NaturalMedications

Home Medications and Treatments for Diarrhea

Diarrhea refers to the frequent passage of loose or liquid stools. The most common causes are food poisoning, a bad water supply, the flu, overeating, food allergies, parasites, and colitis. In infants, it can also be associated with teething. Stress or emotional upset, antibiotic use, or even ingesting a high dose of vitamin C are other causes of diarrhea. Diarrhea can be acute or chronic.
Chronic Diarrhea often lasts longer (up to 3 weeks or more) Severe diarrhea may lead to dehydration and can prove to be fatal, due to the loss of water and nutrients in the body.


Jump to - symptoms, causes , Treatment, Other suggestions

Symptoms of Diarrhea

Diarrhea can be temporary from  infections or chronic. Chronic diarrhea can be a sign of a more serious illness that requires prompt medical intervention.

Symptoms of uncomplicated (non-serious) diarrhea are watery, liquid stools, frequent need to go to the bathroom, loss of appetite, abdominal bloating, pains or cramps, nausea and vomiting.

Symptoms of complicated (serious) diarrhea are blood or mucus that is present in stools, fever, and weight loss. These symptoms indicate a more serious underlying cause.

Dehydration: Diarrhea leads to dehydration, this is a sign of potentially serious disease. It is important to rehydrate the body.

Causes of Diarrhea

Most Common Causes of Diarrhea:

Infections through contaminated food and water
Viral infections
Bacterial infections
Food in tolerances
Medical conditions, like Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Celiac Disease, Ulcerative Colitis, and Colon Cancer.

Viral infections, which cause most cases of diarrhea, typically bring mild-to-moderate symptoms with frequent, watery bowel movements, abdominal cramps, and low-grade fevers. Diarrhea generally lasts from 3-7 days. The Norwalk virus is the most common cause of epidemics of diarrhea among adults and school age children.  Bacterial infections cause the more serious cases of diarrhea. You typically get bacteria from contaminated foods or drinks (food poisoning). Bacterial infections also cause severe symptoms with vomiting, fever, and severe abdominal cramps or abdominal pain. Diarrhea is very frequent and may be watery.

Treatment Of Diarrhea

Buttermilk:

Other effective Remedies for Diarrhea

Cooked or baked apples are good for diarrhoea. The cooking process softens the cellulose. Much of its value as a regulating material thus lost and it is effective in looseness of the bowels.

A glass of fresh tomato juice, mixed with a pinch of salt and pepper, taken in the morning, also proves beneficial.

Other starchy liquids such as arrowroot water, barley water, and coconut water are also useful in the treatment of diarrhoea. They not only replace the fluid lost but also bind the stools. Other home remedies include bananas and garlic. Bananas contain pectin and encourage the growth of beneficial bacteria. Garlic is a powerful, effective, and harmless germ killer. It aids digestion and removes intestinal worms.

Dietary Considerations

1. The BRAT diet. This diet can help control short-term diarrhea. BRAT
stands for:
B – bananas
R – white rice
A – peeled apples
T – toasted white bread

2. It is essential to replace fluids and minerals. For that purpose, you can drink water, vegetable juices, broths, and herbal teas.

3. Sauerkraut and tomato juice are also used to replenish lost minerals. Drink 1 to 2 tablespoons every hour. The following mixture can be used as well:

To 1 quart of water add:
4 teaspoons honey
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
Add lemon, lime, or carrot juice to taste.
Drink 1 cup every hour or two.

4. A mixture of apple sauce and bananas sprinkled with carob powder can be helpful and is well-liked by children.


Other Measures

Other useful methods for the treatment of diarrhoea are the application of cold compress at 15.6 degrees C on the abdomen and a cold hip bath at 4.5 degreesC-10 degrees C. The procedure for cold compresses is to wring a folded cloth from cold water and apply it on the abdomen. The wringing should be just sufficient to prevent dripping. The compress should be renewed every fifteen to twenty minutes. For a cold hipbath, a special type of bathtub is used. It is filled with cold water so that it covers the hop and reaches up tot he level where the patient's navel is covered in a sitting position. The duration of the bath is usual ten to fifteen minutes. The patient should rub the abdomen from the naval downwards in brisk anticlockwise movements across the body with a moderately coarse, wet cloth. The legs, feet, and upper part of the body should remain completely dry during and after the bath.

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