Diarrhea. The dreaded. Something we don’t think much about until…It may be fleeting, lasting only a few days, or chronic, lasting for weeks and possibly months. There are many over the counter remedies that attempt to stop diarrhea such as Immodium, Kaopectate and Pepto-Bismal. When over the counter products cease to provide relief we go in search of other alternatives, which fortunately, are numerous!
So what do I see that typically causes diarrhea? In the acute case, one common cause can be a flu or stomach bug. This is usually accompanied by typical flu symptoms such as fever and/or chills, head or body aches, possible sore throat, possible vomiting and diarrhea. This type of diarrhea will typically resolve itself in 24-48 hours and the patient recovers on their own. The best remedy being rest, fluids and ceasing solid intake until the diarrhea resolves.
The more common type of acute diarrhea may be due to over an overexposure to food or water tainted with a strain of bad bacteria, parasite or amoeba, (such as Giardi or E. Coli), that will cause the body to purge. Vomiting may also accompany this type of acute diarrhea. If patients do find their way to my office, I can usually give them Chinese herbs along with recommendations to take liquid chlorophyll in water 3-6 times a day and probiotics to help get the digestive system back in balance. I also advise patients to limit themselves to a diet of tea and broth for at least 24 hours. On day two, I have them add juice and soups. By day three they can resume a normal diet after they have had a normal stool.
The majority of people I see in my office are those dealing with more chronic cases of diarrhea, that have been going on for weeks, months or even years. I had a 22 year old man come into my office reporting that he had been having diarrhea daily for the last two years. He had cut back so many foods at this point, and his question to me was, “What else do I need to eliminate to stop the diarrhea?” I replied, “Why don’t we just stop the diarrhea?” I Promptly put him on a course of Chinese herbs, a parasite formula, a yeast/fungal detox and probiotics. Within two weeks, his bowels proudly produced a formed stool.
With chronic diarrhea the first thing I look for is an overabundance of either bacteria and/or parasites. People often ask where we acquire these charming critters. You can find them in our water, food, lakes, sushi and other uncooked foods as well as from contact with our pets. You don’t have to go out of the country to acquire them. Our bodies are fully equipped to deal with passing microbes, however when the body is weak and/or overwhelmed the microbes can have the upper hand. Reducing/eliminating microbe infestation is a priority. Methods can include homeopathic remedies, western and/or Chinese herbs, colloidal silver just to name a few.
Second to microbe elimination, we also need to repopulate our gut with good bacteria, the probiotics. Otherwise, the “space” left by the microbe die off will leave the intestinal lining vulnerable to other passing microbes to “latch on” and repopulate. Depending on how long the diarrhea has been going on and if the patient has had repeated antibiotic use, I will recommend several months of probiotics.
Lastly, if there has been damage to the intestinal lining, we need to repair the tissue, typically with powders containing L-glutamine, aloe and/or licorice. It takes approximately six weeks to rebuild the tissue. This will help reduce inflammation and increase the assimilation of nutrients and allow the body to form a stool. Reduce/eliminate, repopulate and repair are the keys to stopping cases of chronic diarrhea.
The last type of chronic diarrhea I see may be related to reactions from food. This type of diarrhea may be more sporadic based on the allergens consumed or by basic “weakness” or “deficiency of digestive Qi”. In this case, my basic approach is to recommend a course of Chinese herbs to strengthen the digestive system, supplementing with digestive enzymes to help break down food and treating the allergies with NAET, (Nambrudripad’s Allergy Elimination Technique). NAET is an energetic treatment that can retrain the body to NOT react to identified problematic foods.
In conclusion, there are many natural ways to treat this unwanted visitor and get you back on the track, and out in the world. Suffer no more!
