What Is The Cause For Diarrhea Or Loose Motions, Symptoms, 10 Home Remedies To Treat It

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In this article, we will share detailed information on the causes for diarrhea or loose motions, symptoms, 10 home remedies to treat it. And if you are interested in more articles, comment to us below.

What Is Diarrhea Or Loose Motions?

Diarrhea or generally known as loose motions is a serious condition in which there is frequent passage of fluid or watery fecal matter through the intestine mainly containing water and electrolytes. It leads to the reduced absorption of the essential nutrients from the food and also decreases the water content of the body. In developing countries, the death of babies below the age of 1 occurs due to a condition called cute diarrhea. The baby frequently pass-heavy watery stools that lead to dehydration of the body and death.

In this condition, there is increased movement of food and secretions in the digestive system but a decrease in the absorption of food, water, and electrolytes required for the functions of the body. This causes weakness and dehydration in the body and makes you ill.

It is fine if you are at home when you are suffering from diarrhea, but if you are out, then it causes an embarrassing situation where you develop a sudden urge to pass bowels and difficult to find restrooms, or whether you might be able to leave the place or not. Sometimes, you might pass your bowels in your inners unknowingly, like a cough, fart, lifting heavy objects, or laughing louder can cause leakage of watery stools. So, try to avoid going out when you are suffering from diarrhea.

Symptoms Of Diarrhea:

• Weakness 

• Weight loss

• Dizziness

• Joint pains

• Abdominal pain

• Dehydration

• Bloating

• Dark circles

• Fever

• Frequent watery stools

• Abdominal cramps

• Mucus in stools

• Blood in stool, etc.

12 Causes Of Diarrhea Or Loose Motions:

1. Enteritis:

It is a condition in which the gastrointestinal tract is infected with bacteria, or viruses, or other microorganisms. This causes irritation in the lining of mucosa and enhances the process of secretion and mucus formation leading to loose watery stools containing an excess of secretions and mucus.

The diarrhea is caused due to organism like:

Bacteria: Shigella, E. coli, Salmonella, V. cholera, C. jejuni, etc.

Virus: Coronavirus, Enterovirus, Rotavirus, Adenovirus, Astrovirus, etc.

Other Organisms: E. Hystolytica, Intestinal worms, Giardia lamblia, etc.

2. Alcohol Intake:

According to research on alcohol consumption on the digestive system, it is found that excessive alcohol consumption can cause a slow digestion process leading to constipation whereas consuming small quantities of alcohol boosts your digestive system causing rapid movement of food through the digestive system causing diarrhea.

Hence, though you drink large quantities or small quantities of alcohol, it causes severe effects on your health.

3. Malabsorption Of Certain Foods:

Malabsorption is a condition caused due to infections, surgical procedures, certain disorders, etc. due to which the body fails to absorb the essential nutrients and electrolytes from the food while passing through the small intestine. Thus, due to this, it causes loose motions and all the nutrients and electrolytes are rapidly excreted along with water and mucus.

4. Side-Effects Of Certain Drugs:

Yes, diarrhea can also be caused due to the side effects of certain drugs that are used to treat some other diseases. The drugs causing diarrhea are:

Antidepressants: 

These are the drugs used to treat depressions and anxiety.

Ex: Escitalopram (Lexapro), Citalopram (Celexa), Paroxetine (Paxil), etc.

Antibiotics: 

The drugs used to treat bacterial infections.

Ex: Amoxicillin, Ampicillin, Cefdinir, etc.

Chemotherapy drugs: 

The drugs usually used to treat cancer patients.

Ex: Irinotecan (Camptosar), 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), Capecitabine, etc.

Antacids And Proton Pump Inhibitors:

The drugs used to cure acidity and also to relieve heartburn.

Ex: Dexlansoprazole (Dexilant), Pantoprazole (Protonix), Rabeprazole (Aciphex), etc.

5. Food Poisoning:

Food poisoning or foodborne illness occurs due to the consumption of decayed, toxic, spoilt, or contaminated food. This leads to nausea, stomachaches, vomit, diarrhea, etc. It occurs after 1 hour to 10 hours of eating such foods. This leads to infections in the part of your digestive system that leads to excess secretion of mucus and cause diarrhea.

6. Destruction Of Intestinal Flora:

The intestinal flora refers to the helpful bacteria found in the intestine of the human body that provides and supplies vitamin B complex and vitamin K required for the daily normal functions of the body. These bacteria help in preventing infections. Broad-spectrum antibiotics also act on these florae and destroy them. Thus, causes loose motions or diarrhea.

7. Intolerance To Certain Foods:

Intolerance to food refers to the condition in which certain foods when consumed are not digested in your body. Thus, when the food is not digested then it would not be able to absorb the required nutrients and electrolytes and that eventually causes the rapid passage of fecal matter through the intestine leading to a diarrheic condition.

Most common foods that cause food intolerance:

• Fructose
• Dairy Products (Lactose)
• Gluten
• Caffein
• Amines, etc.

8. Psychogenic Cause:

Diarrhea is also caused due to a psychological disorder that leads to excessive stimulation of the parasympathetic nervous system enhancing both motility and secretion of mucus in the distal colon, Hence, results in the passage of rapid loose stools.

9. Spicy Foods:

Spicy foods are among the most common causes of food-induced diarrhea. This happens when you did not consume it earlier. The chili pepper contains a chemical called capsaicin that might cause irritation in the lining of the stomach or the intestine and  loosen the stools (laxative effect) and increase the rapidity of the bowel movements leading to loose motions.

10. Contamination Of Food And Water:

The lack of adequate sanitation and hygiene for safe water used in cooking, drinking, and cleaning leads to the outbreak of various infections in your body among them is diarrhea. Due to lack of sanitation, the water gets contaminated with viruses, bacteria, microorganisms, and also feces. These agents cause infection in the gastrointestinal tract disturbing the mucus lining of the digestive system causing rapid movement of fecal matter along with mucus and watery.

11. Due To Anxiety:

When you are in an anxiety condition, your body releases certain chemicals and hormones. These substances might enter your digestive tract and interfere with the intestinal flora and destroy them causing an imbalance of chemicals and loosening of the mucus lining of the gut leading to loose motions.

12. Sudden Variation In Food Habits:

Yes, this is the major factor causing diarrhea because these days people are used to changing their food habits in the routine life from homemade food to hotels, restaurants, etc. When you consume any food regularly then your digestive system gets adjusted to such foods, but if you change your food habits suddenly then the food might not be able to digest and for the first few days you are going to face the condition like constipation, diarrhea, etc. These days the body and the digestive system try to adjust to the changes in the food. 

10 Home Remedies To Treat Diarrhea:

1. Drink Plenty Of Water:

When you are suffering from diarrhea, you usually pass watery stools frequently. So, due to this the water content in your body gets reduced which might cause further damage to your cells and normal functions of the body. 

The human body is made up of 60-65 percent of water and this level of water is necessary for the normal function of all the cells, and tissues of the body. It is important for the process like metabolic, circulatory, excretory, digestion, etc. Thus, drinking plenty of water helps restore the lost water from the body and prevents you from getting ill. 

2. Do Not Eat Heavy Meals:

Diarrhea is a condition in which whatever you consume will be excreted within a short period of time and would not be able to absorb the food properly. At the time, your digestive system might not be normal and is likely to be more sensitive. If you consume a heavy meal, then the digestive system's pressure increases and thus causes rapid bowel movements. Then it is of no use to your body for consuming such a quantity of food.

Thus, it is recommended to eat a small quantity of food regularly so that the load on the digestive system can be reduced and aid in proper digestion.

3. Consuming A Teaspoon Of Sugar Syrup Stops Diarrhea:

Yes, it is fact that a teaspoon of sugar syrup helps to cure diarrhea. Didn't you notice this remedy at your home? Well, this is a method of home science of curing diarrhea. At your home, there might be your grandparents who usually suffer from conditions like constipation, diarrhea, etc. As you get older the digestive system works abnormally. So, when aged people suffer from diarrhea, they are made to consume sugar syrup by eating Gulab jamun, Rasgulla, etc. This helps to thicken the fecal matter and helps to prevent loose motions.

4. Consume Ghee (Butter product) And Curd:

Consuming ghee (butter product) and curd during diarrhea helps to overcome the situation easily. Eating few spoons of rice and ghee or consuming curd rice helps to cure diarrhea. Ghee contains an anti-inflammatory substance that helps to treat any inflammation in the digestive tract and treat the condition. Note that do not consume excess ghee or curd in order to cure diarrhea as it leads to constipation, cough, etc.

5. Avoid Eating Spicy Foods:

Spicy foods alter the lining of the digestive tract causing loose fecal matter to pass during the bowels. If you try to consume spicy foods even during diarrhea then it worsens your condition and might damage your rectal or anal region.

So, try to avoid spicy foods for 3-5 days until your condition cures.

6. Use Clean Water:

The main causes for diarrhea are the unhygienic use of water for cooking, drinking, and cleaning purposes. Unhygienic water refers to the contamination of water with viruses, bacteria, or other agents causing infection in your body. This infection in your gastrointestinal tract might cause diarrhea. 

It is reported most diarrheal deaths are caused due to contamination of water. These causes are more in undeveloped cities, villages, towns, etc. due to a lack of awareness about hygiene and sanitation methods to keep the water clean and purify it. Contaminated water causes several diseases like constipation, diarrhea, cholera, dysentery, typhoid, hepatitis A, etc. So, it is a must-use clean or purified water for the purposes of drinking, cooking, bathing, etc.

7. Drink Coconut Water:

Due to diarrhea most of the water content in your body is lost and to restore this amount you should provide more fluids to your body. to prevent dehydration you can not drink only water for a longer period so an alternative is coconut water and it has a natural taste better than the water. Coconut water is a rich source of nutrients, antioxidants, potassium, etc. This is the best source of fluid you can consume during diarrhea. 

8. Avoid Eating Fried Foods:

Fried foods or junk foods contain lots of saturated fats and oil. These foods contain very low nutritional value and hard to break during the digestion process. Thus, breaking them down requires more secretion of fluids leading to a condition called diarrhea. So these foods are neither digested nor absorbed properly in the body. So, try to avoid such foods.

9. Drink The Salt-Sugar Solution To Prevent Dehydration:

Consuming salt-sugar solution or oral rehydration solution helps to restore the lost water in the body. It also helps to increase the efficiency of the digestive system to absorb the fluids properly. Consuming such solutions also helps to restore the lost electrolytes like sodium and potassium in the body. Salt-sugar solutions are far more effective than water in treating diarrhea. Mix four teaspoons of sugar with half a teaspoon of salt in one liter of water and stir it, then consume it.

 

10. Do Not Consume Alcohol And Coffee:

Consumption of coffee and alcohol causes irritation in the lining of the digestive system leading to diarrhea. So, if you want to cure yourself or prevent worsening of diarrhea then avoid consumption of alcohol and coffee for few days.

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