Last updated on August 21, 2024 by Dr. Subashri Thanigaivel
“I see my stools watery, Jane,” Jack shouted.
“Is it?” Jane frowned and said, “But I see you frequently using the toilet, making a mess out there.”
A small verbal war started between Jack and Jane. And the war topic was diarrhea – loose motions in layman’s terms.
Chapter 1 – What Is Diarrhea?
When the war was about to end, Jane said, “And now I get it. You are suffering from diarrhea, which is nothing but loose motions that occur twice, thrice, or more than that in a single day. To put it simply – frequent watery stools than usual.”
With a confused expression, Jack stared at Jane’s lips as if he had gone deaf and tried to lip-read Jane’s speech and slowly whispered,
“From what??
Diaaaa…rrr…eeaaa….! What is that?”
Jack’s question stunned Jane. But keeping her mind calm, she sat before him to explain – just like a teacher explaining to a student. Fortunately, Jane is an Ayurvedic doctor. And her knowledge comes in handy in situations like this.
Before Jane could accept the reality of Jack’s minimal knowledge about diarrhea(loose motions), Jack proposed his next question.
“Why is this happening?
Does this happen to everybody?
When will this stop?”
“Okay, hold on right there, one question at a time, and I am sure I can give you a satisfactory answer to all your questions.” Jane sounded strict and confident.
Taking a deep breath, Jane started her speech, “Yes, diarrhea or loose motions can occur to anybody. There are many reasons for this – indigestion, infection, or sometimes loose motions can even be a vital sign for fatal diseases like cancer. Whatever it may be, loose motions mainly occur when the water content is more than required. So these extra liquids along with feces are excreted as loose motions”.
Jane stopped and looked at Jack sitting opposite like an expressionless stone. Worried, she shook his hand and called his name – JACK.”
Chapter 2 – Is Jack Suffering From Cancer
Shocked, Jack uttered, “CANCER”
After a pause, Jack said, “Am I also suffering from …..”
“NO, not at all, Jack.” Jane stopped him from completing his sentence.
“Don’t assume things if you’re not sure about it,” Jane warned Jack.
In a worried tone, Jack asked, “Then when will this stop, Jane?”
With a soft tone, Jane continued, “It depends on various factors. For some, loose stools come to an end within two to three days. But for some, it may prolong for a week.”
Moving forward, Jane held her hands tight over Jack’s, and giving him a hopeful expression she said, “Jack, before getting down to a conclusion, let’s follow the procedure.”
“What conclusion – whether I’m having cancer or not? And what procedure are you talking about, Jane?”
Jane moved a little bit forward, looked through Jack’s eyes, and said, “We aren’t talking about cancer here. First, we have to sort out with the loose motion stuff, shouldn’t we?”
“Yes, how am I supposed to sort it out?” Jack mumbled to himself.
“DIET, Jack” Jane gave a single word as an answer to all his questions.
Chapter 3 – Ayurvedic Remedies To Stop Loose Motions
Looking at the doubtful look that Jack gave, Jane smiled and continued, “Let me give you a brief description of what to eat, what to avoid, what to do, and what not to do when anybody is suffering from diarrhea – loose motions.”
That was a big instruction list that Jane dictated, making Jack feel as if she was reading through a doctor’s script.
Things to do and not to do during diarrhea/loose motions Never take any kind of medicine immediately to stop your loose stools. It is good to excrete the waste that causes indigestion or infection leading to diarrhea. During diarrhea, one must make sure to keep their intestine intact in such a way that it absorbs the necessary nutrients needed for the body. Probably, at this time, you can have a warm glass of water mixed with one spoon of Kadukkai Powder (Haritaki Powder). This helps in improving your digestion and absorption capacity. Dehydration and electrolyte imbalance are the two main criteria that need focus during diarrhea. In this situation, your body demands water, nutrition, and electrolyte. In a way to satisfy this, you must include a diet that increases your appetite, increases your intestinal absorption capacity, and maintains intestinal movements.
Simple Home Recipes To Control Loose Stools
Buttermilk Congee (Moore Congee)
Steam one glass of rice in 14 glasses of water. Let the rice be overcooked. Now drain the congee water separately. Add 50% of buttermilk to 50% of congee water with salt for taste.
Buttermilk Rasam (Moore Rasam)
Some suffer from stomach pain during loose motions. This recipe suits them better. Heat oil in a vessel, then add the required amount of cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds, ginger, and curry leaves. After a few minutes, when the ingredients are half cooked, add buttermilk that is mixed with turmeric powder, asafoetida, and salt to the vessel. Turn off the fire when you see small boils popping up.
You can have this dish together with rice. This not only improves your appetite but also improves your strength.
A mixture of congee and water in which spinach is boiled
Some have the symptom of farting while excreting loose feces. This dish is good during such conditions.
Boil spinach in water and extract the water separately. Add this to the congee rice water and have it.
Other ingredients that you can include in the above recipes – Black Salt, Coriander Seeds, Dried Ginger (Sukku), Carom Seeds (Ajwain/Omam), Indian Long Pepper (Kandanthippili), Yellow-fruit Nightshade (Kandankathiri), etc.
Curd
When you see that your appetite is increasing slowly, then have this dish at that time.
Mix cumin seed (jeera) powder and asafoetida powder to curd at room temperature. Don’t use curd directly taken from the refrigerator.
“Follow the above diet for two to three days, Jack. I am sure you can witness your recovery from diarrhea and slowly excretion of loose stools will stop”
Seeing Jack mentally memorizing the recipes, Jane smiled and said, “I can help you prepare them, don’t worry.” Jack smiled.
Chapter 4 – How To Maintain Health After Diarrhea (Loose Motions)
Jane continued, “Now comes the most important thing that you should note. Once you see that the loose stools have been arrested, then include the following diet atleast for two meals a day and follow the same for atleast a week.”
- Pulungal arisi (a specific variety of rice) congee
- Urad bean congee (ulundu)
- Green gram soup (Pachai Payaru)
- Buttermilk rice
“Wait! Why should I eat all these even after getting recovered from diarrhea?” Jack questioned.
With a sweet smile, Jane replied, “Some get tired after loose motions. And the stomach becomes so empty that it can cause muscle cramps. Also, the intestinal muscles would be very tired after frequent motion excretion. You can also observe constipation symptoms due to this. If you want to skip all this pain and discomfort, you must eat these healthy dishes even after your recovery.”
“And have a small amount of Jeera water (water boiled with cumin seeds) or buttermilk added with cumin powder when you feel thirsty – this balances the water level in your body.” As soon as Jane completed her lecture, Jack sighed saying, “too much to remember.”
“Any doubts, Jack?”
Jack nodded and said “Nope”
Becoming a bit conscious in expression and with a severe tone, Jane said, “These are some things you must follow but there are certain things you must avoid during loose motions.”
“What are they?” Jack went curious with his question.
Yet on another serious note, Jane answered, “Most importantly, you must avoid spicy foods and reduce spice in your diet. It is good enough to avoid fruits and vegetables too. Taking salt water or fruit juices is not advisable, as it slows down the digestion capacity.”
Interrupting Jane’s speech, Jack spoke, “As you said Jane, the primary focus during loose motions is to increase the intestinal absorption capacity. Then what is the point in drinking too much water or juices when you are losing them through feces?”
“Yes, absolutely right. You got me, Jack. That is why taking salt water or fruit juices is not advisable during diarrhea.” Jane tuned up with excitement. An achievement for her. She made Jack understand the concept behind diarrhea/loose motions and how to manage diet according to the body’s condition.
“Just like Jack, have you also understood this concept? Dear Reader”
Jane stood up. As she walked past, Jack asked her “Where are you going?”
With a sigh, Jane said, “I am on my mission to prepare you the diet, as you see you are suffering from loose motion. Atleast in that way I can save my energy from cleaning toilets. The faster you recover, the happier will I feel – for my toilets!” Jane left the room with a smirky smile.
Scroll down. Something left for (you) reader to find!
Who Is Jane Here?
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