Acidophilus milk is a cultured milk product that can be used to help treat diarrhea, when used under a doctor's supervision. Acidophilus is a common probiotic used in yogurt and kefir. Probiotics are helpful bacteria that are also found in the colon and can help promote digestive regularity. If you develop diarrhea as a result of drinking acidophilus milk, you may be lactose intolerant or allergic to milk. If you notice that diarrhea develops consistently after drinking acidophilus milk, call your doctor for further evaluation.
To Treat Diarrhea
Acidophilus milk is made the same way as yogurt but is drinkable. The live culture, acidophilus, may help shorten the duration of diarrhea, according to AskDrSears.com. If you have diarrhea, not only is your body loosing a lot of water, but the probiotics found in your colon are being depleted. Drinking acidophilus milk can help replenish your colon with needed bacteria and promote regular stools. Acidophilus can also help promote repair to damaged tissue during bouts of diarrhea and will stimulate the production of white blood cells. Increased white blood cells help fight off infection and strengthen the immune system.
Causing Diarrhea Related to Lactose
If you develop diarrhea after drinking acidophilus milk, you may be severely lactose intolerant. Lactose is a sugar found in milk that can cause digestive complications in some people. Acidophilus milk contains less lactose than most diary products because the acidophilus converts the lactose into lactic acid. This greatly reduces the amount of lactose in the beverage and adds a bitter taste to the milk. Most people who are lactose intolerant do not develop severe digestive symptoms from acidophilus milk. If you're severely intolerant of lactose, you can develop diarrhea within 30 minutes of drinking acidophilus milk.
Diarrhea from Milk Allergy
If you develop diarrhea and other symptoms in different parts of the body, such as hives, nasal congestion and asthma, you may have a milk allergy, according to MayoClinic.com. A milk allergy is a more serious condition than lactose intolerance and is commonly confused with it. A milk allergy is the result of an overexaggerated immune system response to the proteins found in milk. The hypersensitivity of the immune system causes the body to fight off the milk proteins with antibodies, histamine and other chemicals.
Considerations
Diarrhea that lasts for more than three days needs to be evaluated by your health-care provider. Most symptoms related to an allergy or intolerance only last for a few hours. If you want to use acidophilus milk to treat diarrhea, talk with your doctor to ensure safety and proper use.
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