Diet Cure for Diarrhoea - Home remedies, symptom, cause, treatment of Diarrhoea

What is Diarrhoea?

Diarrhoea refers to the frequent passage of loose or watery unformed stools. It may be acute or chronic. Commonly known as " loose motions", it is perhaps the most common disease in India.

The intestines normally get more than 10 litres of liquid per day which comes from the diet and from the secretions of the stomach, liver, pancreas and intestines. In the cause of diarrhoea, water is either not absorbed or is secreted in excess by the organs of the body. It is then sent to the colon where the water holding capacity is limited. Thus, the urge to defecate comes quite often.

What are the symptom of Diarrhoea?

There are many and varied causes of diarrhoea. The chief causes are overeating or eating of wrong foods, putrefaction in the intestine tract, fermentation caused by incomplete carbohydrate digestion, nervous irritability and excessive intake of laxatives. Other causes include infection by parasites, germs, virus, bacteria or a poison which has entered into the body through food, water or air, allergies to certain substances or even common foods such as milk, wheat, eggs, and sea foods and emotional strain or stress in adults and fright in children.

What are the causes of Diarrhoea?

Diarrhoea for prolonged periods can lead to certain complications. These may include general weakening of health due to loss of vitamins A, D, E and K and other nutrients as foods is rushed through the body without giving the nutrients a chance of being absorbed, dehydration due to loss of body fluids and washing out of minerals from the body and nervous conditions.

Dietary Treatment of Diarrhoea and home remedies

Foods which should be avoided in diarrhoea are milk and milk-drinks, whole grain breads and cereals, cheese, fruits except banana, nuts, meats, fatty soups, sweets and all vegetables except tomato juice. After the condition improves, meals can be enlarged gradually to include raw juices like papaya juice, lemon juice and fresh pineapple juice, cooked vegetables, whole rice, soured milks such as yogurt and butter-milk. Raw foods should be taken only after the patient completely recovers.

Certain natural remedies have been found effective in curing diarrhoea and these are carrot soup, banana, turmeric powder, the cultured or sour milk and garlic. Carrot soup supplies water to combat dehydration, replenishes sodium, potassium, phosphorous, calcium, sulphur and magnesium, supplies pectin and coats the intestine to allay inflammation. It checks the growth of harmful intestinal bacteria and prevents vomiting. One pound of carrot may be cooked in five ounces of water until it is soft. The pulp should be strained and boiled water added to make a quart. Three-quarter table-spoon of salt may be mixed. The soup should be given in small amounts to the patient every half an hour.

Bananas contain pectin and encourage the growth of beneficial bacteria. Turmeric, a yellow vegetable powder used as a condiment has proved beneficial. Acidified milk such as yogurt or butter-milk help overcome the harmful intestinal flora and re-establish the benign or friendly flora. The acid in the soured milk also fights germs and bacteria. Garlic is yet another natural remedy which fights diarrhoea and routs parasites. It is a powerful , effective and harmless antibiotic and aids digestion.