Diarrhea is one of those diseases that make you wish you had another disease in its place. The discomforting usually uncontrollable periods of passing loose-watery stools are every persons nightmare. During such times, a person looses fluids at a very fast rate, and if no adequate measures are taken to replace the fluids, one can easily become dehydrated. This explains the reason why treatment for diarrhea mainly focuses on replacing the fluids and some salts in the body. Usually, this is done through oral re-hydration or through intravenous fluids, which are usually administered in severe cases.
Diet is also vital in treatment of diarrhea. A common diet used in diarrhea management is the BRAT diet, whose staple components are Bananas, Rice, Apple Sauce and Toast. In recent times, the BRAT diet has been modified to include tea and yogurt. Foods in the three diets have low fiber content and were adopted due to the suspicion that high-fiber foods make the diarrhea worse. In modern times however, medics insist that the BRAT, BRATT or BRATTY diets are not as effective as people thought they were. Though medicine does not completely dismiss the viability of such treatments, in the case of diarrhea, most doctors advice patients to continue with normal diets with the exception of carbonated beverages and sugary drinks. In some types of diarrhea, especially those that occur after stem cell transplants, doctors and nutritionists still recommend the BRAT diets due to the presence of Pectin (a soluble nutritional fiber).
Research into these diets reveals that bananas have amylase-resistant starch, which reduces the loss of water and minerals from the body thus reducing diarrhea symptoms. Rice, on the other hand, has been found to contain anti-secretory benefits, which helps to stop diarrhea sooner by decreasing the amount of stool. The contention that most medics have with the BRAT diet is that it is nutritionally incomplete thus denying people essential vitamins, calcium, fiber, proteins, energy and fat. An alternative CRAM diet containing cereals, rice, apple sauce and milk is currently being considered for the treatment of diarrhea since it contains proteins and fats that would make the diet more wholesome.
In addition to water and food, one must replace depleted electrolytes in order to treat the salt imbalance created by the diarrhea in the body. If left untreated, the salt imbalance can lead to confusion, general weakness and in severe cases, it could cause coma and even death.
Overall, a person suffering from diarrhea may be given pain-lessening medication to counter the effects of cramps and anal discomfort that comes with the condition. The diarrhea treatment that doctors use mainly depends on the main cause of diarrhea. The most common cause includes bacterial and viral infections and parasites. Others not-so-common causes include mal-absorption, inflammatory bowel diseases, ethanol ingestion, and bowel cancer. Tumors that secrete hormones into the body, excess bile, celiac disease and intestinal protozoa are also some other causes of diarrhea.
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