What Are the Treatments for Chronic Diarrhea?

Chronic diarrhea is usually an indication of a more complex underlying problem such as a chronic infection, inflammatory bowel disease, or irritable bowel syndrome. Chronic diarrhea can also be caused by malabsorption of proper nutrients needed by the body. Whatever might be causing your chronic diarrhea, there are a number of effective treatments you can try to mitigate this problem.

Drink Plenty of Water

• During bouts with chronic diarrhea, it is very easy for the body to become dehydrated. If the fluid lost during diarrhea episodes is not replaced in a timely manner, the body can't function properly and you could suffer massive dehydration. When having chronic diarrhea make sure to drink at least 8-10 glasses of water per day, and try to avoid caffeine and alcohol as they will only make the problem worse. Drinking a lot of water can also help to flush out your system in case your diarrhea is being caused by a bacterial infection of some kind.

Eat Easily Digestible Foods

• Eating easy digestible foods will help calm your digestion process and give you less diarrhea. When having chronic diarrhea try to avoid foods that are greasy, very spicy, or very sweet, as these type of foods tend to exacerbate the condition. Try to avoid dairy products like cheese and milk products, as they can sometimes even cause more diarrheic problems. Some good foods to eat are bland, low-fiber foods like rice, bananas, toast, baked chicken and carrots. Try not to eat too much solid food until your condition improves.

Reestablish Intestinal Flora

• Reestablish intestinal flora in the body by taking a simple probiotic supplement at least once a day. Probiotic supplements will restore intestinal flora back in your system, not to mention maintain a healthy micro flora balance in your intestines. By maintaining this healthy balance, your body will be more capable to fight against infection and you will have less diarrheic episodes.

Maintain Healthy Habits

• By maintaining your immune system you will be better prepared to fight against bacterial infection, that might be causing your chronic diarrhea. You will need to have proper nutrition, and adequate amounts of sleep and exercise. By maintaining proper handwashing habits you can prevent the spread of viral diarrhea, and other viral infections.

Replace Electrolytes

• Electrolytes such as sodium, chloride, and potassium are important to keep at consistent levels in your body. Electrolytes are very important to the body because they are related to the body's water distribution, diffusion, absorption, as well as giving the body electricity. The presence and balance of these compounds determine how well your entire body performs these complex functions. Broth or soup, or various fruit or vegetable juices all contain adequate amounts of electrolytes. Even drinking Gatorade can help restore proper electrolyte levels, although it is not the recommended source.

Try Pasteurized Dairy Products

• Even though it is not recommended to consume too much dairy while having bouts of chronic diarrhea, if you must have dairy in your diet, you can try using only pasteurized dairy products. By pasteurizing dairy products through a process of heating dairy products for certain period of time, it can help kill bacteria that often lives in dairy products, that might be adversely affecting your intestinal health. Make sure when buying milk or eggs that they are pasteurized, however.