How to Stop Diarrhea

Diarrhea is something that happens to everyone at some point or other. It is characterized by inconsistent stool, rectal urgency and bowel movements immediately after eating a meal. People who are suffering from diarrhea might pass stool more than three times a day. Stools that are liquid or watery are considered to be a sign of diarrhea. Diarrhea can be of two types - acute and chronic. Acute diarrhea is usually cured by normal medication while it is a bit harder to recover from chronic diarrhea. Let's take a look at the symptoms and causes before getting to know how to stop diarrhea.

Diarrhea Symptoms

The symptoms of diarrhea are

• Abdominal cramps
• Bloating in stomach
• Abdominal pain
• Blood in urine
• Sharp pain while passing stool
• Nausea
• Fever

Diarrhea Causes

There are many causes of diarrhea and some of them are as follows.

• Irritable bowel syndrome
• Food poisoning
• Anxiety and stress
• Side effects of some medications like antibiotics
• Gastroenteritis
• Excessive consumption of fatty foods

Some other underlying causes of diarrhea are gluten intolerance, lactose intolerance, some form of food allergy and deficiencies of minerals, enzymes and vitamins.

Diarrhea Remedies

Treatment for diarrhea includes increasing the intake of fluids particularly electrolytes to avoid dehydration. Patients suffering from diarrhea can try over the counter medications like pepto-bismol, imodium and kaopectate. Following a BRAT diet might help in reducing the symptoms of diarrhea. A BRAT diet consists of bananas, rice, applesauce and toast. Bananas and applesauce contains a substance called pectin which helps in stopping diarrhea. The best way to stop diarrhea is to consult your doctor, who might prescribe you with antibiotics. Antibiotics are only effective when diarrhea is caused by bacteria like E coli. Avoid eating food that causes bloating and are hard to digest like cabbage, broccoli, beans and cauliflower.

Home Remedies for Diarrhea

You can also try some home remedies for stopping diarrhea.

• Drinking chamomile tea can soothe mild diarrhea as it has antispasmodic and anti-inflammatory properties.
• Make a mixture of 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar in a glass of cold water. Have this drink three times a day. The vinegar helps in cleansing the digestive tract. This is a very good home remedy if you want to know how to treat diarrhea.
• Add 2 tablespoons of black pepper and 1 tablespoon of kelp to a cup of lukewarm water. Drink this mixture three times a day to reduce the symptoms of diarrhea.
• Mix 5 tablespoons of honey in a glass of water and sip this water throughout the day.
• Add a pinch of nutmeg powder to a glass of lime juice. This is a very good remedy for treating diarrhea.
• To stop diarrhea quickly drink carrot juice.
• Ginger tea is also known to cure diarrhea.
• Another home remedy for diarrhea is eating brown rice. The high dietary fiber content of rice is helps in reducing the frequency of bowel movement.
• In addition to brown rice, consuming whole wheat toast also provides relief from the symptoms of diarrhea like vomiting and nausea.

You need to make some dietary changes when you are suffering from diarrhea. Avoid eating refined food and food that contains too many spices. Have only clear soups seasoned with only salt and pepper. Drink plenty of water to keep yourself hydrated and to avoid losing important nutrients. Avoid consuming alcohol, carbonated and caffeinated drinks as they make the diarrhea worse. Certain foods like milk and dairy products, spicy food, processed food, sweets, fatty fried foods, pear juice and cherry juice should be strictly avoided. If you experience severe abdominal pain and blood in your stools for more than three consecutive days then you should consult a doctor immediately.