diarrhea

Topic summary contributed by volunteer(s): Crystal

Most Americans suffer an acute diarrheal illness every year. Certain foods may increase our risk of getting diarrhea such as meat, gluten if we have a gluten sensitivity, and fish. Diarrhea can also be an unwanted side effects for many medications including metformin, an antidiabetes drug, antibiotics, and the diet drug, alli.

Some foods that may help prevent diarrhea include foods high in fiber, probiotics, chamomile tea, and amla. Good gut flora is one key to preventing diarrhea.

For substantiation of any statements of fact from the peer-reviewed medical literature, please see the associated videos below.

33 videos

All Videos for Diarrhea

Supplement capsules from a container on a wooden table

The Benefits and Side Effects of Probiotic Supplements

Probiotics can actually interfere with microbiome recovery after antibiotics, rather than facilitate it.

Different pharmaceuticals just unpacked from a box

Side Effects of Metformin as a Life-Extension Drug

As a mild mitochondrial poison, metformin carries a variety of downsides.

Digital illustration of inner workings of abdomen

Fecal Transplants for Ulcerative Colitis, MS, Depression, Bipolar, and Alcoholism

I go over randomized, controlled trials and case reports of stool transplants for various clinical conditions.

How Much Erythritol Sweetener Is Too Much?

What are the maximum acute and daily doses for adults and children to avoid gastrointestinal effects?

Does the Sweetener Allulose Have Side Effects?

How safe are fourth-generation sweeteners, such as the rare sugar allulose?

Group of homegrown red and purple potatoes in rustic setting with dirt

The Healthiest Type of Potato

Are yellow-fleshed potatoes healthier than white? And, what about the glycoalkaloid toxins?

Prunes: A Natural Remedy for Constipation

Prunes, figs, and exercise are put to the test as natural home remedies for constipation.

doctor in protective mask performing surgery while assistants help him

The Complications of Bariatric Weight-Loss Surgery

The extent of risk from bariatric weight-loss surgery may depend on the skill of the surgeon.

Young female suffering from stomach ache on gray background

Fasting for Irritable Bowel Syndrome

More than half of IBS sufferers appear to have a form of atypical food allergy.

Fiber vs. Low FODMAP for SIBO Symptoms

It may not be the number of bacteria growing in your small intestine, but the type of bacteria, which can be corrected with diet.

The Best Diet for Ulcerative Colitis Treatment

Plant-based diets can be 98 percent effective in keeping ulcerative colitis patients in remission, blowing away other treatments.

COVID-19 Symptoms vs. the Flu, a Cold, or Allergies

What does the clinical course of COVID-19 look like for both those who survive and those who don’t?

Best Supplement for Canker Sores

Vitamin C, turmeric, beta-glucan fiber, and vitamin B12 are put to the test for recurring canker sores (aphthous ulcers).

Can Aloe Cure Cancer?

From a case report to a randomized controlled trial, aloe is put to the test against cancer.

The Role of the Gut Microbiome in Autism

What role do antibiotics play in the development and treatment of autism spectrum disorder?

Are Lectins in Food Good or Bad for You?

Might lectins help explain why those who eat more beans and whole grains have less cancer?

Is Nutritional Yeast Healthy for Everyone?

Those with certain autoimmune diseases such as Crohn’s disease should probably not eat nutritional yeast.

Black Raspberry Supplements Put to the Test

Less than half of herbal supplements tested from a dozen companies were found to be authentic.

Fennel Seeds for Menstrual Cramps and PMS

Fennel seeds can work as effectively as drugs like ibuprofen for painful periods, and an eighth of a teaspoon of ginger powder three times a day can cut menstrual bleeding in half.

Prebiotics: Tending Our Inner Garden

Why does our immune system confuse unhealthy diets with dysbiosis—an overrun of bad bacteria in our colon?

How Many Bowel Movements Should You Have Every Day?

Most people have between 3 bowel movements a day and 3 a week, but normal doesn’t necessarily mean optimal.

Do Antidepressant Drugs Really Work?

Freedom of Information Act documents show drug companies hid critical findings from doctors and the public.

Juicing Removes More than Just Fiber

The majority of polyphenol phytonutrients may be bound to fiber, helping to explain the marked difference in health impacts between whole fruit and fruit juice.

How to Prevent Prediabetes from Turning into Diabetes

Approximately 1 in 3 Americans have prediabetes, but only about 1 in 10 knows it. What works better at preventing it from turning into full-blown diabetes—drugs or diet and exercise?

Is Gluten Sensitivity Real?

For more than 30 years, the medical profession has debated the existence of an intolerance to the wheat protein, gluten, unrelated to allergy or celiac disease. What is the evidence pro and con?

What’s the Best Mouthwash?

There’s a cheap concoction one can make at home that safely wipes out cavity-forming bacteria on our teeth better than chlorhexidine mouthwash and also reduces their plaque-forming ability.

Preventing the Common Cold with Probiotics?

Though prebiotics may be preferable, probiotics may reduce the risk of upper respiratory tract infections.

Preventing & Treating Diarrhea with Probiotics

Probiotics may help prevent antibiotic-associated diarrhea, and appear to speed recovery from acute gastroenteritis.

Chamomile Tea May Not Be Safe During Pregnancy

For the same reason aspirin should be avoided in pregnancy, chamomile has such powerful anti-inflammatory properties that regular consumption may result in a serious fetal heart problem—premature constriction of the fetal ductus arteriosus, which allows the fetus to “breathe” in the womb.

Unsafe at Any Feed

In a national survey, fewer than half of the participants realized meat contaminated with fecal food-poisoning bacteria, such as Salmonella, can still legally be sold. Rather than producing safe products, the meat industry shifts the responsibility for safety onto the consumer.

Flax and Fecal Flora

The trillions of good bacteria in our gut can be thought of as an additional organ—metabolizing, detoxifying, and activating many crucial components of our diet. The formation of lignans from phytonutrient precursors found predominantly in flax seeds is one such example.

Dragon’s Blood

The four most antioxidant-packed natural substances so far tested are cloves, amla (Indian gooseberries), triphala (a combination of amla, bibhitaki, and haritaki fruits), and dragon’s blood.

Amla vs. Cancer Cell Growth

Indian gooseberries (amla), an important plant in Ayurvedic medicine, may have anticancer properties, as well as cough-, fever-, pain-, stress-, and diarrhea-suppressing effects.