What should I do if I have diarrhoea?

If you suspect you have diarrhoea, keep an eye on your symptoms. If they last for more than four days or any warning signs are apparent such as blood in your stools, excess mucus in your stools, severe pain, or you are showing signs of having a fever alongside the diarrhoea, we would advise tou to visit your doctor for advice.

In the mean time, drink plenty of water, incorporate an electrolyte solution too if you can, stick to plain foods such as dry toast or bananas as much as possible and avoid particularly high fat, spicy or creamy foods as well as caffeine and alcohol.

Tormentil is effective in helping to calm erratic contractions of the gut and maintain the normal, rhythmic contractions of the lower bowel.

Silicol gel contains silicic acid which may also be useful as it acts as a protective barrier for the digestive tract, soothing and calming the walls of the intestine as it synergistically binds toxins for excretion. Silicol gel can be useful if acute or chronic diarrhoea is present, for example after an infection or during a flare up of Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS).

Ali Cullen
Nutritional therapist