How Can You Prevent Diarrhoea?

How Can You Prevent Diarrhoea?

Have you ever called up your manager at 10 in the morning on a weekday to inform that you won’t be able to make it to work? Have you also detested to tell him or her why so? In all probability then, the culprit would have been loose motion or Diarrhoea.

Diarrhoea is a condition where the person has loose bowel motions, watery in its form and one that occurs with regular frequency. In most cases, the problem goes away on its own, in a matter of days, mostly two and these cases do not specifically need any medical treatments, while this type of diarrhoea is known as the acute version.

Diarrhoea is a condition that has no age bar and generally occurs to everyone. However, there is chronic diarrhoea which is when the situation lasts for four weeks or more and could be a symptom of some underlying disease or condition.

Cause

It is a bacterial, parasitic or viral infection of the bowel, which is also referred to as gastroenteritis. Usually, it is due to one’s travel and sanitary practices as well as food habits, something that is commonly perceived.

Some of the common causes of diarrhoea include –

• Lactose intolerance
• Chronic bowel infection
• Irritable bowel syndrome
• Gluten intolerance
• Some inflammatory bowel diseases
• Bowel cancer

The symptoms of diarrhoea are –

• A frequent, urgent need to visit the toilet
• Cramping and pain in the abdominal area
• Vomiting
• Mucus, pus, blood or fat in the stool.
• Colour change in stool
• Bodily weakness and tiredness

We have five essential tips to prevent diarrhoea in the case that you are suffering from the problem now. But more importantly for people who might be travelling to a place they might be familiar with, regarding its sanitary, food and water arrangements, as well as the weather to some degree, all of which could affect bowel movements in a big way.

Avoiding outside food

It’s a general precaution when suffering from diarrhoea. Avoid eating from outside or food from unknown sources, for it could trigger the uneven bowel condition all over again.

Obtain hepatitis A vaccination before your travels.

Diarrhoea is one of the gravest problems for most travellers. One could be in a situation where some food items, sanitary arrangements or even water for that matter could be their only option. As well as a change in weather and routine could influence diarrhoea. Hepatitis A vaccine could help in a big way in the prevention of diarrhoea, especially during travels.

Drink clean, bottled or boiled water

Water, when contaminated, even with some bacterias that generally cause no harm, it could cause further bowel movement problems, like diarrhoea. So ensure, irrespective of travelling or at home, that water is clean for you to drink.

Food consumption. 

Food has a significant role to play in the prevention and cause of diarrhoea. For not aggravating an existing diarrhoea problem as well to prevent a fresh one, ensure all food items consumed are boiled and served hot. Eating raw or uncooked food could again be the cause of the problem, especially in the case of meat.

Cleanliness and sanitary habits matter

Our hands could be a source of unwanted elements entering our digestive system. Most cases of any problem occuring in such a way are merely accidental, but one can play their part towards denying these bacterias entry by following sanitary habits that are clean enough. Washing of hands with disinfectant is a start, as well as keeping bench tops, stoves, and chopping boards clean with disinfectant could also help in a big way.

Diarrhoea is usually a simple problem, which does not have severe consequences for the sufferer. Ideally, it should go away in a few days since its arrival, but if it lasts for more than four weeks and refuses to go away, then an underlying disease or condition might be the cause. Consult your doctor in the case of its chronic behaviour. Otherwise, follow the above tips and ensure you are free of a problem that could hamper your routine life to a great extent, albeit for a couple of days.

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