Diarrhea is a condition of frequent, loose or watery stools.
Loose, liquid, or watery stools occur when the transit time of food through the bowels happens too quickly, before water can be properly absorbed.
Acute diarrhea, usually due to either an infection such as a stomach flu, food poisoning from impure food or water, or parasites, if becomes severe, dehydration can occur along with collapse of energy and potential threat to life.In some cases, diarrhea is a defense mechanism the body activates to expel harmful invaders such as bacteria from food contamination.Also, diarrhea is often a result of inflammation and irritation in the intestines.
Chronic diarrhea may be due to exogenous factors such as heavy meals or difficult to digest foods. Such are foods which are too oily, too watery, too dry, too hard, too hot, and too cold.
Any action which will hinder proper digestion of food such as wrong food combinations (meat with milk, yogurt with banana, etc.), eating the next meal before the previous meal has been digested, irregularity in eating habits, or eating unaccustomed foods, may be additional causes.
Diarrhea can also occur if you are highly stressed, have weak digestion, are taking certain medication, or eating the wrong foods for your body type.
Possible causes for diarrhea
Invasion of external pathogenic factors:
These can be cold, dampness or summer heat. Cold invasion happens more frequently in summer when one is lightly dressed. Dampness or summer heat invasion are also a frequent cause of acute diarrhea in summer time.
Irregular diet:
Diet is of course a frequent cause of acute or chronic diarrhea. The most common cause for acute diarrhea is eating spoiled food, too hot or too cold foods.
Chronic diarrhea would be the result of a long standing digestive imbalance and erroneous eating habits such as simply over eating, or by excessive consumption of cold , greasy or sweet foods.
Emotional stress:
Worry, pensiveness, brooding and excessive mental work may cause chronic diarrhea. Anger and frustration may cause diarrhea when occur during or right after meals.
Over work, chronic illness, excessive sexual activity:
Most any long standing condition which depletes the body’s energy, such as Working long hours without adequate rest under conditions of stress or a chronic illness may cause chronic diarrhea.
Diarrhea differentiation:
Damp heat diarrhea:
Foul smelling yellowish loose stools (possibly mixed with pus or blood), abdominal pain, increased frequency of bowel movement, burning sensation in the anus, feeling of heat, thirst, scanty-dark urine.
Tongue: thick sticky yellow coating
Cold and dry diarrhea:
Diarrhea often alternating with constipation or a period of constipation or lack of bowel movements may precede the diarrhea, pain, cramping, passing of gas and frequent motions without much stool being passed, abdominal distension, belching, poor appetite, mental depression, moodiness, nervous tension, irritability.
Tongue: may not show much or the sides may be slightly red.
Cold and damp diarrhea:
Loose stools, sometimes like water, sometimes thin stools, sometimes with mucus, increased frequency of bowel movement, sometimes motions are not frequent but tend to have more quantity, poor appetite, slight abdominal distension, a feeling of oppression of the chest, a sallow complexion, and tiredness.
Tongue: pale, swollen with teeth marks
First steps for treating Diarrhea
The first step controlling diarrhea is to avoid further inflammation and eliminate irritants, especially coffee, alcohol, spicy food, and nicotine. It is important to rebuild digestive strength, without overheating and possibly irritating the intestine lining.
Undigested Food in Stools
Observing of your stools, you might notice some undigested food particles. This is relatively normal with some food items which do not breakdown easily, like sweet corn, and certain nuts and seeds that are hard to digest. However, if you are regularly eliminating stools with undigested food, it may indicate your digestive strength is low and you may not be getting enough nutrients from the food you are eating. This could either result from a cold and dry digestive tract or a cold and wet digestive tract. When the digestive tract is cold, there is a lack of digestive enzymes and food is being passed through the body without being adequately broken down. Undigested food in your stools can also be a result of not taking your time to chew your food, eating in a hurry, eating on the run, stress and poor routine.
The first step to improve digestion and reduce undigested food in your stools is to eat warm, well cooked foods that are easy to digest. Porridge, soup or Kitchari are very easy to digest and can help rebuild your digestive strength. If your digestion is dry, about 20 minutes before meals, prepare a cup of warm water with a squeeze of fresh lemon/lime juice and a pinch of mineral rock salt to moisten the digestive tract and stimulate the release of digestive enzymes. If your digestion is wet, chew a piece of Ginger before each meal.