Diarrhea: Causes, Symptoms, and Some Home Remedies

Diarrhea is a very common health condition and is faced by most people. This condition can range from mild to choric. It is when you frequently have a bowel movement and have loose, watery motions. It gets recovered within a few days. However, it can be acute and chronic as well.

Acute diarrhea happens due to some bacterial or viral infections or sometimes because of food poisoning. It gets recovered within one to two days. It is quite common.

Traveller's diarrhea is when you get contacted with some parasites or bacteria when you're travelling especially in developing nations.

Chronic diarrhea is something serious and occurs with some intestinal disorders like celiac disease. It stays for at least four weeks.

What are the causes?

Diarrhea could be a cause for several reasons. Some of them are as follows:

• Food intolerance
• Food allergy
• Medication reactions
• Viral infections
• Bacterial infections
• Intestinal diseases
• Parasitic infections
• Gallbladder operations
• Among children, Rotavirus can cause diarrhea.
• Chronic diarrhea can be caused by inflammatory bowel disease or irritable bowel syndrome.

Signs of Diarrhea:

There exist several signs of this condition and it totally depends on the causes. You might either face just a single or a combination of several. Some of them are as follows:

Nausea

Abdominal pain

Cramping

Bloating

Dehydration

Fever

Bloody stools

Frequent urge to evacuate your bowels

Large volume of stools

Diarrhea in Children or babies:

Babies and young children are more likely to face diarrhea. In infants, it can result in serious dehydration. You must immediately seek a doctor if the child is facing some signs of dehydrations like:

Decreased urination

Dry mouth

Headache

Fatigue

Little tears while crying

Dry skin

Sunken eyes

Sunken fontanel

Irritation

Sleepiness

Home remedies for Diarrhea:

Diarrhea is a digestive disorder and can be very disturbing. It gets recovered within a few days or weeks with medical help but it is also possible to accelerate the recovery period just by following certain home remedies to treat diarrhea. They are as follows:

Rehydration:

Diarrhea leads to a shortage of water that results in losing electrolytes like chloride and sodium. So, it is important in restoring fluid in the body otherwise it can cause serious dehydration which is harmful to kids and elder people. You can either drink water which the best option or can drink a sports drink or fruit juice.

A healthy diet:

It is always beneficial to have little food at regular intervals than having three large course meals a day. In this condition, you can opt for:

Fruits enriched in pectin

Potatoes, sweet potatoes (for potassium)

Sports drinks, miso soup (for electrolyte)

Soft cooked veggies

Sufficient protein food

Go for a BRAT diet which has starch, pectin, and potassium that will help in the production of solid bowel movement:

Bananas

Rice

Apple sauce

Toast

Probiotics:

Probiotics are helpful in improving the digestive mechanism and also gut health and prevent infections. In certain yoghurt and fermented stuff, you could get probiotics. Probiotic supplements are also available.

Also read: Uterine Fibroids: Causes, Symptoms & Treatment without Surgery

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