.
- If you feel nauseas as well, these Home Remedies for Upset Stomach are a big help.
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Natural Home Remedies for Diarrhea
Though it may not sound logical to put diarrhea and food in the same sentence, if you don't put something in your body while you're enduring tummy troubles, you might end up getting sicker. There are loads of good things from the kitchen that will ease your grumbling stomach, and there are a few things that will prevent those diarrhea-causing agents from coming back for a return engagement.Home Remedies from the Cupboard
Blueberries. Blueberry root is a long-time folk remedy for diarrhea. In Sweden, doctors prescribe a soup made with dried blueberries for tummy problems. Blueberries are rich in anthocyanosides, which have antioxidant and antibacterial properties, as well as tannins, which combat diarrhea.
 ©2007 Publications International, Ltd. Blueberry is an old European folk remedy for diarrhea. |
Cooked cereals. Starchy foods, such as precooked rice or tapioca cereals, can help ease your tummy. Prepare the cereal according to the directions on the box, making it as thick as you can stomach it. Just avoid adding too much sugar or salt, as these can aggravate diarrhea. It's probably a good idea to avoid oatmeal, since it's high in fiber, and your intestines can't tolerate the added bulk during a bout with diarrhea.
Potatoes. This is another starchy food that can help restore nutrients and comfort your stomach. But eating French fries won't help. Fried foods tend to aggravate an aching tummy. Other root vegetables, such as carrots (cooked, of course) are also easy on an upset stomach, and they are loaded with nutrients.
Rice. Cooked white rice is another starchy food that can be handled by someone recovering from diarrhea.
Home Remedies from the Fruit Basket
Banana. Long known as a soother for tummy trouble, this potassium-rich fruit can restore nutrients and is easy to digest.
Orange peel. Orange peel tea is a folk remedy that is believed to aid in digestion. Place a chopped orange peel (preferably from an organic orange, as peels otherwise may contain pesticides and dyes) into a pot and cover with 1 pint boiling water. Let it stand until the water is cooled. You can sweeten it with sugar or honey.
Home Remedies from the Refrigerator
Yogurt. Look for yogurt with live cultures. These "cultures" are friendly bacteria that can go in and line your intestines, providing you with protection from the bad guys. If you've already got diarrhea, yogurt can help produce lactic acid in your intestines, which can kill off the nasty bacteria and get you feeling better, faster.
Live-culture yogurt (kefir) is also the best way to treat diarrhea caused by oral antibiotics. The antibiotics kill beneficial bacteria in the intestines, but live-culture products replenish those bacteria. Better still, use these from the time you begin the medication, and you may avoid the diarrhea altogether.
Home Remedies from the Spice Rack
Fenugreek seeds. Science has given the nod to this folk remedy--but this one is for adults only (safety for children has not been established). Mix 1/2 teaspoon fenugreek seeds with water and drink up.
With these time-honored home remedies under your belt, you should be able to significantly reduce the severity and discomfort of diarrhea.
For more information on the causes and consqeuences of diarrhea, try the following links:
- To see all of our home remedies and the conditions they treat, go to our Home Remedies page.
- Herbs can have many calming effects on your digestive system and help with potentially dangerous conditions like diarrhea. Get all the details in Herbal Remedies for Diarrhea.
- If you've had diarrhea long enough to lose a significant amount of fluid, try our Home Remedies for Dehydration.
- These Home Remedies for Food Poisoning are great to have on hand when you get surprised with and illness.
- If you feel nauseas as well, these Home Remedies for Upset Stomach are a big help.
Timothy Gower is a freelance writer and editor whose work has appeared in many publications, including Reader's Digest, Prevention, Men's Health, Better Homes and Gardens, The New York Times, and The Los Angeles Times. The author of four books, Gower is also a contributing editor for Health magazine.
Alice Lesch Kelly is a health writer based in Boston. Her work has been published in magazines such as Shape, Fit Pregnancy, Woman's Day, Reader's Digest, Eating Well, and Health. She is the co-author of three books on women's health.
Linnea Lundgren has more than 12 years experience researching, writing, and editing for newspapers and magazines. She is the author of four books, including Living Well With Allergies.
Michele Price Mann is a freelance writer who has written for such publications as Weight Watchers and Southern Living magazines. Formerly assistant health and fitness editor at Cooking Light magazine, her professional passion is learning and writing about health.
ABOUT THE CONSULTANTS:
Ivan Oransky, M.D., is the deputy editor of The Scientist. He is author or co-author of four books, including The Common Symptom Answer Guide, and has written for publications including the Boston Globe, The Lancet, and USA Today. He holds appointments as a clinical assistant professor of medicine and as adjunct professor of journalism at New York University.
David J. Hufford, Ph.D., is university professor and chair of the Medical Humanities Department at Pennsylvania State University's College of Medicine. He also is a professor in the departments of Neural and Behavioral Sciences and Family and Community Medicine. Dr. Hufford serves on the editorial boards of several journals, including Alternative Therapies in Health & Medicine and Explore.
This information is solely for informational purposes. IT IS NOT INTENDED TO PROVIDE MEDICAL ADVICE. Neither the Editors of Consumer Guide (R), Publications International, Ltd., the author nor publisher take responsibility for any possible consequences from any treatment, procedure, exercise, dietary modification, action or application of medication which results from reading or following the information contained in this information. The publication of this information does not constitute the practice of medicine, and this information does not replace the advice of your physician or other health care provider. Before undertaking any course of treatment, the reader must seek the advice of their physician or other health care provider.
