Diarrhoea

Diarrhoea is when a person has 3 or more liquid or loose bowel movements in one day. Many people who attend my clinic often think they have diarrhoea when they have 3 movements daily. This is not always the case. Diarrhoea is usually accompanied by cramps and urgency and the waste is liquid. A normal healthy person should have 2-3 soft effortless soft movements daily without the above symptoms.

As a natural healer, I believe diarrhoea occurs as the body attempts to eliminate toxic harmful waste from the body. It is natures way of protecting us. Modern medicines aims to stop the release of this waste by administering anti motility agents such as Imodium. This in turn keeps toxic waste within the body. As a herbalist, I know that the most dangerous consequence of diarrhoea is when a person becomes dehydrated due to the volume of fluid lost in the stools, which then causes electrolyte imbalances. Therefore DO NOT GET DEHYDRATED.

I ensure a person is drinking copious volumes of water which can be taken in the form of drinks, herbal teas, ice pops etc I recommend herbs which are antimicrobial, astringent and demulcent, such as charcoal, bentonite, slippery elm, marshmallow, ginger, licorice, and raspberry. These herbs will slow down the transit time of the waste,but not stop it. These herbal medicines will disinfect, soothe, nourish and heal the colon. Always seek the advice of a Medical Herbalist/GP when treating severe diarrhoea especially in the very young and elderly.