Diarrhea - Causes, Symptoms and Treatments

Diarrhea can inflict almost anyone. It refers to increased water content as well as the high frequency of stools. The colour of the liquid stools can vary from light brown to green. Additionally, there may be flecks of blood, mucus, or semi digested food in the stools. Luckily, in most cases, diarrhea only occurs over a short period and responds rather well to a number of well tried treatments.

Most diarrhea results from viral infections that take place in the intestines and stomach (gastroenteritis). The infection inflames and irritates the intestines, thus making it less able to absorb food and liquids. Water is secreted and the contents of food and liquids pass through the body more quickly than usual.

Since there is no cure for viral diseases (and hence, similarly for diarrhea cases), health professionals focus on treating the effects of diarrhea, especially dehydration, rather than dealing with the ailment directly. If it is just a case of viral gastroenteritis, then it is not accompanied by blood or pus in the stool. Fever is also seldom experienced.

Acute diarrhea can also result from bacterial infections. Bacterial infections are usually transmitted via food, from animals or from human to human. Other causes are parasitic infections, food and toxin poisoning, chemical poisoning, and gastrointestinal allergy. Bacteria in food produce toxins that may be produced before it is eaten or even after digestion, in the intestine.

You may also find yourself experiencing more episodes of diarrhea when you travel to foreign countries. These are usually countries where hygiene standards are different. Very often, traveller's diarrhea, caused by a strain of E. coli occurs in the various foods that you eat. Nausea and bad stomach cramps can develop pretty quickly and usually lasts for 3 days.

When you suffer from chronic diarrhea, you are experiencing chronic intestinal infections, immunologic and metabolic abnormalities, environmental factors, and the impaired ability to absorb fat or carbohydrate (caused by bile and pancreatic disorders, genetic abnormalities, etc.).

Doctors would recommend that you limit the likelihood of dehydration from too much loss of body fluids and electrolytes. You lose fluids through the frequent bowel movements and vomiting, if any. If your diarrhea is prolonged, you also stand to lose electrolytes or minerals which are carried out with the water. Hence you would need to replace electrolytes which are essential to body metabolism. What is usually lost is sodium and potassium, together with chloride and bicarbonates in smaller quantities.

You will be asked to take plenty of liquids, preferably those containing carbohydrates, especially glucose, and electrolytes. These liquids are termed oral rehydration solutions. Glucose is crucial for triggering the small intestine to start absorbing the liquids and minerals.

To help reduce loss of water, you would be asked to take absorbents, such as attapulgite, which promote absorption of water. Your doctor may even recommend you anti-motility drugs, which relaxes the muscles of the intestines and slows the flow of water giving more time for absorption.

For natural remedies, there are many flowering plants that possess superb astringent properties because of presence of tannins. These are used traditionally to combat diarrhea and dysentery.

Diarrhea, a term derived from Greek, is also known as "flow through". Diarrhea dangers are real because of the risk of dehydration. Hence, it is important that you look for ways to replendish the loss of liquids as well as to stop the flow through of water in your body quickly. Additionally, any case of prolonged diarrhea should be investigated.