Wondering why your bloating and diarrhoea are recurring? Read this article to find out!
Bloating and diarrhoea often occur due to different medical conditions, which may be either temporary or permanent in nature. This leads to an uncomfortable situation resulting in gas, nausea, stomach pains or indigestion to name a few. But it is important to remember that bloating and diarrhoea might be sometimes the beginning of a chronic disease. Therefore, caution must be paid. If you regularly struggle with the above-mentioned gastric issues, then a simple home-remedy might not be the answer for you.
But before we get into the details of what can work for your bloating and diarrhoea problems, let’s first understand its symptoms, possible underlying causes, legible solutions and doctor-verified medicine that can help you.
Understanding belching and diarrhoea
Belching is another name for burping and is often a by-product of gas, diarrhoea, indigestion or even constipation. In scientific terms, diarrhoea is often the result of a virus or bacteria affecting your body. Diarrhoea results in loose and watery stools, which can also lead to dehydration.
Bacteria that cause diarrhoea include Campylobacter, Escherichia coli (E. coli), Salmonella, and Shigella. These can enter your system through contaminated food or water. However, it is not necessary that once you ingest this contaminated food or drink, you will get diarrhoea immediately. The initial phase of diarrhoea can sometimes even begin with belching, followed by bloating and diarrhoea.
Symptoms of Indigestion and diarrhoea
The first phase of any chronic or temporary medical condition that causes bloating or diarrhoea can include the following symptoms:
- Frequent burping or belching (sometimes with the taste from the food you’ve eaten recently)
- Gas
- Nausea
- Stomach pain
- Heartburn
- Loss of appetite
The second phase of such a condition can include the following symptoms:
- Vomiting
- Prolonged uneasiness
- Diarrhoea with loose or watery unstoppable stools
- Unbearable abdominal cramps
The last and final phase of bloating and diarrhoea because of a serious medical condition can result in the following symptoms:
- Fever
- Bloody stools
- Frequent vomiting
Causes of diarrhoea and bloating
Let’s now understand the causes behind the above-mentioned symptoms of bloating and diarrhoea. Please note, these might be the reason behind your frequent bloating and diarrhoea. However, it does not necessarily mean that you suffer from a chronic disease. Please consult your doctor before arriving at any conclusion.
The causes behind bloating and diarrhoea can include the following reasons:
- Infection: A viral or bacterial infection can lead to bloating or diarrhoea. This can be due to contaminated food or water.
- Gastroenteritis: Different types of viruses such as rotavirus and norovirus or bacteria such as salmonella or shigella can result in gastroenteritis and lead to bloating and diarrhoea.
- Food intolerances: These can include lactose or gluten allergies that cause bloating and diarrhoea. For example, if consuming milk or milk products such as cheese make you uncomfortable, lactose intolerance could be the root cause.
- Excess eating or overconsumption: Going overboard with rich foods such as fried street snacks or spicy foods with a mix of too many ingredients can be a common cause behind bloated stomach, diarrhoea or gas.
- Unhealthy lifestyle choices: It is not always necessary that you will suffer from bloating and diarrhoea as a result of other underlying conditions. Lifestyle choices play a big role in the recurrence of these problems. For example, overconsumption of alcohol (especially if you are on medication), being constantly under stress, consuming unnecessary medicines, not keeping enough gap between meals, and cigarette smoking are unhealthy lifestyle choices that can result in bloating and diarrhoea.
- IBS or irritable bowel syndrome: A gastrointestinal disorder, the foremost signs and symptoms of which include bloating and diarrhoea. This can occur due to foods that might not suit your digestive tract or medications that may be resulting in gastric issues.
Other (lesser) common causes of diarrhoea and bloating
Some uncommon reasons behind bloating and diarrhoea can include:
- Diabetes
- Appendicitis
- Chronic conditions that might also be affecting the digestive system
- Certain types of cancer
What to eat if you feel bloated
Doctors suggest eating lighter food if you feel bloated. Refrain from eating rich foods with too many spices or foods that have been fried (either shallow or deep).
These can include Yoghurt, berries, green tea, fermented foods such as pickles but in moderation, bananas and cucumber.
Some common home remedies that can help in bloating and diarrhoea consist of fruits such as bananas, papaya or cantaloupes. Drinking lemon juice or lemonade with less water and more lemons or coconut water can provide some relief as well.
You can also have cucumber slices, fennel seeds or oatmeal to soothe an intolerable abdominal discomfort.
Other than food, physical activities such as practicing yoga poses (Apanasana, forward bend, spinal twist and cat-cow pose), going for a walk to de-stress your body from all the bloating or diarrhoea discomfort and gently massaging your abdomen to initiate the process of gas release can come in handy in times of severe discomfort.
Prevention of diarrhoea and bloating
There are two ways of going about preventing diarrhoea and bloating: the first one includes refraining from areas with prevalence of contaminated food and in general staying clear of foods that frequently cause you gastric discomfort.
You can consume the following natural probiotics to prevent diarrhoea and bloating:
- Yoghurt
- Buttermilk (homemade)
- Pickles (in moderation)
- Kimchi
- Kombucha
- Cheeses such as cheddar, mozzarella, gouda
- Fruits such as bananas and watermelon
- Oatmeal
- Almonds
However, it may not always be possible to get the mentioned foods and drinks at all times. Neither is it possible to stay away from fried food especially during weddings or the festive reason.
Therefore, a more plausible option to prevent bloating and diarrhoea is a doctor-backed and verified medical treatment that includes probiotics. Normagut is one such way of keeping your intestines healthy. Normagut (capsule and sachet) is a gut-friendly medicine which aids in the establishment and maintenance of a well-functioning intestinal or gut-flora. It aids in the treatment and prevention of conditions like bloating, diarrhoea, gas, belching etc to name a few.
When to see your doctor?
It is important to remember that if your bloating and diarrhoea reach a stage where they don’t react to the above-stated foods, remedies or medicines, it can be due to an acute disease. Therefore, please consult a doctor if you frequently experience bloating and diarrhoea and these do not subside despite multiple treatment plans.
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Sources:
https://www.medicinenet.com/bloating_diarrhea_and_stomach_cramps/multisymptoms.htm
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/321869
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/323852
https://www.medicinenet.com/belching_and_diarrhea/multisymptoms.htm
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/14598-probiotics
https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/how-to-get-more-probiotics
