Are You Ever Plagued with Loose Bowels?

THE man had enjoyed a large Mexican dinner, from soup to nuts, as the saying goes. But before the night was over he had a violent case of diarrhea. His bowels had become inflamed because of highly seasoned food, to which he was not accustomed. His physician, a noted nutritionist, prescribed bed rest and nothing to eat but diluted milk and yeast for the next two days. This sufficed for the patient to recover.

You, of course, realize that diarrhea of various sorts has plagued mankind for a long time. The Bible tells of the shipwrecked apostle Paul curing an old man of dysentery or diarrhea while on the island of Malta nineteen hundred years ago.​—Acts 28:8.

During its long history much has been learned about the causes and cures of this disagreeable and sometimes fatal malady. Loose bowels can be the end result of a number of causes. It can be the price we pay for eating too much of the wrong things, things that our digestive systems cannot handle. Or, nervous or emotional factors can be the cause.

If you plan to tour abroad, watch out! As many as 50 percent of Americans who stay abroad two or more months have a bout with diarrhea. Because it so commonly afflicts tourists, it is known in some countries as turista, or the “globe-trotter’s peril,” or “the trots,” for short. Why are travelers especially plagued with this affliction? Some blame it on a change in water or climate or altitude, or a change in the intestinal flora. Others blame a form of “staph,” prevalent where there is poor refrigeration of food and where it is prepared under unsanitary conditions, which can also cause ptomaine poisoning. And then there is the problem of amoebas, so rampant in tropical lands, especially in vegetables eaten raw.

One of the most serious of infant diseases is loose bowels or enteritis. It has been classed as the “worst killer of child life,” especially in underdeveloped tropical lands. It has also been termed the “biggest and saddest world health problem.”

You, of course, would like to know what remedies there are, should this plague attack you or your children. If the case is stubborn, consulting the family physician may well be the most prudent course. If the cause is nervous or emotional strain, it stands to reason that the remedy would lie in getting control of yourself and endeavoring to lead a more moderate and calm life. Learning to adjust and to yield and compromise, where principles are not involved, as well as not taking everything too seriously, will doubtless be of great help.

If the cause can be traced to dietary indiscretion, the course prescribed by the above-mentioned nutritionist may prove to be the best. In fact, there are a number of nutritional approaches to the problem. Perhaps you have heard that ripe bananas are highly recommended, especially for infants. It is reported that New York City’s Foundling Hospital considers bananas the ideal first solid food for infants.

Breast-feeding infants is also reported to provide relief. One infant, which had gained only three ounces in three months, was about to die from diarrhea when a wet nurse brought it back to health by feeding it her own milk.

And coming more and more to the fore as a remedy for loose bowels, especially for infants, is simply carrot soup or puree to which nothing has been added.

Medical journals have also recommended the pulp of ripe apples, served either raw or cooked, because of their pectin. But watch that no skin or core is present and no sweetening or spices are added. Also recommended is ordinary oriental tea (because of its tannic acid), to which no sugar, lemon or milk has been added.

Another remedy that certain physicians have found helpful in combating loose bowels is carob powder, from the pod known as “Saint-John’s-bread.” It is a food very enjoyable to eat and has an appearance and flavor somewhat like chocolate. But here care must be taken, for if not used in moderation it can cause the opposite difficulty, constipation.

Yes, there are many causes of diarrhea to avoid. There are also a number of remedies to choose from should you or your children be plagued with loose bowels.