Acute diarrhoea - comes on suddenly and lasts a short time.
Chronic diarrhoea - affects someone over a long period of time.
Some people pass frequent, small solid stools with a sense of urgency. This is not true diarrhoea and occurs when the rectum is irritable as in the irritable bowel syndrome or inflamed as in colitis.
Causes of acute diarrhoea
Food poisoning
Gastroenteritis (see separate leaflet on the prevention and treatment of travellers’ diarrhoea)
Anxiety
Sometimes treatment with an antibiotic
Alcohol (to excess)
Causes of chronic diarrhoea?
When diarrhoea goes on for a long time, the most likely cause is irritable bowel syndrome. It is called a 'functional' condition. This means that the bowel produces stools which are looser or more frequent than normal, although the bowel is not diseased. |
Barley. This grain is a digestive anti-inflammatory. Add some to vegetable soup or stew. Or buy some barley flour, flakes, and grits.
Brown rice. It's easy on the digestive system, rich in fiber, and calms inflammation and spasms in the colon. Eat it plain or as a dessert with a little honey, mix it with vegetables for a stir-fry, try it in the morning as a breakfast food instead of oatmeal, or boil it for a tea and drink the liquid in addition to eating the rice. There are no limits to the ways you can serve up brown rice.
Garlic. This can help prevent infection. Eat 1 clove, three times a day. Chop it into a salad, or add it to soup or stew. (To retain its effectiveness, add the raw garlic after food is cooked, because heat can destroy the medicinal benefits.) Pasta sauce, however, is not a good choice for adding garlic, as tomato-based, spicy, and acidic foods can exacerbate symptoms.
Papaya. This soothes diverticulitis. Find a nice, ripe, red-tinged papaya, cut it open, toss away the seeds, and eat. Use it in a fruit salad; it's especially good with melons. Or put it in the blender and make juice. Add a little honey to sweeten it up, if necessary. Papaya has an unusual but enjoyable flavor.
Pear. Another fruit that can soothe inflammation, pears don't need any doctoring to eat. Simply find one that's ripe and enjoy.
Potatoes. They're tasty and nourishing, and they have soothing, anti-inflammatory properties that are especially good for digestive woes. Because grease can aggravate diverticulitis, avoid fried potatoes of any sort. But any other cooking method will do: baking, broiling, or boiling. |
