5 Effective Diarrhea Remedies

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A bout of diarrhea is never fun. Plenty of options, from anti-diarrheal medication to dietary changes that soothe your digestive system, can help you find relief.

Overview

We’ve all experienced bouts of diarrhea at some point in our lives. Common symptoms of diarrhea include frequent, watery stools, abdominal cramping, and bloating.

Diarrhea is often your body’s way of dealing with disruptions in your gastrointestinal system. Acute diarrhea lasts less than 2 weeks and can come from many sources, such as:

• a viral infection
• a bacterial infection
• food poisoning
• recent antibiotic use
• water contaminated with an infectious agent

Infectious diarrhea is common in young children and is often caused by a virus. Traveler’s diarrhea can occur if you travel to underdeveloped areas with contaminated water. Bacteria from improperly stored or cooked food are typical causes of food poisoning.

Read on for some of the most effective ways to manage acute diarrhea.

Hydration is very important when you have diarrhea. Dehydration from diarrhea can be fatal in young children and older adults. Continue breastfeeding or formula feeding infants who are experiencing diarrhea. Over-the-counter oral pediatric hydration solutions, like Pedialyte, are the recommended fluids of choice for children with diarrhea. Small amounts of hydration solutions should be given frequently. These formulas also come in popsicle preparations.

Studies have shown that for adults with mild symptoms of diarrhea, sports drinks and over-the-counter rehydration solutions are equally effective.

Alcohol, milk, soda, and other carbonated or caffeinated drinks should not be used for hydration, as they may make your symptoms worse.

Probiotics are sources of “good” bacteria that work in your intestinal tract to create a healthy gut environment. They’re essentially live microorganisms that exist in certain foods, including:

• aged soft cheeses
• beet kvass
• cottage cheese
• dark chocolate
• green olives
• kefir
• kimchi
• kombucha
• sauerkraut
• miso
• natto
• pickles
• sourdough bread
• tempeh
• yogurt

Probiotics also come in powder or pill form.

The good bacteria that live in your intestinal tract are necessary for the normal functioning of your gastrointestinal system. They play an important role in protecting your intestines against infection. When your system is changed by antibiotics or overwhelmed by unhealthy bacteria or viruses, you can get diarrhea. Probiotics can help with diarrhea by restoring the balance of bacteria in your gut.

Saccharomyces boulardii is a yeast probiotic. While it’s not a bacterium, it acts like one. S. boulardii may improve antibiotic-associated diarrhea. It also seems to provide relief for traveler’s diarrhea. Studies suggest it may help your intestines fight off unwanted pathogens and ensure they’re absorbing nutrients properly. Because it is yeast, it should be used with caution in people with inadequate immune systems.

It’s important to receive proper medical care in cases of acute diarrhea. Talk with your health care provider before taking probiotic supplements to treat your diarrhea.

With your doctor’s supervision, several over-the-counter medications can help with acute diarrhea if your symptoms are not severe. Common over-the-counter medications include:

• bismuth subsalicylate (Pepto-Bismol and Kaopectate)
• loperamide (Imodium)

While these drugs can relieve the symptoms of diarrhea, they don’t treat the underlying cause.

If you have chronic diarrhea, you shouldn’t use these drugs without your doctor’s consent. Chronic diarrhea is diarrhea that lasts more than 14 days. It often has different causes.

You should be especially cautious if your child has diarrhea. Dehydration resulting from diarrhea can be dangerous and can occur quickly in young children. Severe dehydration can be life-threatening. Over-the-counter medications are not recommended for treatment in children, so it’s important to talk to your doctor. Infants under 3 months old who have diarrhea should be taken to the doctor right away.

If you have bloody diarrhea, a fever, more than seven days of symptoms, intense abdominal pain, or diarrhea that is getting worse, you should seek medical attention.

While it might sound counterintuitive to eat if you have diarrhea, eating certain foods can help alleviate your diarrhea symptoms and ensure your health doesn’t worsen from not eating. Stick to low-fiber “BRAT” foods that will help firm up your stool. These include:

• bananas
• rice (white)
• applesauce
• toast

Other foods that are usually well-tolerated when experiencing diarrhea include:

• oatmeal
• boiled or baked potatoes (with skins peeled)
• baked chicken with skin removed
• chicken soup (which also aids in rehydration)

Fried and greasy foods are usually not well-tolerated in people who have diarrhea. You should also consider limiting high-fiber foods like bran as well as fruits and vegetables that can increase bloating. Foods to avoid include:

• alcohol
• artificial sweeteners (found in chewing gum, diet soft drinks and sugar substitutes)
• beans
• berries
• broccoli
• cabbage
• cauliflower
• chickpeas
• coffee
• corn
• ice cream
• green leafy vegetables
• milk
• peas
• peppers
• prunes
• tea

How Long Does Diarrhea Last? Remedies, Treatment, and More

Diarrhea refers to loose, liquid stools. It can be mild or severe and last from days to weeks. It all depends on the underlying cause.

In addition to watery bowel movements, symptoms of diarrhea may include:

• urgency to defecate
• frequently passing stools (at least three times a day)
• cramping in the abdomen
• abdominal pain
• poor control of bowel movements
• nausea

You might also experience fever, dizziness, or vomiting. These symptoms usually occur when an infection is causing diarrhea.

If you have watery stools, you might wonder how long your diarrhea will last. Let’s look at the typical duration of diarrhea, along with home remedies and signs you should see a doctor.

Diarrhea can be acute (short term) or chronic (long term).

Acute diarrhea generally lasts for 1 to 2 days. It can sometimes last up to 2 weeks. However, this type of diarrhea is usually mild and resolves on its own.

Chronic diarrhea lasts for at least 4 weeks. The symptoms might come and go, but it could be a sign of a serious condition.

Diarrhea can have many possible causes. The duration of diarrhea, along with any additional symptoms, depends on the cause.

Acute diarrhea might occur from:

• viral infection (stomach flu)
• bacterial infection
• adverse reaction to medication, like antibiotics
• food allergy
• food intolerance, like fructose or lactose intolerance
• stomach surgery
• traveler’s diarrhea, which bacteria commonly cause

In adults, the most common cause of acute diarrhea is a norovirus infection.

Potential causes of chronic diarrhea include:

• parasitic infection
• inflammatory bowel disease, like ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s disease
• irritable bowel syndrome
• celiac disease
• heartburn medications, like protein pump inhibitors
• gallbladder removal

Preparing for colonoscopy also causes diarrhea. Since your colon has to be empty for this procedure, you’ll need to take a strong laxative beforehand to flush all the stool out of your colon. Your doctor will prescribe a laxative solution for you to start taking the day before your colonoscopy.

The type of laxative (also known as prep medication) your doctor will prescribe is designed to cause diarrhea without draining your own fluids out of your body. This helps prevent dehydration.

After taking the laxative, you’ll experience frequent, forceful diarrhea for several hours as your colon flushes all the stool from your body. You might also have bloating, abdominal cramps, or nausea.

Your diarrhea should subside shortly before you have your colonoscopy. You may have some gas and discomfort after your colonoscopy, but your bowel movements should return to normal within a day or two.

If you’re concerned about diarrhea during your colonoscopy prep, ask your doctor how to make the process more comfortable.

Summary

• Acute (short-term) diarrhea, caused by an infection or food intolerance, generally lasts for a couple of days but may continue for up to 2 weeks.
• Chronic (long-term) diarrhea, caused by a health condition, gallbladder removal, or parasitic infection, may last for at least 4 weeks.
• Diarrhea before a colonoscopy generally lasts for less than 1 day.

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In many cases, you can treat diarrhea at home. Here’s what you can do if you have acute, uncomplicated diarrhea:

• Drink plenty of water. Diarrhea can lead to dehydration, so it’s important to drink plenty of water. Avoid dairy, alcohol, and caffeinated drinks, which might worsen your symptoms.
• Drink liquid with electrolytes. Your body loses electrolytes when you have diarrhea. Try sipping on sports drinks, coconut water, or salty broth to replenish your body’s electrolyte levels.
• Avoid foods with strong flavors. Spicy, sweet, and highly seasoned foods can make your diarrhea worse. It’s also a good idea to limit foods high in fiber and fat until your diarrhea has cleared up.
• Follow the BRAT diet. The BRAT diet includes bananas, rice, applesauce, and toast. These bland, starchy foods are gentle on the stomach.
• Antidiarrheal medications. Over-the-counter drugs like loperamide (Imodium, Diamode) and bismuth subsalicylate (Pepto-Bismol) may help manage your symptoms. However, these medications can worsen bacterial or viral infections, so it’s best to check with your doctor first.
• Take probiotics. Probiotics are “good” bacteria that help restore your gut’s microbial balance. For mild cases of diarrhea, probiotic supplements may help speed up recovery.
• Herbal remedies. If your diarrhea is accompanied with nausea, try home remedies like ginger or peppermint.

Typically, diarrhea starts to get better after about 2 days. If your diarrhea persists, or you notice the following symptoms, seek medical attention right away:

• dehydration, which includes symptoms like:
  • little to no urination
  • dark urine
  • dizziness
  • weakness
• severe abdominal cramps
• severe rectal pain
• bloody, black stools
• fever above 102°F (39°C)
• frequent vomiting

These symptoms could indicate a more serious underlying condition.

You might require medical treatment if your diarrhea doesn’t go away with home remedies or over-the-counter medication. Possible treatments include:

• Antibiotics. Your doctor may prescribe antibiotics if you have a bacterial infection. You’ll likely need antibiotic therapy if you have a high fever or traveler’s diarrhea. If previously prescribed antibiotics are causing your diarrhea, your doctor might be able to suggest an alternative.
• IV fluids. If you have trouble drinking liquid, your doctor may suggest IV fluids. This will help replenish lost fluids and prevent dehydration.
• Other medications. For chronic conditions, you’ll likely need to visit a specialist, like a gastroenterologist. They’ll prescribe disease-specific medication and provide a long-term plan to manage your symptoms.

Acute diarrhea can last anywhere from 2 days to 2 weeks. This form of diarrhea is usually mild and gets better with home remedies.

Chronic diarrhea, on the other hand, may last for 4 weeks or more. It typically indicates an underlying health condition, such as ulcerative colitis or irritable bowel syndrome.

Most cases of short-term diarrhea aren’t a cause of concern. But if your diarrhea doesn’t get better, or if you have signs of dehydration, a fever, bloody stools, or severe pain, it’s important to get medical care as soon as possible.

Treatment of diarrhea at home folk remedies – Comments

Most people prefer not to discuss what happens behind the closed toilet door. However, diarrhea causes a lot of discomfort to the body, because our gastrointestinal tract suffers. “Comments” will tell you what causes intestinal upset and what folk remedies for diarrhea exist.

Diarrhea can be eliminated by folk remedies. Photos from public sources

Varieties of diarrhea

Intestinal disorder (or, as it is more common in the common people – diarrhea), like any disease, can be of different types. Most often, diarrhea is distinguished either by the cause of occurrence or by duration.

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In the first case, diarrhea can be alimentary (poor-quality or spoiled food, an allergic reaction), drug-induced (most often due to antibiotics), dyspeptic (gastrointestinal enzymes do not work properly), neurogenic (the effect of stress) and toxic (kidney disease or poisoning). heavy metals, etc.).

In terms of duration of the disease, diarrhea is divided into acute and chronic. In the first case, the entire process lasts no more than three days; in the second, it exceeds this number of days.

Symptoms of diarrhea

Many people, even in adulthood, mistakenly believe that diarrhea consists solely of loose stools and possible abdominal pain. However, this disease is characterized by other symptoms, and can also cause complications.

If a person suffering from diarrhea suddenly has a fever (up to 38 °C or more), vomiting and itching of the skin (mucous membranes), and a headache, it is time to see a doctor. Also, complications of diarrhea may be indicated by the presence of blood or pus in the stool, as well as changes in the color of the stool itself. It also requires medical advice.

If the bowel disorder is mild, treatment can be done at home. There are several common effective ways to help get rid of the disease with folk remedies.

Folk remedies for diarrhea

Most often, diarrhea takes us by surprise, so even ordinary activated charcoal is not at hand. Although it is this medicine that is most often the first “lifesaver” for diarrhea. However, when medicine is powerless (that is, the necessary drugs are not available), you can look at the kitchen shelf or in the refrigerator. Help will come from available resources.

There are some of the most popular ways to stop diarrhea.

• Drink strong black tea

It is believed that this hot drink can prevent diarrhea, because it has fixative properties. It is important to drink only loose tea, not tea bags. Also pay attention to the fact that black tea is without additional flavors – this will not help an already irritated gastrointestinal tract.

• Brew onions in tea

The method may seem a little wild in mixing ingredients, but its effectiveness has been time-tested. The peeled onion must be cut crosswise so that the juice begins to stand out. The vegetable should be laid with this same cut down in a 200-ml cup of strong brewed tea. 10 minutes of “brewing” will be enough. However, do not drink this infusion all at once. It should be consumed throughout the day, drinking small sips. And, of course, the main condition is no sugar.

• Eat some black pepper

An important clarification – we are not talking about a hammer, but about peppercorns. The thing is that black pepper has a strengthening effect on the gastrointestinal tract, and also helps rid the internal flora of microbes and even partially eliminates the infection.

A dozen peas will be enough for an adult. They should be swallowed without chewing and washed down with at least a glass of water. For a child under 5 years of age, such treatment is not recommended. But older children can use such a folk remedy, but the “dose” of peas should be halved.

• Use rice water

This is considered one of the safest home remedies for diarrhea. To prepare the “medicine” you will need 500 ml of water and 2 tablespoons of white rice, previously well washed. Rice should be cooked for about 50 minutes over low heat. When the broth has cooled, it should be filtered, and then consumed throughout the day. It is interesting that such a rice remedy will also have a beneficial effect on restoring the water balance in the body.

• Look for walnuts

If the bowel disorder is not too severe, ordinary nuts can quickly eliminate all unpleasant consequences. The method is as simple as possible – you should eat a few nut kernels. Drinking water is not worth it. For adults, the dose of such a medicine will be about five nuts, for children – two is enough. However, if the kids are still unable to chew the kernels on their own, such a folk remedy for diarrhea should not be applied to them.

• Eat an apple

If there is no severe pain and the condition allows, you can treat diarrhea with regular apples. It is recommended to eat at least 12 fruits per day (an apple every two hours). At the same time, they should be peeled. To heighten the effect, they even offer to grate the apples into a “gruel”. With this method of treating diarrhea, eating other foods and even drinking water is not recommended. It is believed that apples help the stomach to cleanse and improve work.

• Use starch

It is believed that this prescription for diarrhea can be used by both adults and children. And although the process of using the medicine itself may not seem very pleasant, its effectiveness has long been tested. To do this, you need a tablespoon of potato starch (with a slide). It should be eaten with warm water – three large sips will suffice. Note: if the bowel disorder is severe, this method can be repeated after a few hours.

And although people choose to treat diarrhea at home with folk remedies most often, it is vital to consult a doctor for advice. If only because with diarrhea caused by an intestinal infection, improvised recipes will not be able to help out.

Let’s remind, earlier “Comments” reported about five drinks that will help relieve intestinal bloating.

Also on the portal you can find out how childhood stress is related to abdominal pain.

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10 types of foods that can cause diarrhea

Often, diet-related diarrhea occurs either due to individual intolerance to food components (most often lactose or gluten) [1], or when certain food was eaten or drunk in too much quantity [2]. The most common example of such a situation is an excess of coffee or alcohol [2].

1. Spicy dishes

Chili peppers and curries are spicy with capsaicin. This substance irritates the digestive tract, which is why spicy foods, eaten in large quantities, especially out of habit, can cause nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain and burning diarrhea [1].

2. Sugar substitutes

Polyols or sugar alcohols are often used as sweeteners in foods, beverages and pharmaceuticals. These dietary supplements are often found in the following products [1]:

• chewing gum;
• desserts and sweets without sugar;
• diet soft drinks;
• some toothpastes and mouth rinses.

Unlike sucrose, polyols are less caloric, as they are absorbed more slowly in the intestines [3]. They practically do not affect the level of blood glucose and do not stimulate the release of insulin, therefore they are recommended for people with diabetes mellitus [3].

On the other hand, eaten in large quantities, polyols can cause diarrhea and bloating [1]. Therefore, in the European Union, goods containing more than 10% of these substances must have a special label warning of a possible carry-over effect [3]. Pay attention to the presence of the following food additives in the composition: sorbitol (E420), mannitol (E421), isomalt (E953), maltitol (E965), lactitol (E966), xylitol (E967) and erythritol (E968) [3].

3. Dairy products

If you notice loose stools after drinking milk or dairy products, this may be a sign of lactose intolerance. This means that there are no special enzymes in the body that break down milk sugar. Other symptoms include abdominal pain and bloating. In this case, it is enough to refuse whole milk, which can be replaced with lactose-free or vegetable milk [1].

4. Coffee

Coffee not only has an invigorating effect, but also stimulates colonic motility. Therefore, 2-3 or more cups of this drink per day can provoke diarrhea. Diarrhea can also occur due to milk or artificial sweeteners that are added to coffee [2].

5. Products with caffeine

In addition to coffee, caffeine is found in chocolate, cocoa, cola, black and green tea, and energy drinks. All of them can also be products that cause diarrhea [1].

6. Fructose

Fructose is a natural high-calorie sugar found in fruits. It is because of her that fruits eaten in large quantities can provoke diarrhea. Also, fructose is often added to confectionery and drinks [1].

7. Onions and garlic

Onions and garlic contain fructans, carbohydrates that are poorly digested and can cause water to flow into the intestinal lumen, thereby leading to the development of diarrhea [1].

If you want to replace onions and garlic in your diet, consider celery and fennel. They are able to give dishes a similar taste, but at the same time they are safer in terms of upsetting the stool.

8. Broccoli and cauliflower

These cruciferous vegetables are rich in fiber and nutrients, but can be difficult to digest. For people not used to a high-fiber diet, cauliflower broccoli can cause gas or diarrhea. In this case, it is better to gradually introduce dietary fiber into your diet [1].

9. Fast food

Fatty and fried foods are rich in saturated and trans fats and contain little to no fiber. This is not only unhealthy, but also significantly speeds up the passage of such food through the gastrointestinal tract [1].

10. Alcohol

Drinking alcohol can lead to loose stools the next day. This is especially true for beer or wine. Try giving up alcohol and see if the diarrhea stops [1, 2].

Thus, diarrhea can be caused not only by an intestinal infection, but also by certain foods. The reason can be both in food intolerance, and in excessive consumption of food that is difficult to digest or stimulates intestinal motility. If you notice a connection between a violation of the stool and the intake of one of the above products, try removing it from the diet. If the diarrhea doesn’t stop, see your doctor.