Living
with Chronic Diarrhea
Acute cases of diarrhea
will last no longer than
14 days. Any diarrhea episode over 14
days is classified as chronic and requires much more attention. Chronic diarrhea is brought on by a more
serious health condition such as Irritable bowel syndrome,
Crohn’s disease or
colitis. The chronic diarrhea associated
with these conditions can do serious long term damage to parts of the
digestive
system; additionally, it can cause extreme social distress and anxiety. These are life altering and sometimes
life-threatening conditions that must be managed appropriately.
With
any type of chronic
diarrhea, there is an underlying condition causing the diarrhea. Once this is diagnosed, you can use the
characteristic of the condition to help treat the diarrhea. For many conditions, diet plays a key role in
controlling the diarrhea. People who
suffer from chronic diarrhea normally have dietary
“triggers” that set off
episodes of diarrhea. Common triggers
include lactose, spicy and/or greasy foods and sugar alcohols. Every
case is
different and triggers vary broadly. The
best way for an individual to identify their personal triggers is by
keeping a
food diary. By listing everything one eats
and when one ate it, each individual will be able to narrow down what
foods
give them problems by simple indexing this diary. Once
one identifies the problem foods they
can avoid them or learn how much of it their body finds acceptable.
Supplements
are great aids
to people who suffer from any chronic diarrhea condition.
Probiotics are the bacteria found in the
digestive tract that helps digestion and prevent diarrhea.
Probiotic supplements, as well as eating
yogurt can help the body slow or stop diarrhea. Zeolite
supplements have also shown great
success in preventing,
stopping and helping to control diarrhea.
Along
with food triggers,
stress is also a very common diarrhea trigger for sufferers of chronic
diarrhea. Managing stress levels is
especially important to avoid episodes of diarrhea or flare ups from
IBD or IBS.
|