Diarrhea—it is one of those times you would prefer to forget in the course of your lifetime . Pregnant due to something you ate, a stomach bu, or stress, it can disrupt your body equilibrium in its entirety. So what helps in diarrhea? Well, in this article I take you through the basic solutions and other fast ache relieving tips to get you back into your routine in a blink of an eye.

Diarrhea Causes

The condition may be caused by a number of things and so the treatment will depend on the cause of the diarrhea. Some of the most common causes of diarrhea are as follows:

• Infections: Symptoms in and of their self, viral, bacterial, or parasitic infections cause acute episodes of diarrheal illness. It could also be courtesy of food poisoning or contaminated drinking water.
  
• Food Sensitivities: Many people are also overly sensitive to lactose and gluten or even food in general and this hinders digestion so much.
• Drugs: For instance, some prescription drugs: antibiotics for instance affect the balance of bacteria within your digestive systems and this causes diarrhea.
• Chronic Conditions: Sometimes it just comes back due to the IBS or the Crohn’s disease among other chronic diseases.

What To Do Now When Diarrhea Starts

When diarrhoea develops, action at first instance will prevent things from becoming worse. The first thing is dehydration, which diarrhea brings about by losing essential body fluids.

Diarrhea can only be fought by hydration. Your body is going to lose water, and unless replaced, dehydration can set up rapidly. However, don’t just drink anything; some liquids help the diarrhea.

• Best Options: Water, clear broths, oral rehydration solutions (Pedialyte, etc.).
• Drinks to Avoid: Omit all drinks that contain either caffeine or alcohol, or lots of sugar, since these will only make dehydration and irritation in the tummy worse.

Rest and Recovery

Diarrhea sets off so many feelings of weakness and fatigues. For this reason, you should rest completely so that you can recover fully. Avoid strenuous exercises and other activities that will drain energy from the body so that it can have enough time to recover. Continuous efforts seem to prolong recovery besides that, aggravate symptoms.

Recommended Foods to Eat in case You Have Diarrhea

Once you can stand food intake again, it is always advisable to go for soft foods that would not strain your stomach further. A BRAT diet is always coming in mind for people’s diarrhea relief.

What is the BRAT Diet?

The BRAT diet consists of four main ingredients that are just an acronym: This B.R.A.T diet consists in consuming bananas, rice, applesauce, and toast. These are poor foods which, lack fiber, and hence do not aggravate your stomach at those times when you are having diarrhea.

• Bananas: These are foods containing potassium which is replenishing to the body when one is affected by diarrhea.
• Rice: It is white coloured, alkaline, non viscous and has the property of adding a small bulk to the faces.
• Applesauce: It contains pectin which increases water intake in the stool.
• Toast: Dry toast is another bland food that will help make the stools firmer.

Other Food Suggestions

Of course, you can also recover easily with the softer foods given by the BRAT diet. But as symptoms subside, you can add boiled potatoes, plain chicken sans skin, and probiotic-enriched yogurt. Yogurt helps regain some good gut bacteria.

Foods and Drinks to Avoid

While you are taking care of diarrhea, there are certain foods and drinks which might make it worse or prolong recovery. Some food items to avoid are:

• Spicy foods:  These will irritate your digestive tract.
• milk products: Unless it is probiotic yogurt, milk can worsen diarrhea in a lactose intolerance.
• Greasy or fried foods: These it takes much longer to digest and they result to so many digested upsets.
• Caffeine and alcohol: Both of them can cause bad impact to your stomach due to irritation and dryness to the body..

Over the Counter Medications

Sometimes, diet alone is not enough and some over-the-counter help must be supplemented. Medications take the form of Imodium or Pepto-Bismol that are meant to cure diarrhea. Imodium slows the movement of the gut so that stool becomes less frequent in movement. Pepto-Bismol reduces inflammation and fights back bacteria causing the problem.

Remedies for Natural Treatment of Diarrhea

If one wishes to take a more natural approach, there are quite a few remedies that may alleviate symptoms of diarrhea:

Herbal Teas and Supplements

An example is peppermint and chamomile-herbs which calm down your digestive system. They may do something in relieving the cramping spasms and soothing the irritated stomach. Ginger is cool, too-in tea or supplement form-it helps in managing nausea and relief in digestions.

Probiotics for Gut Health

Probiotics are live cultures of good bacteria that are present in any kind of food product but also come in capsule form, one example being yogurt. They ought to replenish or rebalance a persons flora within his or her gut to counter any alterations by the bad bacteria causing short diarrhea from the start until complete recovery.

When to Call the Doctor

Diarrhea is mostly uncomplicated but there are certain circumstances which one needs to seek medical advice. You should see a health care provider if you have any of the following symptoms:

• Severe dehydration: If you have a dry mouth, do experience dizziness and or dark-colored urine
• High fever:  A fever above 102°F can be a sign of a more serious infection.
• Blood in the stool: Of course, it might be a simple bacterial infection or some other potentially lethal illness
• Continuous diarrhea lasting for more than two days: you should contact your doctor If the diarrhea continues all these time.

Measures of avoiding diarrhea in the future

Cleansing is more vital than the actual treatment routine that patients undergo. The following are some of the steps one has to take to avoid future attacks of diarrhea.

• Good hand hygiene: Their hands should be washed well this is especially before eating or after they have defecated.
• Be attentive to the food and water: Get rid of eating street foods especially when you are on a trip. This is especially so if you are uncertain if the municipal water supply is suitable to drink by then it is almost impossible not to take bottled water.
• Eat balanced: We should eat many foods with probiotics to be healthy inside the stomach.

FAQs

1. Can stress cause diarrhea?
   Yes, because stress affects how your gut works, it can cause some digestive problems leading to diarrhea
2. Is it okay to eat eggs when I have diarrhea?
   Yes, boiled plain eggs will be an excellent source of protein and will be well tolerated in episodes of diarrhea
3. How long does diarrhea last?
   Diarrhea that lasts 1-2 days is usually acute, but if it is longer than that period, you should then consult a doctor.
4. Can probiotics stop diarrhea?
   Yes, they will restore good bacteria in your gut and may even shorten duration.
5. Do I avoid dairy products if I have diarrhea?
   Best to avoid except for probiotic-rich yogurt, which actually can help restore gut health.