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15 Diarrhoea remedies suggested by our users
Diarrhoea refers to the frequent passage of loose or watery unformed stools. This would generally imply that watery stools have been passed at least three or more times within a day. Diarrhea is one of the most common of all digestive problems and while diarrhea may occur independently it could also at times occur as symptom of a specific medical condition or disease that requires specific treatment. In most other cases, diarrhea although symptomatic, simply requires mild treatments, often with home remedies alone sufficing to treat the condition. Very often there may be no need for any treatment of diarrhea and the condition will resolve naturally within a day or two.
Prolonged or chronic diarrhea is however a lot more problematic and it could indicate the presence of some other problems. Chronic diarrhea can be particularly threatening for children and infants and if there is both diarrhea and vomiting in babies, children or even during pregnancy medical help should be sought immediately. A sudden onset or severe diarrhea that does not respond to normal diarrhea treatments or that keeps recurring may also be indicative of a more serious disorder. Although diarrhea is not really a cause for much worry under normal circumstances, it can be threatening in severe cases or when prolonged. This is primarily because of the threat of dehydration. Diarrhea is a significant cause of dehydration and if diarrhea and vomiting occur together the risk is even higher because of the large and rapid loss of body fluids. Dehydration should never be treated lightly as it can prove to be fatal. Prevention of dehydration is therefore the most important aspect in the treatment of diarrhea. The risk of dehydration is particularly high in children and infants, as well as in old or aged people. Diarrhea in babies and infants can turn fatal rather rapidly, so it would be best to immediately seek medical attention, no matter what the cause, rather than attempt treatment with any natural home cures for diarrhea.
Symptoms of Diarrhoea
Water is Either not Absorbed or is Excreted in Excess
Diarrhoea may be acute or chronic. Commonly known as 'loose motions', it is one of the commonest diseases, particularly in India, in children.
The small intestine normally gets more than ten litres of liquid per day which comes from the diet and from secretions of the stomach, liver, pancreas, and intestines. In the case of diarrhoea, water is either not absorbed or is excreted in excess. It is then sent to the colon whose water-holding capacity is limited. Thus the urge to defecate comes quite often.
Diarrhoea Symptoms
Diarrhea symptoms are most obvious as it is hard to not notice the frequent passage of watery stools. Diarrhea would however typically cause other symptoms like abdominal pain and bloating as well. There may also be nausea and vomiting, but these symptoms of diarrhea may vary depending on the causes of diarrhea. Food poisoning would for example most likely cause vomiting as a symptom, while the consumption of excessively spicy food may just cause diarrhea along with abdominal pain and cramping. Depending on the causes of diarrhea the individual may even experience the passage of bloody stools and fever. The immediate treatment for diarrhea symptoms in a baby or in children should be to prevent dehydration.
Causes of Diarrhoea
Diarrhoea Symptoms, Causes, Remedy and Diet
Overeating or Eating of Wrong Foods
The main causes of diarrhoea are overeating or eating of wrong foods, putrefaction of food in the intestinal tract, fermentation caused by incomplete carbohydrate digestion, nervous irritability, use of antibiotic drugs, and excessive intake of laxatives.
Parasites, Germs, Virus, Bacteria, Emotional Stress
Other causes include parasites, germs, virus, bacteria, or a poison which has entered into the body through food, water, or air; allergies to certain substances or even common foods such as milk, wheat, eggs, and sea foods; emotional strain or stress in adults and fright in children.
Organic Diseases Affecting the Intestines
Certain organic diseases affecting the intestines may also lead to diarrhoea.
Very often the causes of diarrhea may not be easily identifiable, but this is not problematic if the diarrhea responds to treatment and is cured swiftly. Understanding and being able to identify the causes of diarrhea is however important and helpful as this will help treat the problem effectively.
Diarrhoea Causes
The causes of diarrhea can vary greatly and the nature of the diarrhea will be influenced by the cause. Diarrhea that occurs as an occasional incident would most likely be caused by an infection or food contamination, while regular or persistent diarrhea is most likely caused by chronic problems such as an intestinal disease or a food intolerance. Some of the most common causes of diarrhea would be bacterial and viral infections because of the consumption of contaminated food or water. Here are some of the different types of causes of diarrhea.
Infections: Diarrhea may be caused due to bacterial, viral or parasitic infections that are generally brought on due to contamination of foods or water. E Coli and Salmonella are probably the most common of all bacterial infections, while viral infections could be caused by viruses like the rotavirus, herpes simplex virus, and viral hepatitis. Some parasites that can cause diarrhea include Entamoeba histolytica, and Cryptosporidium.
Intestinal disease like celiac disease and inflammatory bowel disorder could also be responsible for recurrent episodes of diarrhea.
Food intolerances are one of the most common causes of diarrhea and could include lactose intolerance or other food allergies such as an allergy to shellfish. In such scenarios severe stomach cramps and diarrhea would probably set in soon after eating the food trigger.
Diarrhea may at times also be caused due to certain medications that you may be on such as antibiotics or medications for hypertension.
Diarrhea is also not uncommon following abdominal surgery and surgery for removal of the gallbladder, which is because of the increased levels of bile in the colon or simply because of changes in pattern of digestion.
Home Remedies for Diarrhoea
Diarrhoea home remedies and natural cures, Questions and answers
Diarrhoea treatment using Buttermilk
Buttermilk is one of the most effective home remedies in the treatment of diarrhoea. Buttermilk is the residual milk left after the fat has been removed from curd by churning. It helps overcome harmful intestinal flora. The acid in the buttermilk also fights germs and bacteria. Buttermilk may be taken with a pinch of salt three or four times a day for controlling this disease.
Diarrhoea treatment using Carrot Soup
Carrot soup is another effective home remedy for diarrhoea. It supplies water to combat dehydration; replenishes sodium, potassium, phosphorus, calcium, sulphur, and magnesium; supplies pectin; and coats the intestine to allay inflammation. It also checks the growth of harmful intestinal bacteria and prevents vomiting. Half a kilogram of carrots may be cooked in 150 ml of water until they become soft. The pulp should be strained and enough boiled water added to it to make a litre. Three-quarters of a tablespoon of salt may be added. This soup should be given in small amounts to the patient every half an hour.
Diarrhoea treatment using Fenugreek
Fenugreek leaves are useful in diarrhoea. One teaspoon of seeds which have been boiled and fried in butter should be taken with a cup of buttermilk twice daily. They are valuable in allaying biliousness. The seeds are also beneficial in the treatment of this disease.
Diarrhoea treatment using Ginger
In case of diarrhoea caused by indigestion, dry or fresh ginger is very useful. A piece of dry ginger should be powdered along with a crystal of rock salt, and quarter of a teaspoon of this powder should be taken with a small piece of jaggery. It will bring quick relief as ginger, being carminative, aids digestion by stimulating the gastrointestinal tract.
Diarrhoea treatment using Mint
Mint juice is also beneficial in the treatment of diarrhoea. One teaspoon of fresh mint juice, mixed with a teaspoon each of lime juice and honey, can be given thrice daily with excellent results in the treatment of this disease.
Diarrhoea treatment using Bottle Gourd
The juice of bottle gourd is a valuable medicine for excessive thirst due to severe diarrhoea. A glass of plain juice with a pinch of salt should be taken every day in treating this condition.
Diarrhoea treatment using Drumstick Leaves
The juice of fresh leaves of drumstick is also valuable in diarrhoea. A teaspoon of this juice, mixed with a teaspoon of honey and a glass of tender coconut water, can be given two to three times as a herbal medicine in the treatment of diarrhoea.
Diarrhoea treatment using Pomegranate
The pomegranate has proved beneficial in the treatment of diarrhoea on account of its astringent properties. If the patient develops weakness due to profuse and continuous purging, he should repeatedly be given about 50 ml of pomegranate juice to drink. This will control the diarrhoea.
Diarrhoea treatment using Mango Seeds
Mango seeds are valuable in diarrhoea. The seeds should be collected during the mango season, dried in the shade and powdered, and kept stored for use as a medicine when required. A dose of about one and a half to two grams with or without honey, should be administered twice daily.
Diarrhoea treatment using Sesame Seeds
Sesame seeds are helpful in the treatment of this condition. Two tablespoons of the seeds should be lightly roasted in a frying pan. They should then be ground into a fine powder and mixed with one tablespoon of cow's clarified butter. The mass should be divided into three parts and each part should be taken with half a cup of boiled goat's milk thrice daily for six days by the patients. It acts as an excellent medicine in this condition.
Diarrhoea treatment using Turmeric
Turmeric has proved to be another valuable home remedy for diarrhoea. It is a very useful intestinal antiseptic. It is also a gastric stimulant and tonic. One teaspoon of fresh turmeric rhizome juice or one teaspoon of dry rhizome powder may be taken in one cup of buttermilk or plain water.
Diarrhoea treatment using Rice
Rice is useful in treating diarrhoea in children. A teaspoon of powder of charred parboiled rice, mixed with a glass of buttermilk, should be given in does of thirty grams every half an hour. This will bring excellent results.
Diarrhoea treatment using Other Remedies
Cooked or baked apples are good for diarrhoea. The cooking process softens the cellulose. Much of its value as a regulating material is 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.
Diarrhoea Remedies
Prevention is always a lot more effective than treatment and in most cases diarrhea is easily preventable. Here are some simple measures and precautions that you can take against diarrhea:
• Make sure that you wash your hands thoroughly before eating or handling any foods. Always wash your hands after using the bathroom or if you have been travelling and just returned from the outdoors.
• If you have children then it is important that you instruct and teach them not to put objects in their mouth.
• If you are on any antibiotic medications then make sure that you consume foods with active cultures of lactobacilli a healthy bacteria that helps prevent the flourishing of other harmful bacteria. Yogurt with active culture is the best source of such healthy bacteria.
Diarrhea is a risk of particular concern when you are travelling, most notably to developing or under developed countries, where hygiene standards are not always very high. It is therefore important that you take these added precautions when travelling to such areas:
• Make sure to only drink bottled mineral water.
• Avoid consuming any fresh and uncooked fruits and vegetables that have no peels.
• Make sure that you do not eat any type of shellfish. Although you may like your stake rare it is best to avoid consuming any undercooked meats.
• Avoid the consumption of any dairy products.
In most cases the treatment of diarrhea with measures to minimize and replenish fluid loss would be adequate. Do not attempt any home cures for diarrhea when dealing with diarrhea in babies or infants. For adults it would be advisable to consume plenty of fluids that would strictly include water and fresh fruit juices as well as oral rehydration solutions. To bulk the stools consume foods like banana, cheese, and apples (with the skin). When dealing with infants, children, babies, and toddlers it is imperative that you rush to a doctor for appropriate treatment of diarrhea.
Dietaries for Diarrhoea
Diarrhoea : Home Remedies suggested by users
Observe complete fast for two days, take only hot water
In severe cases of diarrhoea, it is advisable to observe a complete fast for two days to provide rest to the gastrointestinal tract. Only hot water may be taken during this period to compensate for the loss of fluids.
Have juices, cooked vegetables, whole rice
Juices of fruits may be taken after the acute symptoms are over. After the condition improves, meals can be enlarged gradually to include cooked vegetables, whole rice, and soured milk. Raw foods should be taken only after the patient completely recovers.
Other Diarrhoea treatments
Application of cold compress and a cold hip bath
Other useful methods for the treatment of diarrhoea are the application of cold compress at 15.6°C on the abdomen and a cold hip bath at 4.5degree C-1Odegree C. The procedure for cold compress 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 hip bath, a special type of bath tub is used. It is filled with cold water so that it covers the hip and reaches up to the level where the patient's navel is covered in a sitting position. The duration of the bath is usually 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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15 Diarrhoea remedies suggested by our users |
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loose motion and vomiting
suggested by RIAZUDDIN on Thursday, April 24, 2008
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| Boil one cup of water. Add one teaspoon of tea .Boil till half cup remains. Drain into a cup. Add one teaspoon of sugar and juice of one lime. Take as a hot drink in the morning and in the evening. Diabetics can avoid sugar or they can use substitute of sugar. |
diarrhea
suggested by tan on Monday, March 10, 2008
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| Eat a piece of 1-2 ounce high quality dark chocolate and cold black tea, all help mild diarrhea. |
Turmeric for diarrhoea
suggested by papa on Friday, January 4, 2008
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One tsp of turmeric in a glass of warm water cures loose stools. Take this only once daily. Only two doses is enough to cure diarrhea, there is no need for another dose. |
for loose motions and stomach upset
suggested by dr sindhu on Friday, December 21, 2007
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In boiling water add 3 spoons of yoghurt, to this add a pinch of turmeric, asafetida, crushed garlic, curry leaves and salt. Let all the ingredients boil nicely. Add this to rice that is properly cooked and smashed well. Consume this preparation. There will reduction in loose motion and well indigestion problem will be solved. |
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