Diarrhea is something that everyone has experienced. Diarrhea is caused by multiple things. There are many treatment options to help get rid of diarrhea, including lifestyle changes and Atrantil.
- Diarrhea is when you have loose and watery stools more than 3 times in one day.
- Diarrhea is caused by many different things but the main causes are: viral or bacterial infections, food allergies, exposure to dirty water, exposure to fecal matter, a diet high in sugars and sugar substitutes, and medications especially antibiotics.
- Getting rid of diarrhea will depend on the cause. However, you can work on getting rid of diarrhea with dietary changes, limiting exposure to bacteria and other pathogens, taking over-the-counter anti-diarrheal medications, and regularly taking high-quality probiotic/prebiotic supplements like Atrantil.
Diarrhea isn’t something most people want to talk about. What happens in the bathroom stays in the bathroom! But maybe we should start talking about it more.
What qualifies as diarrhea?
Here at Atrantil, poop is kind of our “thing”. Bowel movements, their frequency, and consistency all matter in regard to your health.
Healthy bowel movements will be soft, and oftentimes, people can confuse a healthy bowel movement with diarrhea. If your bowel movement is the consistency of soft serve ice cream, it’s actually the healthiest.
Most people think it should come out as a log, but this can actually indicate that you’re dehydrated and slightly constipated.
Bowel movements are considered diarrhea when they are softer and more watery than soft serve ice cream. (We are sorry if we ruined soft serve for you!) This needs to happen 3 or more times in one day to be considered diarrhea.
- Acute diarrhea will last up to 1 week and then go away.
- Persistent diarrhea lasts from 2 to 4 weeks.
- Chronic diarrhea lasts longer than 4 weeks and can be constant or on and off.
Diarrhea can become an issue when it is experienced long-term.
Can diarrhea be dangerous?
Diarrhea, when experienced every once in a while, isn’t dangerous. Typically, this will be the result of some type of gastrointestinal (GI) infection, and it will clear itself up pretty quickly. However, if it is acute diarrhea but it is severe, you do run the risk of dehydration and associated complications.
Long-term (chronic) diarrhea that is experienced on its own or in addition to other health conditions can lead to more serious issues.
When you have chronic diarrhea, it means that your bowel movements are happening too quickly. When this happens, your body doesn’t have enough time to extract nutrients from your food before it leaves your body. This leads to malabsorption and malnutrition. If left untreated, this can result in lowered bone density, making it easier to fracture or break bones, and other health issues like nutrient deficiencies.
Another issue with chronic diarrhea is that your body can become dehydrated very quickly. This is a problem for many reasons and can lead to other health issues. Dehydration:
- Slows your immune system, making healing difficult
- Slows lymphatic flow, making inflammation more difficult to calm and toxins to not removed as effectively
- Makes your cells less healthy, so their activity levels aren’t as efficient
- Causes muscles to cramp
- Can lead to constipation and related health problems
- Low blood volume can lead to shock
- Seizures
- Kidney problems
- Death
This is why it’s important to get diarrhea under control before it becomes too much of a problem.
What causes diarrhea?
Based on the type of diarrhea you have, you’ll be able to tell what the cause is.
Acute diarrhea causes include:
- Viral gastroenteritis (norovirus, rotavirus, adenovirus, or astrovirus)
- Food poisoning (Salmonella, Clostridium perfringens, Campylobacter, Staphylococcus aureus, and Escherichia coli)
- Traveler’s diarrhea is caused by contaminated food or drinks
- Medications
Persistent and chronic diarrhea can be caused by:
- Allergies
- Carbohydrate intolerances (lactose, fructose, sucrose, sugar alcohols)
- Digestive tract issues (Celiac, Crohn’s, diabetic issues, pancreatic issues, SIBO, UC)
- Gut-brain issues (IBS and functional diarrhea)
- Abdominal surgeries
- Long-term medication use
Learning which type of diarrhea you have will help you to figure out the cause. When you know the cause of your diarrhea, it makes it easier to figure out a treatment plan.
How to Get Rid of Diarrhea
First, it will depend on the type of diarrhea that you have.
To get rid of acute diarrhea, keep your fluid and nutritional intake up. Stick to foods that are less irritating, like bananas, bread, rice, and other dry foods. Avoid extremely fibrous foods, which can contribute to the problem, but remember to do this for only a short period of time or you can end up with other problems like constipation.
You can take over-the-counter anti-diarrhea medication if it is out of control, but typically, with acute diarrhea, time, hydration, and a bland diet can help get you back on your feet. Keep yourself hydrated through it all!
To get rid of persistent or chronic diarrhea, you’ll first need to know what is causing the diarrhea. From there, you can take steps towards healing. Your doctor will likely have you do a restrictive diet to figure out which foods irritate you. This can help identify food allergies, sensitivities, and intolerances. While they are doing this, you’ll still want to focus on hydration and healthy lifestyle choices. While it can be difficult to maintain normalcy while experiencing diarrhea, you should try your best to stick to a good sleep and exercise routine and eat a healthy diet.
In both cases, you can try probiotics. Depending on the source of your diarrhea, certain probiotic strains will be more helpful than others. This is something you can work out with your doctor — some doctors treat all probiotics the same, so if that’s the case, look for a functional doctor to help you narrow in on the correct probiotic for your situation.
Atrantil and AtrantilPro can help with both causes of diarrhea. The polyphenol-rich ingredients help to fight bacteria, archaea, and inflammation from these conditions. Using Atrantil can help improve recovery times and allow you to tolerate foods that would normally be on your restricted list.
Work with your doctor to see what is the best option for your personal situation. What works for one may not work for another. Your doctor can help you decide the right path. Certain medications or conditions may alter what treatments you can or cannot do, and working this out with your doctor by your side is the best option.
Resources:
- https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/digestive-diseases/diarrhea/definition-facts
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK555956/
- https://iffgd.org/gi-disorders/lower-gi-disorders/diarrhea/common-causes/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK448082/
- https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8753473/