The statistics have shown that every person suffers from diarrhea at least two or three times during their life. A sign of diarrhea is more than three watery stools during one day. There are several symptoms which accompany diarrhea: nausea, cramps, flatulence and uncontrollable bowel movements. Diarrhea is in fact a symptom of a disease rather than an actual disease. Diarrhea can be caused by various types of bacteria, viruses and parasites, some medicines, intolerance to certain foods like lactose or sugars, digestive problems or allergies, impure water, ice cubes, salads and unwashed fruit, stomach and colon disease, as well as psychological problem. However, the cause of diarrhea is mainly unknown. The risk of diarrhea is the largest when traveling to foreign countries due to different climate, food and, frequently, poor hygiene.

In most cases, diarrhea is harmless and disappears on its own after a couple of days. For children and older or sick people, diarrhea can, through massive liquid and electrolyte loss, cause severe difficulties to the organism. Around two million children dies every day of diarrhea, mostly in countries in development.

Acute diarrhea: soft and loose stool vacation 2-3 times a day; it usually lasts 7-10 days. Report to your doctor in following cases: blood in stool, body temperature higher than 39°C, cramps and pain in stomach, variable stools from diarrhea to constipation, antibiotics use, liver function difficulties, excessive loss of water and weight loss in children under the age of 2.
Acute gastroenteritis: stomach and intestine membranes inflammation, most commonly due to groceries contamination, bacterial toxin activity. It is characterized by sudden nausea and vomit, followed by diarrhea, usually combined with mild stomach cramps. It usually stops on its own after several days.
Sub-chronic or chronic recurrent diarrhea: lasts longer than a week with occasional recurrence of diarrhea. Can be caused by laxatives or magnesium use which should be discontinued and reported to a doctor in order to identify the real cause.
Diarrhea cause by traveling
Diarrhea caused by stress: the use of herbal remedies and oral rehydration is recommended.

In cases of chronic diarrhea common symptoms as a consequence of vitamin absorption disorder, protein and other important substances loss are anemia, weight loss, deficiency disease etc.

Chronic diarrhea is most commonly caused by irritated intestine, chronic intestine inflammations (Colitis ulcerosa and Morbus Crohn), and excessive pancreas function and gluten allergies. People who consume too much sweets, coffee or alcohol are likely to contract chronic diarrhea.

Therapy

Oral rehydration – oral liquid and electrolyte resupply (products containing a combination of glucose, potassium and sodium); several times a day, depending on the severity of diarrhea; reduces the subsequent body weakness.

Activated carbon – absorbs metabolites and toxins from micro-organisms as well as gasses in the digestive tract. Doctor or pharmacist consultation is recommended before use.

Intestine micro flora regulation products – probiotics. Those are living micro-organisms, “good bacteria” which usually inhabit the intestinal micro flora and have a healthy effect on the host organism if ingested in proper dosage. They also have a positive effect in constipation, allergy, bladder and lactose intolerance treatment, as well as immune functions improvement.

Bowel movement reduction – loperamide (caution: stops diarrhea by bowel movement paralysis and is dispensed only on prescription. If the condition doesn’t improve after 24 hours, medical assistance should be sought.  Loperamid is not allowed for children under the age of 9, breastfeeding women, bowel obstruction or suspicions of bowel obstruction.)

Tannins containing herbs tea – teas from herbs containing tannins and inflammation reduction substances are recommended. Tannin acts on the membranes of digestive organs and makes them more resilient. The concentration of tannin in tea depends on the type of the tea, as well as on the duration of boiling. Tea can be prepared from rosehip, leafs or dried blackberry fruit or blueberries.

If you notice any of the following symptoms, report to your doctor as soon as possible:

• if your diarrhea lasts longer than seven days
• severe diarrhea in children and older persons
• blood in the stool or extremely dark color
• frequent stomach cramps
• high temperature
• dizziness, fatigue and weakness
• dehydration (dry mouth, small amounts of dark urine)
• severe post-travel diarrhea
• diarrhea followed by constipation

Dietary recommendations for adult acute diarrhea treatment

First day:

• consume plenty of liquids: non-carbonated water, rosehip tea with 2 spoons of sugar per liter (for non-diabetics), ice tea, rehydration salt solutions
• low-fat soup, rice boiled in salty water, carrot soup
• dry biscuits, salty sticks, toast
• grated and roasted apple, banana
• fresh low-fat cow cheese, yogurt, hard boiled eggs

Second and third day:

• Noodle or dumpling soup
• Boiled chicken, veal and white fish
• Stale bread, boiled pasta (noodles, macaroni etc.)
• Boiled carrot and beetroot salad
• Apple compote (lightly sweetened), biscuits, puffed rice, pancakes (with cheese)

Fourth and fifth day:

• Stewed chicken and veal
• Chicken and veal risotto
• Fresh cow cheese
• Salty potatoes, pastry
• Boiled vegetables: cauliflower, chard, spinach

Avoid: milk and food which contains a lot of undigested remains (cellulose, plant fibers, gristly and fatty meat etc.)

Prohibited: meals with browned flour, fried and covered in heated grease, baked or fried, pastry with fatty creams and alcohol.

Advice on home care and treatment of children with diarrhea

1. Give your child more liquids than usual:

• Do not interrupt breastfeeding
• give the child boiled and cooled water
• give the child water with salty food
• feed the child watery foods: purees and soups
• Oral rehydrating salts (ORS) according to the doctor’s recommendation
• Give the child as much liquids as it wants and proceed giving it ORS as the doctor prescribed until the diarrhea stops:

1. For children under the age of 2: 50-100 ml for every watery stool (feed the liquid using a small spoon every 2 minutes),
2. For children between the ages of 2 and 10: 100 – 200ml for every watery stool (drink the liquid from a small cup with small sips),
3. For children over the age of 10: as much as they want.
4. In case of vomiting, pause the ingestion of the liquid for 10 minutes and then resume a bit slower.

2. Give the child enough food to avoid malnutrition and dehydration:

- The choice of food depends on the age of the child, on its favorite food and dietary habits before diarrhea

- Infants should continue feeding on their mother’s milk, breastfeeding somewhat more frequent (shorten only in cases of vomiting)

- Children older than six months: add cereals with the milk, vegetables, meat, fish, potassium rich food (banana, tomato and fresh fruit juices), food should be well cooked, pureed, ground, each meal sprinkled by 5-10 ml of herbal oil, give the child as much food as it wants and keep offering every 3-4 hours.

- Once the diarrhea stops, give at least one meal a day more than usual, each day over the following two weeks.

- If the child is malnourished, continue giving extra meals until the child regains the lost weight appropriate to its age and build.

No juices or soft drinks should be given to diarrhea stricken children, avoid fatty and sweet foods.

Report to your doctor if?

• Your child looks severely sick
• Your child shows prominent signs of dehydration (doesn’t urinate for over 8 hours, shows no tears while crying and has very dry mouth)
• There’s blood in the stool
• Your child has body temperature of over 40°C
• Your child is younger than 12 weeks and has a 38°C rectal temperature
• Your child has stomach pain for longer than two hours
• Your child vomits more than three times
• Your child is younger than one month and has had more than three large watery stools
• Your child has had more than eight stools in eight hours
• Your child has strong diarrhea which could be caused by medicines (e.g. antibiotics).

Galen laboratory products for diarrhea and other digestive tract problems treatment