People get diarrhea from time to time, but chronic diarrhea can be a sign of a much more serious medical condition. According to Jones (2010), diarrhea as defined by the World Health Organization is three or more loose or liquid stools in a 24-hr period or more frequent stool than usual for an individual. If the cause of the chronic diarrhea is not known, it is important to seek medical advice. If the cause of the chronic diarrhea is known and does not require medical interventions such as antibiotics, then home remedy treatments can be used.
Yogurt and Probiotics
Probiotics are commonly available in yogurt, but are available in some cultured liquid milk products, and in powder and pill form as well. Probiotics effectively can treat and prevent diarrhea from antibiotic use and from other causes. According to Jones (2010), who is a Primary Care Pediatric Nurse Practitioner, the most frequently studied probiotics are Lactobacillus GG and Saccharomyces boulardii.
Gluten-free Diet
In a study of patients with chronic diarrhea and weight loss conducted by Rubio-Tapia and colleagues (2010), 70 percent of the patients were found to have Celiac disease, an auto-immune disease that results from an allergy to gluten, which is a protein found in the grains wheat, rye and barley. Most patients responded positively to a combination of a gluten-free diet and steroids.
Antibiotic Treatment
Antibiotics need to be prescribed by a medical doctor to treat the condition. Chronic diarrhea resulting from bacteria such as Clostridium difficile improves after antibiotic treatments.
Immodium and Other Medications
Anti-diarrhea medications are generally not recommended for long-term use, but are effective for a day or two. As per the Immodium website, a physician should be consulted if the diarrhea lasts for more than two days as the diarrhea may be a sign of a serious medical condition.
Avoidance of Lactose
People who are lactose intolerant tend to get diarrhea or loose stools after having dairy products including milk, soft cheese and ice cream. Limiting these items will stop the diarrhea if it is caused by lactose intolerance.
References
- "The Official Clinical Practice Journal Of The American Gastroenterological Association"; Gluten-free diet and steroid treatment are effective therapy for most patients with collagenous sprue; Rubio-Tapia, A, Talley, NJ, Gurudu, SR, Wu, TT, and Murray, JA; April 2010; Vol. 8 (4), pp. 344-349
- "Indian Journal Of Pathology & Microbiology"; Microscopic colitis in patients presenting with chronic diarrhea; Misra V, Misra SP, Dwivedi M, Singh PA, Agarwal V.; January to March 2010; Vol. 53 (1), pp. 15-9
- "Nutritional Neuroscience"; Increased urinary excretion of a 3-(3-hydroxyphenyl)-3-hydroxypropionic acid (HPHPA), an abnormal phenylalanine metabolite of Clostridia spp. in the gastrointestinal tract, in urine samples from patients with autism and schizophrenia; Shaw, William; June 2010, Vol. 13 Issue 3, p135-143
- "Journal for Specialists in Pediatric Nursing"; Probiotics: Preventing Antibiotic-Associated Diarrhea; Jones, Kathleen; April 2010, Vol. 15 Issue 2, p160-162
- "Imodium.com"; Chronic Diarrhea; McNEIL-PPC, Inc. 1997-2010
