Natural Cure for Diarrhea
If you pass loose or watery unformed stools frequently, you are suffering from diarrhea. 3 or more watery stools a day can be classified as diarrhea. It can be acute or chronic. It is also called loose motion and is common in India, both among the young and old. But it can be a deadly disease to the old people who are weak and frail. Your intestines get more than 10 liters of liquid each day from the diet and from the secretions of the stomach, liver, pancreas and intestines. When you suffer from diarrhea, the water is either not absorbed or is secreted in excess by the organs of the body, which goes to the colon whose capacity of holding water is limited. This gives you the urge to defecate quite often.
Home Remedies for Diarrhea
Avoid taking any drugs to control diarrhea as they provide only temporary relief from the symptoms but do not cure the disease. They hamper the protective function of the bowel to eliminate the harmful contents of the body.
Start with a complete fast for 2 days in case of severe cases of diarrhea. This provides complete rest to the gastro-intestinal tract. Drink hot water only to compensate for the loss of fluids. Once the acute symptoms subside, start taking the juices of the fruits. As the condition improves, increase your meals to include cooked vegetables, whole rice, soured milks. Once the recovery is complete, you can include raw foods.
Buttermilk which is the residual milk after the fat has been removed from yoghurt by churning is the most effective remedy. It destroys the harmful intestinal flora and re-establishes the friendly flora. The acid present in the buttermilk fights germs and bacteria. Add a pinch of salt 3 or 4 times a day to control diarrhea.
Carrot soup is very valuable in treatment of diarrhea. It provides water to combat dehydration, replenishes sodium, potassium, phosphorus, calcium, sulphur and magnesium, supplies pectin and coats the intestine to overcome inflammation. It controls the growth of harmful intestinal bacteria and prevents vomiting. Cook half a kg of water in 150 ml. of water till it becomes soft. Strain the pulp and add boiled water to make it a liter. Add ¾ tablespoon of salt. Drink this soup in small quantity every half an hour. You can find pomegranate’s astringent properties very beneficial in treatment of this problem. If you experience weakness due to profuse and continuous purging, take 50 ml. of pomegranate juice repeatedly. This will help in preventing diarrhea.
You can find turmeric very useful since it is intestinal antiseptic, gastric stimulant and tonic. Turmeric rhizome, its juice and dry powder are all very helpful in treating chronic diarrhea. Add the dry powder to buttermilk or plain water for treatment.
If your diarrhea is due to indigestion, dry or fresh ginger is very helpful. Powder a piece of dry ginger along with the crystal of rock salt. Take ¼ teaspoon of this powder with a small piece of jaggery. Since ginger is carminative, it aids digestion by stimulating gastro-intestinal tract and thus provides quick relief.
Take an abdominal compress at 60 degree Fahrenheit, which is renewed every 15 to 20 minutes and a cold hip bath at 40 – 50 degree Fahrenheit. If you are in pain taking abdominal fomentations every 15 minutes, ever 2 hours will certainly help you.
Diarrhea Causes
- Overeating or eating wrong foods
- Putrefaction in the intestinal tract
- Fermentation due to incomplete carbohydrate digestion
- Nervous irritability
- Pathogens like virus, parasites, germs, virus and bacteria or poison that has entered the body through food, water or air
- Allergies to certain substances or even common foods like wheat, milk, eggs and sea foods
- Emotional strain or stress
- Symptom of some organic diseases that affect intestines like sprue syndrome, malignant disease and ulcerative colitis
- Operations on gastrointestinal tract
Diarrhea can alternate with constipation, thus irritating the mucuous membrane by the impacted hard faeces. If you are an old person suffering from diarrhea, there can be variety of factors causing it. Acute diarrhea is due to dietary indiscretion especially due to excessive consumption of laxative foods. Taking purgatives liberally and treating yourself with laxatives without medical advice can cause long-standing diarrhea. It can also be a side-effect of certain medications taken to treat other diseases like antibiotics. If antibiotics are taken over a long period, they tend to destroy the friendly bacteria in the intestines along with the pathogens, which the drugs were aimed at in the first place. If you do not treat diarrhea in time, it can lead to many complications. You can experience weakness due to loss of vitamins like A, D, E and K and other vital nutrients as the food is rushed through the body without the nutrients being absorbed. There might be dehydration due to loss of fluids and elimination of the minerals from the body and nervous conditions. Dehydration is one of the serious problems, especially when it is accompanied by vomiting. It can prove to be fatal. It is characterized by ho, dry skin over the abdomen, sunken eyes, dry mouth, intense thirst and reduced flow of urine. You can prevent it by drinking plenty of fluids. Take about 150-200 ml of fluid every hour from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.
