Diarrhea is considered chronic if you are having five or more watery stools on a daily basis.  In chronic diarrhea, food allergies are a likely cause and should be identified and eliminated.  Often, a four-day rotation diet will be sufficient.

The cause of diarrhea can be numerous: incomplete digestion of food, food poisoning, food or chemical allergies, too many beans, contaminated water, medicines (e.g., as laxatives, antacids, and caffeine), parasites, viral or bacterial infection, unripe fruits, and rancid foods.  Since most acute diarrhea is self-limiting, due to dietary indiscretions or mild gastrointestinal infections, simple dietary and herbal approaches should be used first. 

Royal Recommendations for Prevention and Treatment

1.                 Include cultured yogurt and/or soured products (e.g., sauerkraut) into your diet.

2.                 Avoid taking medicines to control symptoms of diarrhea for at least a couple of days.  This is the body’s way of eliminating toxins.

3.                 During the acute phase of diarrhea, consider fasting in which no food is eaten.  However, clear liquids may be freely consumed, particularly soups, bouillon, teas, and plain mineral waters.  To help maintain electrolyte balance, dilute fruit and vegetable juices (such as papaya, pineapple, and carrot), sports drinks or jello may be consumed.  Adding 1/4 teaspoonful of sea salt to 8 ounces of is another good way to replenish minerals lost during diarrhea.

4.                 Diarrhea is a common reaction to food allergies.  (See “Allergy—Food.”)  At the very least, you can eliminate common allergens such as milk and gluten products such as wheat.  Limit your consumption of fats.  Follow the BRAT diet by increasing your consumption of bananas, rice, apples, and/or toast to reduce frequency of elimination.  These provide needed minerals and also absorb toxins.

5.                 Supplements to consider include charcoal tablets (which is a strong absorbent and should be taken by itself), acidophilus, digestive enzymes, and multi-minerals (especially potassium).

6.                 Herbs known to be beneficial in the treatment of diarrhea include cayenne, ginger, goldenseal, raspberry, and slippery elm.

7.                 Homeopathics effective in diarrhea are Arsenicum (when diarrhea is burning and accompanied by vomiting or chills), China (worse at night and associated with weakness from fluid loss), Phosphoric Acidum (in painless, acute or chronic, diarrhea), and Podophyllum (in severe chronic diarrhea worse in the morning and associated with colic).  Sulphur should be used if other remedies fail.  Once a remedy has been selected, it should be used in a low 3X, 6X, or 12X potency frequently until desired results have been obtained.

8.                 If all else fails, consider taking an enema.  Combine this with a magnesium sulfate drink made by taking 1-2 teaspoonfuls of epsom salts in body temperature water and drinking it first thing in the morning.  The drink is isotonic, will stimulate the gallbladder to release bile (which has a cleansing action of the gut), and should make its way through the entire digestive system.  Both of these will help to speed the release of toxins from the body.  (See “Coffee Enema.”)

9.                 Consider yourself dehydrated if you have a dry mouth, cracked lips, wrinkled skin, or urination that is reduced or stopped.  If this condition persists—or if you have a fever over 101 degrees, if there is pain in the abdomen, if there is blood in the stools, or the stool appears back as tar--see your doctor.

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