Loose stools-Causes and Treatment

Loose stool as the, name suggests, is a physical condition wherein, looseness of stools is experienced. This conditions is also known as loose motions or some times used to referred to conditions such as fecal incontinence, diarrhea etc. The condition may seem to be mild and temporary in most cases but it may also be a possible sign of underlying sever physical disorder or disease. Though there are several factors that may lead to such loose motions; colon can be considered as one of the chief factors causing the condition.  The colon usually absorbs significant amount of water content from the fecal substance in the body and leaves soft solid feces. There are various factors that may lead cause issues with colon leaving surplus amount of water in the feces which cause looseness stools while evacuated from the body.

It is usually noticed that indigested food usually leads to such physical condition. It is also due to infection in the intestine that transient episodic diarrhea may be experienced. In most cases digestive system malfunction are the reason behind the looseness of stools.

Causes of loose stools:

Loose stools can be effectively treated through efficacious medical regimen suggested by your health care professional. There are also some home remedies for loose motions, but you may effectively use these remedies based on the cause of the disease. There are several causes of looseness of feces and some of the effective causes may include:

Dietary sugar as reason for loose motion:

As mentioned above surplus water content in the feces in the body causes looseness of the stools. Dietary sugar is a substance that increases the degree of the water content in the stool which causes diarrhea. The small intestine has restricted capacity for digesting certain kinds of sugar alcohols such as xylito, sorbitol, isomalt etc. It is also believed by some health experts that ingesting excessive amount of sugar alcohol may also cause transient diarrhea. There are some foods which may naturally include these sugar alcohols; for example, vegetables and fruits such as cauliflower, corn, strawberries, lettuce, raspberries etc which contains sugar alcohol Xylitol. On the other had sorbitol can be found in fruits such as apple pears, etc. Sorbitol is also used as a sweetening agent in many products such as candies etc; these are low calorie sweetener. Processed food usually contains another dietary sugar which is known as mannitol. It is also naturally found in fruits such as asparagus, pineapple etc.

Infection of bowel and food poisoning:

Loose stools caused due to bowel infection are very common. Such infection of bowel occurs due to influence of bacteria or parasites etc. One of the common causes of diarrhea is viral gastroenteritis which is a condition wherein inflammation of stomach and intestine is experienced. There are numerous viruses such as noroviruses, astroviruses, etc which may lead to gastroenteritis. Some other causes of episodic diarrhea may include food poisoning caused due to salmonella infection, shigella infection, E.coli etc.

Malabsorption disorder:

Diseases that hinders the metabolization of food in the body or process of absorption of nutrients in the body are known as malabsorption disorders. This is amongst the conditions that may lead to loose stools. Malabsorption is usually caused due to reduced secretion of pancreatic digestive liquid, which causes impaired ability of the body to breakdown dietary fats, proteins as well as starch.

Inappropriate production as well as release of bile that is associated with liver cirrhosis or gallstone is among the frequent causes of diarrhea when an undigested fat in intestine is noticed. Celiac disease, Crohn’s disease, whipple disease etc are some of the physical conditions that causes intestinal disorders that may cause issues related to absorption of nutrients. Such absorption ability of the body may also result due to radiation therapy for cancer treatment.

Some other  loose stool causes:

• Watery stools

• Ulcerative colitis (colitis ulcerosa)

• Psuedomembranous colitis (colon infection)

• Ischemic colitis (inflammatory condition of large intestine)

• Cystic fibrosis also known as mucoviscidosis (abbreviated as CF)

• Cancer of the bowel

Treatment of loose stools:

Loose stools (loose motions) often lasts for more than a few days if not treated sooner, and you may have to visit lavatory too frequently. It is recorded that most people suffer from diarrhea at least once every year, due to some or the other reasons; but such a condition is usually not serious. There are various treatment techniques which can be medicine base or based on home remedies for loose motions.

Medicines for loose stools:

There are some loose stool medicines available over the counter in syrup or tablet form. Some of the common medicines are Bismuth subsalicylate, loperamide and Kaopectate etc. It is suggested that you consult a doctor in order to obtain effective treatment and faster relief. In some cases antibiotics are also prescribed to the patient suffering from loose motions. But such antibiotics may not be influential on viral infection. It is essential to consult your doctor if the condition persists for over three days. Doctors give satrogyl as an anti-baterial medication to treat stomach upset and give Loperamide (Imodium, for instance) to make the stool solid.

Home remedies for loose stools:

One should, first of all, take precautions as essential home remedies for loose motions; this will prevent aggravation of the condition. One should stop eating diary products, fat rich food and too spicy eatables. You should eat semi- solid as well as low fiber foods should be included in the diet. The patient should eat such light food and gradually increase to normal diet. Some of the low fiber foods include yogurt, apple- sauce, bananas and some peanut butter.

If the afflicted person’s rectal region is affected due to frequent visit to the lavatory and inflammation or pain in experienced then take sit in bath tub with warm water may provide relief from discomfort. A person should pat dry the rectal region after bath and should not rub. Some experts suggest applying petroleum jelly to the rectal region to decrease discomfort.

These are some treatment options for coping up with loose stools. However, it is still better to consult a doctor, as these symptoms may be formidable sign of any underlying disease. Hence, if you experience loose stool for over three days it is essential to seek treatment immediately.