This article was written by Sally Spicer.
Sally Spicer is a nutritional therapist who studied at the College of Naturopathic Medicine (CNM, Kings cross). Registered with the British Association for Nutrition and Lifestyle Medicine (BANT), she now runs her own wellness business - Touch of Vitality. Sally's holistic approach to healthcare aims to help her clients achieve the feeling of total wellness that lasts a lifetime and not just the length of a prescription medication.
Let’s talk about diarrhoea
Whether it’s brought on from your first coffee of the day, some questionable street food or a symptom of your IBS, we have all fallen victim to an upset stomach followed by diarrhoea.
What is Diarrhoea?
Diarrhoea is when our stool is loose and watery. Usually, diarrhoea can be brought on with a sense of urgency, where we feel we need to find a toilet immediately or else disaster might strike. There are numerous reasons why we might experience diarrhoea, some of which are caused by an intestinal virus which we commonly refer to as a ‘tummy bug’. This can be common in young children where it is quickly spread round schools and also familiar for people who travel to foreign countries (commonly known as travellers’ diarrhoea). Other times diarrhoea can be a symptom of our IBS or IBD, use of antibiotics or other medications, alcohol usage, food poisoning and eating foods we are intolerant to.
People who experience diarrhoea usually also experience other symptoms such as abdominal cramping, bloating, nausea and sometimes vomiting.
What happens when we have diarrhoea?
When we experience diarrhoea, the enzymes in out guts that absorb nutrients from food and water become damaged or are killed. Our guts work to replace these enzymes with new ones however, these new enzymes may not yet be mature meaning they cannot absorb the nutrients we need. This can lead to nutrient malabsorption and increase our risk of dehydration.
What can we do to support diarrhoeal symptoms?
S.boulardii is a strain of yeast that has been proven to support the gut through bouts of diarrhoea by improving the rate at which intestinal enzymes (the enzymes in out guts which help us to absorb nutrients) are replenished. This helps to reduce the severity of diarrhoeal symptoms and help to restabilise the intestinal balance of friendly bacteria.
S.boulardii can be used to support all cases of diarrhoea in adults and in children. S.boulardii is effective for use during diarrhoeal episodes as well as for post diarrhoeal treatment. The S.boulardii strain is effective in reducing symptoms experienced alongside diarrheal episodes in those with IBS,IBD and the common tummy bug/travellers’ diarrhoea (I.E abdominal discomfort and bloating). Learn more about S.boulardii by clicking here.
It is also important to take frequent, small sips of water during and after episodes of diarrhoea to help prevent dehydration from occurring as it is common to lose a large amount of bodily fluids.
If you'd like to learn more about diarrhoea and how to manage it, why not book a free 1:1 consultation with our nutrition team? We can recommend diet and lifestyle changes that can make a big difference. To book, simply click here.
