Diarrhea from a Holistic Perspective

Causes of Diarrhea

There are many causative factors. Fortunately, in most instances, the change in bowel habits is short-lived and clears up on its own. The following are some of the many known causes:

• Food - Most people incur diarrhea due to the inability to digest certain foods. E.g. dairy products or foods high in fats, etc
• Chemical Laxatives - Many people become dependent on laxatives like magnesium (Epsom salt), cascara (Nature's Remedy) and phenolphthalein (Exlax, Correctol) early in life and use them on a daily basis. This chronic dependency could also cause diarrhea.
• Reaction to Medicines - In particular, antibiotics and cancer drugs are known to cause diarrhea.
• Infection - There are over 400 different bacteria that normally live in the large intestine. There are many viruses and other infectious agents that also find their way into our bodies. Some of these can infect the intestinal tract and cause diarrhea. Fortunately, most of the time, these infections clear up without any treatment.
• Traveler's Diarrhea - The cause of traveler's diarrhea is a toxic bacterium called E. Coli. It most often occurs in developing countries where sanitation is poor. The physician should be contacted before traveling to these countries to obtain more information on prevention and treatment.

• Diseases - Certain intestinal disorders like ulcerative colitis, Crohn's Disease, diverticulosis, and even colon cancer can cause diarrhea.
• Stress and Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) - IBS is a condition that occurs when the intestines, especially the colon do not contract in a smooth, rhythmic manner. The contractions can be exaggerated in which case diarrhea occurs, or they may be sluggish and result in constipation. Sometimes there is alternating constipation and diarrhea. Emotional stress often aggravates these symptoms.

Symptoms of Diarrhea

• Frequent, loose, watery stools
• Abdominal cramps
• Abdominal pain
• Fever
• Blood in the stool
• Bloating

In addition, other signs and symptoms such as nausea and vomiting may precede diarrhea. Bacterial or parasitic infections sometimes cause bloody stools, possibly accompanied with fever. 

Diagnosis of Diarrhea

Medical history, symptoms and physical examination are usually sufficient to diagnose diarrhea. Your physician may advise tests like:

• Stool culture - A sample of the stool is analyzed in a laboratory to check for bacteria, parasites, or other signs of disease and infection.
• Blood tests - Blood tests are helpful to rule out certain diseases.
• Fasting tests - To find out if a food intolerance or allergy is causing the diarrhea, the doctor may ask you to avoid lactose, carbohydrates, wheat, or other foods, to see whether the diarrhea responds to a change in diet.
• Sigmoidoscopy - For this test, the doctor uses a special instrument to look at the inside of the rectum and lower part of the colon.
• Colonoscopy - This test is similar to a sigmoidoscopy, but it allows the doctor to view the entire colon.
• Endoscopy – A nod with a video camera is allowed to pass through the length of the digestive tract to allow the physician to look for any internal abnormalities
• Imaging tests - These tests can rule out structural abnormalities as being the cause of diarrhea.

Tips for Diarrhea Care and Prevention

Drink plenty of fluids to prevent dehydration. You may use oral-rehydration solutions such as Pedialyte and Oralyte which are available at any drug store.

• Avoid drinking alcohol and caffeine.
• As much as possible, stick to a semisolid and low-fiber diet like crackers, toast, eggs, rice and chicken.
• Avoid certain foods, like dairy products, fatty foods, high-fiber foods or highly seasoned foods for a few days.
• Wash your hands frequently, especially while handling food and after using the toilet.

You may take the following precautions to prevent traveler's diarrhea when you travel outside country:

• Avoid drinking tap water or using it to brush your teeth.
• Do not drink unpasteurized milk or dairy products.
• Avoid all raw fruits and vegetables, including lettuce and fruit salads.
• Do not eat raw or rare meat and fish.
• Do not eat food from street-vendors.

The Homeopathy and advanced Bio-energetic diarrhea remedies in the kits are believed to work specifically by:

• Enhancing your body's immune responses to typical bowel pathogens, so it combats them well when your body encounters them
• Making the environment in your intestines healthy and unfavorable for bowel pathogens to thrive
• Stimulating immunoglobulin activity at the mucosal level to protect your intestines from further damage
• Reducing the frequency of your stools, and restoring normal consistency