What is Diarrhea?

Diarrhea refers to the frequent passage of soft, loose and liquid bowel movements.

What causes Diarrhea?

Diarrhea can be caused by either inflammation of the gastrointestinal lining, or secretion of fluids into the bowel. Secretions are usually released to "wash away" toxins and pathogenic microbes in the bowels.

There can be many different reasons why inflammation or secretions are released including viral and bacterial infections (e.g. food and water contamination), food sensitivities and allergens (e.g. lactose, gluten), Irritable Bowel Syndrome (I.B.S.), autoimmune reactions (e.g. inflammatory bowel disease), endocrinal diseases (e.g. hyperthyroidism), prescription drugs (e.g. antibiotics), caffeine, and even stress.

Chronic diarrhea occurs when the bowels are unable to remove the pathogenic irritation. Examples are when there is a reaction to certain foods such as milk (i.e. lactose intolerance) or gluten in grains (i.e. celiac disease).

What are the signs and symptoms of Diarrhea?

Symptoms can range from a mild change in bowel habits to very frequent watery movements. This is often accompanied with a sense of urgency and abdominal pain.

How common is Diarrhea?

Although there are no specific statistics on the prevalence of diarrhea in adults, the illness is thought to be underreported.

Diarrhea is common in the pediatric population. American statistics indicate that children under five years of age experience 1.3 to 2.7 episodes of diarrhea yearly. This data can be extrapolated to the Canadian population.

What health problems are caused by Diarrhea?

Apart from being inconvenient and causing discomfort, chronic diarrhea disrupts the electrolyte balance of the body, leading to dehydration and alterations in blood chemistry. This is when diarrhea moves from being an inconvenient discomfort to becoming dangerous to your health.

What can be done to help with Diarrhea?

The Natural Diarrhea Solution

• Organic Clear Fibre - this is a solube fibre product that will help to absorb moisture in the colon leading to firmer stools. Take as directed 3 times a day.

• FloraSMART - take  for 1 month afterwards to replenish good bacteria.