01 Nov Diarrhea that Needs to be Treated and Doesn’t Need to be Treated
Frequently recurring excretion is diarrhea, even when the feces look normal.
If constipation is a delayed excretion after digestion, diarrhea is sudden or very frequent excretion. To be specific, sudden growth in the number of excretions, abnormally mushy and watery feces or increased amount of excretion, is medically known as conditions for diarrhea. On average, excretion up to three times a day is normal. Even if the number of visits to the bathroom is less than three, if you’re experiencing an inconvenience in daily activities or are afraid of consuming certain foods, it is considered abnormal bowel movement that should be treated in Oriental Medicine.
Diarrhea is so common that it is often overlooked as a disease.
Diarrhea is a very common disease. According to statistics, about a hundred million people, worldwide, experience acute diarrhea every year. Its symptoms easily disappear without any treatment and an emergency caused by diarrhea is very rare in developed countries like the United States. Because of these reasons, people habitually overlook the serious symptoms that diarrhea can cause. Being too worried about one-time diarrhea or constipation and visiting a doctor for a diagnosis isn’t necessary, but frequent recurring diarrhea or constipation could be a signal of serious symptoms that should be of concern.
Difference between acute and chronic diarrhea.
If diarrhea has been recurring for 2 weeks, it’s medically considered acute diarrhea. Chronic diarrhea is when it goes on for four or more weeks. They are discerned by their duration because the difference in the length of consistent diarrhea distinguishes the cause of such symptoms. Diarrhea that people more commonly suffer from is acute diarrhea (90% of cases) due to infection. If the patient experiences vomiting, fevers, and stomachaches along with acute diarrhea, it’s reasonable to question bacterial infection. The bacterial infection is caused by eating spoiled food most of the time, but weakened immune systems for making immunity-related medication such as immunity suppressants could be the cause. Or paradoxically, taking antibiotics to cure bacterial infection can cause more severe bacterial infections through the intrusion of more bacteria when the number of intestinal bacteria is reduced.
Symptoms of diarrhea that need treatment.
Most acute diarrhea heals naturally, so it doesn’t require a prescription or diagnosis, but there are rare cases of acute diarrhea that evolve to be an emergency that needs to be checked. The patient should see a doctor if the following symptoms accompany acute diarrhea: sudden dehydration, fever above 101.12 degrees Fahrenheit, continuous symptoms over 48hours, serious abdominal pain for adults over 50 years old, seniors, or patients on immunity suppressants, or if multiple of these symptoms occur simultaneously. It is recommended to go to a hospital for the diagnosis rather than an Oriental Medicine clinic.
What to do for diarrhea that needs treatment.
Normally, the principal treatment for acute diarrhea is to hydrate and replenish electrolytes (prescribed antibiotics for special cases). Some people who often experience diarrhea skip drinking water to avoid going to the bathroom, but this can be critical to one’s health because it causes serious dehydration. Also taking antidiarrheal could actually worsen the symptoms by disabling the excretion of bacteria and toxins out of the body.
On the other hand, chronic diarrhea has no relation to bacterial infection. It is often accompanied by a fever, stomachache, or symptoms of infection, but because it’s not caused by a bacterial infection it cannot be treated solely with antibiotics or sterilizers. Also, chronic diarrhea isn’t a big concern in itself, but it can be a symptom of a bigger problem that has to be closely diagnosed. These symptoms can be effectively treated through Oriental Medicine by balancing out the whole body.