5 Ways To Fight IBS Diarrhea
Constipation can be a difficult IBS symptom to deal with, but so can diarrhea. People who suffer from diarrhea-predominant IBS experience frequent bowel movements of watery and/or loose stool. Other diarrhea-related symptoms include abdominal pain or discomfort, cramping, bloating, gas, nausea and dehydration.
The following are 5 treatment options for relieving IBS related diarrhea:
1 – Diet Control
Before resorting to medications or alternative remedies, you should always consider your diet first. Although diet changes may not entirely cure you from diarrhea, it may help reduce the frequency of attacks. Therefore, you should monitor your diet by keeping a food diary and recording the symptoms you feel after eating different foods to determine which ones cause diarrhea and which ones don’t.
For instance, avoiding/limiting foods high in refined, artificial or natural sugar can help alleviate diarrhea symptoms. This doesn’t only include chocolate, caffeine, alcohol and sweets. It also means foods containing fructose such as honey and a variety of fruits. Foods high in sugar can act like a laxative to your body, especially for an IBS sufferer who already has a sensitive stomach.
You should also ask your doctor to test you for lactose intolerance, as an inability to properly digest milk sugar can cause diarrhea.
2 – OTC Antidiarrheal Drugs
Over-the-counter (OTC) antidiarrheal medications can be effective at providing diarrhea relief when used as short-term treatment. There are two types of antidiarrheal drugs.
- Stool thickeners -these contain fruit pectin and clay which absorb toxins and bacteria in the intestine to help thicken stool (I.E. Kaopectate)
- Antispasmodic – these slow spasms that occur in the intestine (I.E. Imodium).
Although, antidiarrheals are usually effective, they may not help other symptoms such as bloating or abdominal discomfort. Furthermore, prolonged use of antidiarrheals can result in dry mouth, constipation, and other symptoms.
Consult your doctor about OTC antidiarrheal meds for IBS treatment before taking anything. In addition, you shouldn’t resort to antidiarrheals until at least 24 hours after experiencing diarrhea, as you don’t want to stop your body from expelling toxins in the event your diarrhea is a result of bacteria such as food poisoning.
3 – Prescription Medications
Low doses of tricyclic antidepressants are commonly prescribed to IBS patients for abdominal pain. These meds effectively block pain signals to the brain and don’t cause diarrhea. However, they can cause other symptoms including constipation.
Another medication that may be prescribed is Lotronex. This particular drug is designed to block the effect serotonin (chemical produced by the body) has on digestive system, and in so doing, soothes the colon and slows bowl movement frequency. Lotronex has been found to be successful at alleviating IBS symptoms including diarrhea, stomach discomfort and urgency.
Note: Lotronex has only been approved for women who suffer from severe cases of diarrhea-predominant IBS ad have not responded to previous treatment methods.
4 – Alternative Therapy
Alternative therapies such as acupuncture, probiotics and herbal remedies can effectively reduce and alleviate diarrhea and its related symptoms in some IBS sufferers. Each of these methods is designed to assist the body in healing itself by providing it with stimulation (acupuncture), healthy gut bacteria (probiotics), or herbs. All work to aid in normal digestion.
If you are interested in learning about alternative treatments, talk to you health care provider first, and be sure to seek treatment from qualified practitioners.
5 – Behavioural therapy
Stress can actually trigger your IBS symptoms and make diarrhea worse, by causing your stomach to tense, leading to cramping and overall stomach upset. You can help reduce the regular stress in your life, and the stress you feel towards your IBS condition by engaging in:
- Meditation exercises (I.E. Yoga)
- Relaxation therapy
- Hypnotherapy
- Cognitive behavioural therapy
It’s also a good idea to distract yourself by taking part in regular activities you enjoy.
Tips for Herbal Colon Cleansing
Although herbs have been used for medicinal purposes for years in countries like China and India, their medical significance was not recognized in most of the West. It is only recently that people have started showing interest in these and a lot of research work is being carried out to understand the full potential of these herbs.
If we look at China we will see that the Chinese people not only use herbs as medicines but they also use them extensively in their food. Some claim that such use of herb in diet is the reason behind prolonged lives of the Chinese people. And not only do they live long, they are extremely healthy even at a very old age. Studies have also revealed that Chinese people have a very low rate of heart diseases.
There has been a general rise in the interest levels among many Americans about colon health. Even if it is still considered not a very pleasant topic to talk about but at least now they have the internet where they can learn and understand what the threats are. And what they are seeing is that herbs can play a significant role in ensuring that you have a healthy colon.
The colon cleanse herbs and the herbal laxatives are generally harmless and are alternatives to commercial laxatives. Colon cleanse herbs contain substances which fall under the category of anthraquinones. These would include cascara sagrada, rhubarb, and senna. That the herbs have laxative effects can be attributed to the presence of the anthraquinone substances.
In fact the herbs are quite strong and potent in their action with most herbs starting to show results within half a day of consumption. It would be wise to keep the next two days of your week free as you wouldn’t be able to go outside your home due to the several visits to the toilet that might be necessary. Since the herbs are so powerful you need to take them only in moderate amounts.
It must be understood that some of these herbs have severe side effects and if are used over a long period of time can cause organ damage including your liver, kidneys and the colon.
A sustained use of them can also develop a dependency where you will stop having regular bowel movement without the use of these herbs.
These herbs should also not be taken by pregnant women, nursing others and children.
Natural Home Remedies for Constipation
Causes and Symptoms: Constipation is a condition in which the bowels are opened too seldom or incompletely. The patient may pass infrequent and hard, dry stools. The main symptoms is the desire to void the stools but the inability to do so. It is extremely irritating condition but easy to deal with if you go about the treatment in the right manner.
It is a common complaint and a large number of persons depend on laxatives and even purgatives to clear their bowels. You will find that the largest sale is of remedies to relieve constipation. And if you count the cost of cigarettes, cigars, tea and coffee taken under the mistaken belief that it will help activate the bowels, the money spend on the treatment of this complaint would be stupendous sum.
Most of the people who suffer from constipation do not understand the way the human body functions. It leads to may other symptoms like heaviness and headaches, lethargy, loss of appetite, insomnia and apathy. As a matter of fact, any disease is an indication of malfunctioning of the machine that is the human body and costiveness is the grandmother of all ailments.
If your body is unable to expel the waste matter that remains after the digestive organs have taken out the essential elements necessary for the sustenance of the human body, it leads to further purification and gases harmful for its functioning.
After the food has been digested, it passes into the colon and that part of the body has a great capacity for absorption of liquids. If it loses its tone, that is, if its muscles become weak or inactive, the stools have a tendency to adhere to it and continue to purify leading to flatulence and other symptoms. Retention of stools could lead to poisoning of the whole system.
How does a purgative or laxative act? When it passes through the digestive tract, it procedures, by chemical reaction, new liquids which flush the colon and the stools adhering to it are voided in liquid form. But such substances are habit-forming and a chronic patient would need harder and more effective purgatives as time passes.
Constipation is an unnatural and abnormal condition. Nature has endowed the intestines with the capacity to void the waste matter that remains after foods has been digested. We must, therefore, take the foods in their natural form, which we generally do not do. We pass the wheat through a sieve and polish the rice. We over boil the milk and sometimes turn it into a solid without its natural moisture. Sugarcane juice is turned into sugar. We adulterate our foods with spices and condiments-substances, which the body does not need at all.
Treatment:The treatment of constipation should start in the kitchen and not in the lavatory. Eat the wheat flour without passing it through a sieve; unmilled and unpolished rice is the best. Your food should contain two parts fruits and vegetables and one-part cereals. Boil the milk only once; let is not thickening by over boiling. That would give your food the roughage it needs and help the atonic muscles to void the waste matter. If you do this, your campaign against constipation has a good start.
In case of chronic constipation, eat more of cucumber, tomatoes, carrots, spinach and cabbage. The total intake of these should be a minimum of 250 grammes in the day. Eat them as you eat salad-season it with a pinch of salt and juice of a lemon in order to make it more palatable.
Eat there in twenty-four hours, but if you have crossed forty, do not exceed two meals in the day. Do not take it literally; you can eat fruits in between the meals, but in reasonable quantities. Better still, make fruits a part of your morning and evening meals. Talking of fruits, the best fruits are seasonal and those, which are available to you within hours of having been picked.
Some people suffer from constipation because their intake of water or liquids is too insufficient. The water intake should be three to four litres in summer and one to two litres in winter. A glass of water taken in the morning immediately after walking up can help many cases of constipation.
The intestine, 8.5 to 9 meters long, is in the form of the one continuous tube suspended in loops in the abdominal cavity. At the lower end is the large intestine through which your stools pass via the rectum. If the muscles of the large intestine lose their tone or strength, stools tend to adhere to its insides. Atony of the intestine can be cured by exercise. A walk in the morning or evening, better still jagging will help.
Another way to help the intestine to void the stool is to cool it. Take a rough towel, fold it so that it can absorb water and place it on your lower abdomen after immersing it in cold water. Let the coolness percolate to the abdomen for about fifteen minutes. Or, you can take a mudpack. Take about one kilogramme of clay and knead it into a dough like consistency and spread it evenly on your lower abdomen-from the navel to the pubes. Some people are known to have benefited more from a mud bath than from a cold towel. It should be done before you for a walk. Cooling and then warming it through exercise helps the large intestine regain its tone.
In the beginning, you may not have the urge to bid your bowels. But do not wait for the “call” of nature. Visit the toilet at the time you usually do, even if the “call” is not there. Remember that habit plays an important part. The best course would be to drink about half a litre of water and take a walk for ten to fifteen minutes before you visit the toilet immediately after dinner: it may surprise you to hear of intake of food followed by the effort of void your bowels, but remember that it takes fourteen to eighteen hours for the waste matter left after absorption of food into the system to leave the body. The churning of the stomach and the resultant activity of the intestines when you are ingesting food helps relieve constipation.
After you have formed the habit of visiting the toilet at an appointed hour in the morning and the evening, you will not have to spend more than four to five minutes there. In the beginning of the treatment suggested you might have to spend a quarter of an hour.
Patients suffering from amnesia (loss of memory), constant fatigue, insomnia or insufficient sleep, incipient gout, asthma, indigestion, headache, lumbago, and general weakness have found surease from these symptoms when they have regained in facility to void stools. A hip bath taken for five to ten minutes before they go for their constitutional in the morning or evening can help ameliorate their suffering caused by these ailments.
Read more information regarding Natural Home Remedies for Constipation and Natural Home Remedies
Why Shouldn’t Colon Cleansing Herbs be used over a Long Period of Time?
The concept of cleansing the colon has been there for sometime now. In fact if we go back in time, the very first mention of colon cleansing can be traced as far back as the Egyptian civilization. In fact the Egyptians believed that the root of all physical ailments can be traced back to the colon. So, most of the treatment that they practiced was targeted in getting the colon work properly.
Practitioners of conventional medicine strongly disagree with such a theory. However, what modern practitioners of alternative medicine tend to put across is that even if not all physical ailments can be traced to an unclean colon, a significant number of diseases are caused because of an unclean colon. There are also a number of people who report a remarkable improvement in their health after a colon cleansing.
One can use colon cleansing herbs to induce bowel movements and thereby clean the colon. Projected as alternatives to commercial laxatives there are genuine risks attached to having such herbs. Some of the most popular colon cleanse herbs are cascara sagrada, rhubarb, senna, etc. All these herbs contain substances called anthraquinones. These are the key substances responsible for the laxative effects of the herbs. But the risks associated in consuming these herbs over a long period of time are serious.
These herbs used as laxatives are quite potent and they start to show action almost as soon as they are administered. Effects begin in anything between six to twelve hours after the first dose. What this suggests is that continuing to have them beyond a week in a row can really be too much for your colon to handle. Your colon should be completely cleansed in a period of seven days. Also if they are to work, they will in the first seven days. So there would be hardly any point in continuing with them if they don’t yield results in a week.
There is also the possibility of you developing a dependency for such kind of products if you continue to use them for longer periods.
The colon cleanse herbs and the herbal laxatives are generally harmless and are alternatives to commercial laxatives. Colon cleanse herbs contain substances which fall under the category of anthraquinones. These would include cascara sagrada, rhubarb, and senna. That the herbs have laxative effects can be attributed to the presence of the anthraquinone substances.
If you don’t think that your problem of constipation is serious and you are not facing any severe ailments which conventional medicine is not adequate to handle, then it is sensible to stay away from the colon cleansing products and therapies. Just increasing fiber content in your regular diet should work.
Flax Seeds, Seeds, and Nuts for Constipation Relief
Here are a variety of home remedies for constipation using flax seeds with other seeds and nuts. They provide the fiber and oils that you need to relieve constipation. Drinking plenty of water with these home remedies will make them more effective.
Mix equal parts of flax seeds, almonds, sunflower seeds and sesame seeds. It is o.k. to mix only three of these seeds, if that is all you have.
Grind them in a coffee grinder to a power. You can eat the power or add it to a nondairy smoothie, a juice, or morning cereal. You can also sprinkle it on your evening salad. Use up to 3 tablespoons twice a day.
This mixture will provide you with extra fiber and a batch of minerals.
Drink plenty of water when using ground up seeds.
Flax seeds are astringent and have laxative action. They are good for mild or moderate symptoms of constipation.
Using an excess of flax seed can contribute to the back up in your colon. Flax seeds also have small traces of prussic acid, which is toxic in large amounts. But it would take a lot of flax seeds to reach the toxic level.
Place between 1 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon of flax seed in 8 oz of warm water and let it sit for one hour. Then just before going to bed, drink the 8 oz. After drinking this glass of flax seed drink another 4-8oz of water.
Flax Seed and Apple Cider Vinegar
Boil 1 ½ cup of distilled water.
Add 1 tablespoon of flax seed and continue boiling the water for 10 minutes – tea will become jelly like.
After this cools down add 1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar.
Drink cup of this combination in the morning and until you get good daily bowel movement.
Flax seed contains the essential oil omega 3. If you lack this oil in your diet you will be prone to disease.
Apple cider vinegar (ACV) is another extremely important food you should include in your daily eating. ACV is high in various minerals and in particular potassium
Flax seeds and oat bran
To get your bowels moving again, prepare the following mixture.
Mix 1 tablespoon of flax seed and 1 tablespoon of oat bran into a glass of distilled water. Let it sit overnight. First thing in the morning, take 2 tablespoons. Wait half an hour before eating anything. Do this every morning until your bowels start moving
Flax Seed Oil
Our body does not make omega 3 oil and we need to get it in our diet.
For constipation, mix one tablespoon of flax seed oil with goat or cow yogurt. Add a little honey if you like. Take this mixture right about ½ hours before bedtime.
Do not heat flax seed oil and keep it refrigerated. Heating it may cause some cancer causing compounds.
There you have it, a variety of home remedies for constipation. Use these home remedies every day and you will see the difference in your regularity.
Get Regular With This Constipation Remedy Guide
Finding an effective constipation remedy that will help relieve the pain can seem quite daunting for those who regularly suffer from constipation. Constipation is a condition where a person has difficulty moving their bowels and there are a number of ways in which it can be diagnosed such as a physical examination, colorectal transit study, anorectal function tests, barium enema x-ray, and sigmoidoscopy or through a colonoscopy.
However there are number of constipation remedies around which should hopefully help to improve the situation as well as remove the problem.
A good one to use is to train your bowel. If you can attempt to have a bowel movement at the same time each day (preferably first thing in the morning) as this is when your colon activity is at its highest and you can practice this quite easily.
Ensure that you improve your eating habits but including plenty of high fiber foods (cereals), and lots of fresh fruit and vegetables. It is important that if you suffer from constipation you limit the amount of ice cream, cheese, meat and processed foods that you consume.
Drink plenty of water (about 1.5-2 litres each day) and avoid those drinks which can cause dehydration such as coffee and alcohol.
Also take up some form of regular exercise and not only will it help to alleviate the problems associated with constipation it will provide you with other health benefits as well.
However, if you find that are still not having regular bowel movements even if you have made the changes above then you wish to consider using a bulk forming laxative such Psyllium or Methylcellulose and they can be used for a long time without any side effects.
There are also other medications that can be used to remedy constipation such as Hyprosmotics, Lactulose, Polyethylene Glycol, Glycerin and Sorbital as well as salines like Magnesium Hydroxide, Magnesium Citrate and Sodium Phosphate.
However if you have found that neither of the above methods work for you then you may try such medications as Anthraquinones such as Cascara Sagrada, Emollients such as Docusates, Senna and Mineral Oil. There are also stimulants such as Phenolphthalein, Castor Oil or Bisacodyl which may also help to remedy the problems associated with constipation but such medications as these need to be used under strict supervision of a doctor or healthcare worker and only as a short term measure as most of these have some side effects.
People who are using laxatives should discontinue use slowly and after some time the colon will be restored to its normal working balance.
Finally, you should only use enemas or suppositories as an emergency treatment and if all else fails then surgery may be your only alternative.
Constipation Remedy Using Apples and Other Juices
Here are two constipation remedies that you can use for a mild case of constipation and for a chronic case of constipation.
Apple and Pear Juice
If you have a mild case of constipation, you can use this remedy to get results.
Prepare equal amounts of fresh apple and pear juice. Drink this combination when you first wake up and one hour before bedtime.
Juice the pears that are slightly hard. If the pear is ripe, it is best to blend it whole with apple juice to create a thick drink. Using the whole pear will give you additional fiber. Just remove the seeds but do not peel the organic type.
Pears have minerals, vitamins, and chemicals that help to clean out your colon, kidney and to regenerate your blood cells.
Apple Juice and Prune Juice
Here’s a constipation remedy that you can use if you have chronic constipation. In addition to just drinking apple juice, you can accelerate your peristaltic action with prune juice.
Here’s how to do it.
If you have a juicer you can make fresh apple juice and drink 3-4 glasses a day. You can also drink store-bought apple juice but try to get fresh squeezed and not the type that has been flash pasteurized or pasteurized. If you can find fresh apple juice then use flash pasteurized.
Buy your juice in glass containers if possible.
Plastic containers are processed using solvents that stay in the container walls and gradually outgas into the apple juice. This out gassing is more severe when plastic containers are stored in hot places.
To speed up the laxative effects of apple juice, take the following combination first thing in the morning before you have breakfast,
Drink 2-3 cups of prune juice.
After ½ hour, drink one cup of apple juice
Then, 1-hour later drinks another cup of apple juice.
I usually buy my prune juice in a bottle and fresh squeeze my apple juice.
Be prepared to head for the bathroom after you drink your prune juice and your first glass of apple juice. You may need to head to the bathroom soon after you drink prune juice, everyone is different. I have used this combination and have recommended it to my clients and have had good results.
Prune juice by itself is good for constipation. It is a safe, gentle and an effective laxative. Drink a cup in the morning and a cup in the evening. Prune juice contain the substance dihydrophenylisatin, which is responsible for the laxative action. Prunes are also high in iron and are a great supplement if you are anemic or low on iron.
If you add prune juice to your diet, do not drink as much of it as you would when you have constipation. Drink ½ glasses in the morning and perhaps ½ glasses in the evening.
Best Herbal and Ayurvedic Home Remedies for Constipation
Constipation is the name given to the condition in which a person finds difficulty in passing stools. Ideally, a person must void the wastes of the digestive tract one or two times a day. But in people suffering from constipation, this elimination of wastes becomes highly reduced, or may even be absent for several days together.
Constipation can be the reduction of the normal volume of feces voided, the complete absence of discharge or sticky discharge that the person has difficulty in passing out. In all cases, there is Ayurvedic treatment. Constipation is not a very dangerous ailment if treated properly in time. But if let be, then constipation can become chronic. Especially in elderly people, constipation for a prolonged period can be fatal.
From an Ayurvedic point of view, constipation is a disease caused particularly by the vitiation of the vata dosha. It is called as Anaha in Ayurveda. But the other two doshas can also be responsible for constipation. Constipation caused due to a high pitta dosha is characterized by dry stools. It is felt mostly in the hot months. Constipation caused due to a high kapha dosha is accompanied by pains in passing out the feces, which are sticky. In people with kapha vitiation, the excessive mucus may block the rectal passage which will obstruct the elimination of the wastes.
(1) Useful Herbs in the Treatment of Constipation
- Bael fruit (Aegle marmelos) The fruit of the bael is an effective laxative. The ripe fruit is better at this than the raw one. It has to be used for two to three months. It can be taken in the form of a sherbet. This will dissolve the wastes of the intestines and flush them out of the body.
- Belleric Myroblan (Terminalia belerica) The half ripe fruit of the belleric myroblan is a purgative. It is used in treatment of chronic constipation. However the fully ripe fruit may be disadvantageous to the treatment.
- Cassia (Cassia fistula) The pulp of the ripe fruit of the cassia tree is an effective laxative in the treatment of constipation. This remedy is popular because it has no side effects even when taken by children and pregnant women.
- Castor (Ricinus communis) Castor oil is effective as a purgative. This treatment also has no side effects. It can be taken safely, irrespective of the physiology of the patient and the climatic conditions.
- Chebulic Myroblan (Terminalia chebula) Chebulic myroblan is a mild laxative. Its pulp is taken with rock salt, or flavored with cloves and cinnamon. Regular use of this decoction relieves the person of constipation.
- Chicory (Chichorium intybus) Chicory has natural laxative powers. It can be used in the treatment of chronic constipation problems.
- Isphagula (Plantago ovata) This is the traditionally used remedy in the treatment of constipation. The seeds of this plant have a soothing effect on the mucus lining of the alimentary canal. The seeds must be soaked in water and then taken. Isphagula seeds act by binding the wastes in the alimentary canal and bringing them to a consistency in which they can be eliminated from the body.
- Licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra) Licorice is a laxative. In order to get better benefits, licorice powder is taken with water and jaggery.
- Rhubarb (Rheum emodi) Rhubarb is also commonly used in allopathic medicine for its purgative properties. Rhubarb contains several tannins that are beneficial in voiding the wastes from the alimentary canal. But rhubarb can be used only in simple cases of constipation, and it has no effect in chronic constipation.
(2) Dietary Treatments for Constipation
There are many dietary guidelines for people suffering from constipation. The following are some of them:-
- Water is very important to keep the intestines working well. Drink a glass of water early in the morning. For better results, keep the water overnight in a copper vessel and drink it when you wake up in the morning.
- The food that you consume should not be too dry. It should be vata pacifying. Hence it must contain adequate amounts of oil or ghee in it.
- Take a glassful of warm milk with a teaspoonful of ghee in it when going to bed.
- Avoid rice. Take wheat instead.
- Fresh fruits and green leafy vegetables must be an integral part of the diet. Papaya and sugarcane are especially beneficial. Tomato and beetroot salads are also very beneficial.
- Avoid beans, legumes, grams, cabbages, mushrooms and such foods which are difficult to digest.
(3) Ayurvedic Treatment for Constipation
- The Triphala Choorna is commonly prescribed. It contains a mixture of the three important fruits of amalaki, belleric myroblan and chebulic myroblan.
- Medicines such as Agastya Rasayana, Pancha Sakara Choorna, Abhayadi Modaka, Madhu Yashthayadi Choorna, can strengthen the intestinal valves and hence improve their functions. These treatments are even prescribed in cases of chronic constipation.
- There are some special therapies Ayurveda uses in order to treat the condition of constipation. These therapies are:- a) Vashthi Karma (enema therapy) b) Virechana Karma (purgation therapy)
- In addition, a massage of the abdominal muscles, known as the Udavartana, is also employed if the constipation is chronic. This makes the intestinal muscles stronger and work better in dispelling the wastes.
(4) Home Medications
- Every morning when you wake up, eat two apples. Bite them with the teeth instead of using a knife to cut them into slices.
- Drink a glass of water with a teaspoonful of honey in it at night before going to bed.
- The best and simplest medicine is to drink a glass of lemon juice in water with a pinch of salt in it. This will treat any kind of constipation that may be present.