Diarrhea is loose, watery, and frequent stool. Diarrhea is an uncomfortable condition that can have many causes. Diarrhea in adults is usually mild and goes away quickly without complications. In infants and children (especially under age 3), diarrhea can cause dehydration fairly quickly.
Diarrhea is most commonly caused by viral infections or bacterial toxins, viruses or parasites, certain medicines, food intolerances and diseases that affect the stomach, small intestine or colon. Acute diarrhea may be caused by viral gastroenteritis
Prevention
Many cases of diarrhea are spread from one child to another and to adults at home and in school and daycare centers.
Take these personal care precautions:
Adults caring for children in any setting should carefully wash their hands after changing diapers or helping children use the bathroom.
Children should be instructed to wash their hands after using the bathroom.
Unpasteurized (raw) milk may be contaminated with bacteria and should always be avoided. Unpasteurized fruit juice or cider should generally be avoided even if the source is known because the fruit may have come in contact with contaminated animal droppings in the orchard.
Cures for Diarrhea
Due to dehydration, water and electrolytes lost from the body should be replaced. Glucose or some other carbohydrate can be consumed. In adults with little or no dehydration, fruit juices, clear broth and other clear liquids can help with rehydration. Every hour you should drink at least 16 ounces of fluid.
Dehydration is aggravated by the failure to intake normal amounts of protein and carbohydrates. A diet containing bananas, rice, applesauce and toast is particularly helpful for nourishment. Milk and dairy products, alcohol, caffeine, artificial sweeteners should be avoided.
Although diet changes may not entirely resolve 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 may be contributing to diarrhea. Most cases of diarrhea clear on its own within a few days without treatment. If you seek medical attention, your doctor likely will advise you to take steps to replace the fluids and salts lost during diarrhea.
Your body needs adequate levels of salts and electrolytes - minerals such as sodium and potassium - in order to maintain normal body functions including normal blood pressure, heart rhythm, and kidney function. Disruption of your body's fluid and mineral levels creates an electrolyte imbalance.
One of the common sources of fluids an electrolytes used for the treatment and prevention of diarrhea includes the use of fluids with a sugar selected from the group consisting of a caramel composition comprising a high content of fructose oligosaccharides, termed sucrose thermal oligosaccharides (STO), a composition comprising sucrose thermal kestoses, and fructoglucan polymers. The sugars are a natural product and help speed recovery from diarrhea and reduce the recurrence of diarrhea.
