How to stop diarrhea: 7 effective remedies

Diarrhea is the product of an intestinal disorder that leads to the production of practically liquid stools, without consistency or definite shape.

It is a relatively common affectation that affects a wide variety of people, either in a specific way because of having eaten. something with toxic elements, or because of biological predispositions and chronic diseases that make us more vulnerable to agents pathogens.

Luckily, there are a series of habits and tips that you can apply on a day-to-day basis, so in this article we will see several tips on how to stop diarrhea.

• Related article: "Astringent diet: how to carry it out and benefits"

What is diarrhea?

Let's start with the basics: what is diarrhea? Why does it appear? Diarrhea is a way that our body has to attack a microorganism that has lodged in the digestive system.

Through diarrhea the body tries to get rid of this invader, and for this reason to completely eliminate the Diarrhea can be counterproductive, as the harmful agent does not leave the system and the infection could worsen. Due to this reason, it is preferable to ingest a home remedy or antidiarrheal medicine after the second day that this alteration in digestion has appeared.

How to stop diarrhea

Although this problem can last up to 4 days, the discomfort can be lessened and the diarrhea stopped. with over-the-counter medications or some home remedies. If the diarrhea lasts more days or is accompanied by abdominal pain, fever, vomiting or traces of blood in the stool, you should see a doctor immediately. You also have to go to health professionals, obviously, if there are other severe symptoms along with the diarrhea, such as a lot of abdominal pain.

However, in less severe cases, stopping the diarrhea can be relatively straightforward. Let's see how.

1. Astringent diet

An effective way to eliminate diarrhea is by eating foods that help contract intestinal tissues and reduce inflammation. These astringent foods can be cooked guava, potato, pumpkin, rice and apple. A fruit that also has this ability is the banana.

A jelly, vegetable soup and coconut water are also foods that can help us and also hydrate the body to stop diarrhea.

You should also consume a lot of fluids and preferably a serum. You can make a homemade one or buy one at any store. It may be a sports drink, but a serum will be more effective.

Another food that will help you eliminate diarrhea is a plate of cornstarch. Or you can combine the potato with rice and cooked chicken to satiate yourself and not attack your stomach anymore, because it is important that you do not consume foods high in fat, much less irritating.

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2. Orange peel

The peel of the orange has phytonutrients and flavonoids, even more than the orange itself, so helps reduce inflammation, helps digestion and also has the ability to relieve intestinal problems like heartburn, heartburn and even gas.

In addition, this home remedy to eliminate diarrhea is very delicious and even relaxing. To do this, you just have to boil the orange peel in water for about 5 minutes, let it cool and add honey to taste. You can take it as many times as you want throughout the day.

3. Garlic

Although its flavor is strong, its bactericidal and purifying properties will help you cut down on diarrhea and eliminate the infection. Remove the skin from two garlic cloves and add brown sugar to bring them to a boil in half a cup and drink it two or three times a day.

The taste may not be the most pleasant but it is a very effective remedy to relieve diarrhea.

4. Boiled carrots

This home remedy is undoubtedly the most complete to combat diarrhea and help eliminate the infection. A carrot soup provides water, sodium, potassium, phosphorus, calcium and other minerals that fight dehydration, but also restore the balance of the intestinal flora.

You will only have to boil carrots, either sliced ​​or cubed and eat them with everything and the broth where you have cooked them.

5. Chamomile tea with guava

Chamomile is an excellent anti-inflammatory and it also has antispasmodic properties. Guava is an astringent food and helps decrease bowel contractions. The combination of this tea will help you fight diarrhea.

Boil a handful of chamomile and 10 guava leaves together for 15 minutes, let it cool and then strain it. It is advisable to take around 250 ml throughout the day. Maybe you like the taste and want to have a little more.

6. Probiotics

A recently discovered remedy is probiotics. Probiotics are live microorganisms that can help restore bacterial balance of the digestive system when it has been altered.

They are found in some medications such as yogurt, kefir, and soy beverages; however, there are those for whom dairy is worse in a diarrhea crisis. It is better to turn to over-the-counter probiotics that you can easily find in pharmacies. There are several brands and all are safe.

7. Antidiarrheal medication

There is medicine very effective in slowing bowel movements which causes the intestine to absorb the water from the stool and thus decrease diarrhea.

Loperamide and Racecadotril are compounds found in over-the-counter medicine to eliminate diarrhea; however consuming any of these medications without the supervision of a doctor carries a risk, because diarrhea due to infection should not be treated with these products and they can even make it worse.

When in doubt, it is best to go to the doctor so that he is the one who verifies the cause of the diarrhea and indicates the safe medicine to treat it.

Bibliographic references:

• Baldi, F.; Bianco, M.A.; Nardone, G.; Pilotto, A.; Zamparo, E. (2009), Acute diarrheal diseases, World J Gastroenterol, 15 (27): 3341-3348.
• DuPont, H.L. (2014). Acute infectious diarrhea in immunocompetent adults. The New England Journal of Medicine, 370 (16): pp. 1532 - 1540.
• Esrey, S.A.; Feachem, R.G.; Hughes, J.M. (1985). Interventions for the control of diarrhoeal diseases among young children: improving water supplies and excreta disposal facilities. Bulletin of the World Health Organization, 63 (4): pp. 757 - 772.
• Saha, L. (2014). Irritable bowel syndrome: pathogenesis, diagnosis, treatment, and evidence-based medicine. World J Gastroenterol (Review) 20 (22): 6759-6773.
• Slattery, S.A.; Niaz, O.; Aziz, Q.; Ford, A.C. & Farmer, A.D. (2015). Systematic review with meta-analysis: the prevalence of bile acid malabsorption in the irritable bowel syndrome with diarrhea. Alimentary Pharmacology & Therapeutics, 42 (1): pp. 3 - 11.