Diarrhoea (diarrhea)
What is diarrhoea?
Causes / common types of diarrhoea
Symptoms of diarrhoea
Prevention / remedies / treatment for diarrhoea
References
What is diarrhoea?
Diarrhea (diarrhoea) is frequent bowel movements (more than 2-3 times per day) with loose or liquid faeces. Diarrhoea is usually caused by bacteria or bacterial toxins, viral infection, protozoa or parasites. They are frequently transmitted through infected water or unhygienic food handling practices such as not washing hands after a bowel movement. This is quite common when travelling in third world countries.
Diarrhoea is also caused by a variety of ailments - see below.
The loss of fluids through diarrhoea can cause dehydration, electrolyte imbalance and mineral deficiency (such as potassium or zinc).
Diarrhoea is a common cause of death in developing countries and a major cause of infant and child death worldwide, killing 5-8 million people per year.
Causes / common types of diarrhoea
- Viral infection. The most common cause of a temporary diarrhoea is a virus. Norovirus is the most common cause of viral diarrhoea in adults, and Rotavirus in children under five years old. Other common viruses include Adenoviruses and Astroviruses. An otherwise healthy person normally recovers from a viral infections in a few days given sufficient good food and clean water. However, viral diarrhoea can lead to severe dehydration and be life-threatening for sick or malnourished people.
- Bacterial infection. Common bacterial infections include Campylobacter, Salmonellae, Shigellae and some strains of Escherichia coli. Clostridium difficile is an antibiotic-resistant infection causing severe diarrhoea.
- Protozoan infection. Giardia is the most common infection. Entamoeba histolytica is another common protozoa. IBS is commonly caused by infection with hard-to-identify protozoa such as Blastocystis hominis and Dientamoeba fragilis.
- Gastroenteritis (also known as gastric flu, although unrelated to influenza) is an inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract, involving both the stomach and the small intestine. The inflammation is usually caused by a viral infection or less often by bacteria, their toxins, or parasites. It can also be caused by an adverse reaction to something in the diet or medication / pharmaceuticals.
- Inflammation. Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a group of inflammatory conditions of the colon and small intestine. The most common IBDs are Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis.
- Osmotic diarrhoea is when too much water is drawn into the intestines through osmosis. It can be caused by drinking large quantities of water with sugar, table salt, magnesium salts, fructose or vitamin C; also by coeliac disease; osmotic laxatives; food intolerance such as lactose intolerance; or malabsorption.
- Fructose malabsorption is a common cause of chronic diarrhoea. Common high fructose and high FODMAP foods include most fruits except sour citrus fruits, many vegetables including onions, garlic, leeks, spring onions, artichokes, tomato and avocado, sweet or unfermented dairy products, wheat and all kinds of wheat flour products, and other grains and some legumes.
- Zinc deficiency. Sufficient zinc is critical for a healthy digestive system. Zinc is required for good stomach acidity and the production of digestive enzymes, to produce the fast-growing intestinal tissues which need daily replacement, and for the production of bile, liver and pancreatic secretions. Zinc sufficiency is required for the production of strong stomach acid to digest proteins, prevent diarrhoea, protect against ulcers and other infections, and many other digestive problems.
- Vitamin B3 deficiency.
- Food poisoning.
- Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
- Gilbert's syndrome.
Symptoms of diarrhoea
- Frequent passing of loose or watery faeces, more than 2-3 times per day.
- Dehydration with loss of body fluids and salts.
- Feeling of weakness and malaise.
- Mineral deficiencies, particularly magnesium and zinc. Symptoms of zinc deficiency include poor taste and smell, various digestive problems, various skin problems, frequent infections including fungal infections, fatigue, aches and pains, and eye problems. Diarrhoea also causes a massive loss of magnesium - here are some symptoms of magnesium deficiency.
- Headache.
- Abdominal cramps.
- Bloating.
- Vomiting or nausea.
Diarrhoea may be accompanied by:
Prevention / remedies / treatment for diarrhoea
- In many cases of diarrhoea, replacing lost fluid and salts is the only treatment needed. Drink at least 2 litres per day of water, weak tea, or thin soup. Stir a quarter teaspoon of sea salt in a glass of water and add a teaspoon of lemon or lime juice. Sip throughout the day to prevent dehydration and loss of minerals. Home remedies to replace lost salts and electrolytes include salted rice water, salted yogurt drink, vegetable and chicken soups (made with bones and feet if available). Use sea salt because it has a good range of minerals, unlike refined table salt. You can also use the water in which vegetables were cooked, green coconut water, weak unsweetened tea, and diluted, unsweetened fresh vegetable juice with a pinch of sea salt. Add zinc and potassium salts if available.
- Sometimes diarrhoea is a means by which the body rids itself of pathogens and toxins. It is best to let diarrhoea run its course because that is the body's way of eliminating the infection. If it is prematurely stopped, there might be a delay in recovery. Studies (1, 2) show that treating shigella with the anti-diarrhoea drug co-phenotrope (Lomotil) caused patients to stay feverish twice as long as those not so treated.
- Continuing to eat is recommended. Breast feeding should be continued. Do not try to starve the diarrhoea. Foods to use: eat cooked white rice, lightly boiled egg, ripe bananas and other bland, gentle non-fatty foods.
- Cure long term (chronic) diarrhoea by avoiding most fruits, sweet plants and following a low FODMAP diet. Millions of people have found that going on a low FODMAP diet has completely cured them after years of diarrhoea caused by onions (all types and forms in the onion family), nearly all fruits, tomatoes and other foods listed in this FODMAP pamphlet.
- Probiotics. Live cultures such as kefir and sauerkraut build up the body's healthy digestive bacteria and prevent further infection.
- Avoid fatty foods.
- Zinc sufficiency.
- Avoid hot spicy foods (however ginger is beneficial).
- Avoid taking magnesium supplements orally. Only take magnesium transdermally (on the skin).
- Vitamin B3 to cure long term diarrhoea. The best food source of B3 (niacin) is red meat, followed by fish and poultry. Other food sources include nuts and bananas. The best way to supplement is with nutritional yeast, which usually includes the whole range of B vitamins.
- See details of remedies recommended by Grow Youthful visitors, and their experience with them.
References
1. Williams, George; Nesse, Randolph M.
Why we get sick: the new science of Darwinian medicine.
1996, New York: Vintage Books. pp. 36-38. ISBN 0-679-74674-9.
2. DuPont HL, Hornick RB.
Adverse effect of lomotil therapy in shigellosis.
December 1973; JAMA 226 (13): 1525-8. doi:10.1001/jama.226.13.1525. PMID 4587313.