Natural diarrhea treatment at BionwoRx.

Diarrhea

A natural approach to diarrhea relief.

Dealing with diarrhea can be a real hassle – it’s uncomfortable and can be downright embarrassing. But the good news is, there are effective treatments that can provide lasting relief. This page covers:

Understanding your condition

What is diarrhea?

Diarrhea is defined as loose, watery bowel movements that often occur more frequently and with a sense of urgency. It can be an isolated short-term issue, an ongoing chronic problem, or a symptom of another underlying condition. Other symptoms may be present that can help identify the root cause, alongside any necessary testing.

Diarrhea

A natural treatment for diarrhea.

Our functional medicine digestive health expert takes a personalized approach to helping people with chronic diarrhea find safe and effective natural relief. By identifying the root cause, we guide our clients toward holistic solutions that get them feeling well again.

At BionwoRx, we’ll work with you to address the root cause of your diarrhea.

Common diarrhea symptoms.

The main sign of diarrhea is having a watery or mushy bowel movement, which would be classified as types 5, 6, or 7 on the Bristol Stool Chart. If you have three or more of these watery/mushy movements within 24 hours, that would be considered diarrhea.

However, there’s an exception for breastfed babies – they can have loose (but not watery) stools, and this is considered normal. But if you have any concerns about your baby’s bowel movements, it’s best to check with your pediatrician or a maternal health nurse.

Diarrhea is a serious threat because it can lead to dehydration. This happens when you lose essential electrolytes like sodium, chloride, bicarbonate, potassium, and magnesium through sweat, urine, vomiting, breathing, and watery stools. Dehydration can even become life-threatening if left untreated.

The signs of dehydration come in order of increasing severity:

  • Feeling thirsty and drinking eagerly
  • Sunken eyes
  • Irritability and restlessness
  • Skin that doesn’t snap back quickly when pinched
  • Unable or unwilling to drink
  • Lethargy
  • Unconsciousness

Diarrhea can be acute (short-term) or chronic (long-term), with slightly different symptoms in each case.

Acute diarrhea.

Acute diarrhea is commonly caused by a foodborne or waterborne infection, such as a parasite, protozoa, virus, or bacteria. It can also spread through contact with an infected person. If left untreated, this type of diarrhea can become life-threatening, so it’s important to see a doctor if symptoms last more than 24 hours.

Infectious diarrhea can come with a variety of unpleasant symptoms, including:

  • Explosive, frequent, watery stools
  • Fever, chills, and sweating
  • Abdominal pain, griping, or cramps
  • Excessive, smelly flatulence
  • Malaise and fatigue
  • Nausea and vomiting
  • Dehydration
  • Skin rash
  • Urgency

Chronic diarrhea.

Around 5% of people in the Western world struggle with chronic diarrhea, a condition often linked to other health issues that come with their own symptom patterns. This long-lasting problem typically persists for 4 weeks or longer.

Symptoms can help pinpoint the underlying cause of diarrhea:

  • Offensive-smelling, watery, and frothy stools may indicate a Giardia lamblia parasite infection.
  • Diarrhea after overseas travel may signal a parasitic infection.
  • Thin, ribbon-like, or pellet-like stools could point to irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) or colon cancer.
  • Bright red, heavy bleeding may be a sign of diverticulitis.
  • Floating, pale, and foul-smelling stools may indicate malabsorption issues.
  • Rapid heartbeat, unexplained weight loss, shakiness, and clammy skin could be symptoms of hyperthyroidism.
  • A large volume of stool may signal malabsorption linked to celiac disease or laxative abuse.
  • Family history may suggest lactose intolerance or celiac disease.
  • The onset of diarrhea during vigorous exercise may be exercise-induced.

What causes diarrhea?

Many factors can cause chronic diarrhea, including:

  • Underlying health conditions like irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), colitis, microscopic colitis, celiac disease, small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO), or viral infections such as herpes simplex or cytomegalovirus
  • Congenital or genetic disorders
  • Anxiety, chronic stress, or trauma
  • Viral infections like COVID-19, HIV, norovirus, enteric adenoviruses, astrovirus, cytomegalovirus, or viral hepatitis
  • Alcoholism or excessive alcohol consumption
  • Complications from surgery
  • Food intolerances or allergies
  • Certain medications such as antibiotics, laxatives, antacids, or medications affecting fat/carbohydrate absorption
  • Parasitic infections like Giardia, Entamoeba, Salmonella, Clostridioides difficile, tuberculosis, or Whipple’s disease
  • Dysfunction of the bile, liver, gallbladder, or pancreas
  • Issues with gastric emptying or the migrating motor complex
  • Some cancers or cancer treatments
  • Excessive exercise, coffee, vitamin C, or magnesium
  • Nutrient deficiencies in vitamins B12, B2, or A

Identifying the root cause of diarrhea is crucial for developing effective treatment strategies. This allows you to address both the symptoms and any underlying conditions, while also ruling out more serious health issues.

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Diarrhea treatment – the conventional approach.

Acute diarrhea usually resolves quickly if patients maintain proper hydration and replace lost electrolytes. General practitioners may also recommend bed rest, medications, and antibiotic treatment. In more severe cases or for vulnerable individuals, hospitalization may be necessary for intravenous rehydration, antibiotic therapy, and medications like Loperamide (Imodium), bismuth subsalicylate, or opioid derivatives diphenoxylate and dinenoxin.

Diagnosing and treating chronic diarrhea can be more complex. Overlapping symptom patterns, especially in long-standing cases, make it challenging across the many conditions that include diarrhea as a symptom. All cases of chronic diarrhea disrupt the gut microbiome and increase intestinal permeability, which can perpetuate diarrhea and extend treatment and recovery times.

Medications can have unwanted side effects. For example, broad-spectrum antibiotics can disrupt the delicate balance of the gut microbiome, killing both beneficial and harmful bacteria. This can lead to issues like diarrhea.

Diagnostic testing may be used to identify or rule out parasitic infections. Doctors may also recommend endoscopies or gastroscopies. However, they often lack the time during standard appointments to thoroughly investigate the underlying causes. As a result, treatment may require multiple visits or a trial-and-error approach to manage symptoms.

This lengthy process can be frustrating for patients, which is why many seek out alternative solutions through functional medicine.

Functional testing – diarrhea.

Functional medicine practitioners use advanced testing to pinpoint the underlying cause of diarrhea. This can reveal conditions like IBS, IBD, celiac disease, SIBO, or other issues that have diarrhea as a symptom. Identifying the root cause allows them to create personalized, holistic, and targeted treatment plans that are highly effective.

Your functional medicine diarrhea specialist may recommend several tests to help identify the cause of your digestive issues, such as:

The BionwoRx functional medicine approach.

Natural treatment for diarrhea.

The functional medicine diarrhea specialist at BionwoRx takes an in-depth, personalized approach to treating chronic diarrhea. They conduct an extensive investigation into each patient’s medical history, symptoms, medications, diet, allergies, nutritional deficiencies, and environmental factors. This allows them to identify the root cause and develop a tailored treatment plan with a range of effective strategies.

For natural relief from diarrhea, a multi-pronged approach can be effective. This may involve a combination of remedies, such as:

Dietary changes.

Personalized dietary changes tailored to your needs may include:

  • Eliminating foods you are intolerant or allergic to
  • Adding more unprocessed whole foods to increase the variety of prebiotic fibers, which can help restore and support the diversity of your gut microbiome
  • Including anti-inflammatory foods to reduce digestive system inflammation, or removing specific foods that promote inflammation
  • Drinking broths to help restore and repair your gastrointestinal lining, and replace lost electrolytes

Lifestyle strategies.

Lifestyle strategies to manage stress and support digestion may include:

  • Meditation and mindfulness practices
  • Yoga
  • Tai Chi

 Your gut could use a little TLC with some precision probiotics. These targeted strains can help restore, support, and increase the diversity of your microbiome. Here are a couple that could make a difference:

  • Lactobacillus plantarum 299v and L. rhamnosus GG have been shown to reduce diarrhea, bloating, and abdominal pain.
  • Saccharomyces boulardii may help eliminate pathogenic infections.

These friendly, active probiotics can get your gut feeling great again.

Targeted nutrient supplementation.

To help repair and restore your gut lining, and reduce inflammation, you may want to consider supplementing with key nutrients such as electrolytes, magnesium, zinc, glutamine, vitamin A, and quercetin.

Herbal medicine.

Herbal medicines can soothe and tone the gut, heal gut linings, and provide prebiotic fiber sources and polyphenols to support a healthy microbiome. Some helpful options include:

  • Chamomile
  • Ginger
  • Turmeric (curcumin)
  • Agrimony
  • Marshmallow
  • Slippery Elm powder
  • Psyllium husk
  • PHGG
  • Barberry
  • Goldenseal
  • Oregon grape
  • Bilberry
  • Carob powder

Your functional medicine practitioner takes a whole-person approach, so your customized treatment plan may include strategies to improve various aspects of your health. Your practitioner will work closely with you to guide your treatment and help you easily implement your plan. This personalized approach has been successfully helping people with chronic diarrhea and other ongoing conditions regain their health.

FAQs.

How to stop diarrhea naturally?

To restore normal bowel function, it’s important to first identify the cause, as there are many potential reasons for diarrhea (see list of causes above).

If the diarrhea is due to gastroenteritis, it’s generally best to let the body naturally clear out the pathogens, while staying well hydrated and replacing any lost electrolytes. The treatment approach may depend on how long the symptoms have been occurring – dehydration with acute diarrhea can be a serious, even life-threatening condition. If symptoms persist for more than 24 hours, it’s advisable to seek medical assistance.

Fresh ginger tea may help reduce nausea, while slippery elm powder can assist in relieving gut inflammation and support the gut microbiome, which in turn helps restore the gut lining.

Consulting our functional medicine practitioner can be very helpful in identifying and treating the underlying cause, especially for cases of chronic diarrhea.

Why do I have diarrhea?

There are numerous potential causes of diarrhea, including infections that lead to gastroenteritis, food intolerances, medications, digestive disorders, other health conditions, and allergies.

Acute diarrhea is usually caused by infectious agents, such as foodborne pathogens or contact with an infected person, leading to gastroenteritis (or food poisoning). This is often accompanied by symptoms like fever, chills, shivering, vomiting, and nausea. Dehydration is the biggest concern, so if symptoms persist for more than 24 hours, it’s important to seek immediate medical care.

If you’ve been experiencing regular diarrhea for more than 4 weeks, it may be a symptom of an underlying health condition. In this case, working with a functional medicine specialist who can do testing and take a detailed case history will help get to the root of the problem.

What is the best food for diarrhea?

If you’re experiencing acute diarrhea, staying well hydrated is essential. Broths made from chicken, vegetables, or other meats – especially bone broths – can help restore lost electrolytes. Collagen-rich broths can also support gut lining recovery.

Bland, easy-to-digest foods like potatoes, steamed veggies, and dry crackers are usually well-tolerated during diarrhea.

Soothing herbal teas like ginger, chamomile, green tea, and black tea (without dairy) can provide comfort. Slippery elm powder mixed in water can also help soothe diarrhea.

Avoid sugary, fatty, spicy, or fast foods, as they may worsen your symptoms.

If symptoms are severe and persist for more than 24 hours, be sure to seek medical attention.

What is the best way to stop diarrhea?

To stop or treat diarrhea, the first step is to identify the cause. Is it related to another health condition, or triggered by medication, excess alcohol, vitamin C, coffee, magnesium, or exercise?

For acute diarrhea lasting more than 24 hours, it’s best to seek medical attention. However, there are also natural, effective, and safe treatments for chronic diarrhea.

If you’re dealing with ongoing digestive issues, seeing a functional medicine practitioner who specializes in gut health can help uncover the root cause and provide gentle, effective treatment.

Can functional medicine treatment help diarrhea?

Our functional medicine expert understands that digestive health is essential to overall well-being. That’s why they specialize in helping to restore healthy digestive function, including for chronic diarrhea.

We’ll take a thorough look at your case, which may include functional testing, to develop a personalized, holistic treatment plan. Our natural, effective, and safe strategies are designed to get to the root of your chronic diarrhea and provide lasting relief.

Request a personal consultation.