MYTH: DIARRHOEA GETS RID OF ‘THE NASTY STUFF’
Many people believe that it’s best to let diarrhoea run its course in order to ‘flush’ bacteria and toxins out of the system. In fact, diarrhoea is not always caused by bacterial or viral infection, there are a whole host of other causes.
Other common causes:
- Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is a common cause of diarrhoea; 20% of the population suffer from IBS, many of which have problems with diarrhoea at least some of the time1
- During menstruation it is thought that an increased level of the hormone ‘progesterone’, which is produced at this time, causes changes in the way the muscles in the gut wall contracts
- Stress or anxiety is a common cause of diarrhoea. When you are nervous the body produces adrenaline which has an effect on your nervous system. This can speed everything up, including your intestines, leading to diarrhoea
- Allergy or intolerance to certain foods
- Eating too much spicy or oily food
- Drinking too much alcohol or coffee
Your finely tuned tum!
As you can see, many things can ‘tip the balance’ of our sensitive digestive systems. In fact, just a 1% reduction in the efficiency of fluid absorption can lead to a bout of diarrhoea - so it’s easy to understand how a small change to your lifestyle or diet can lead to diarrhoea.
Immune to the truth!
Those who’d have you believe that diarrhoea actually rids the body of bad bacteria are likely to be ignoring all the facts: it is actually your immune system that fights infection, so there is no need to leave diarrhoea to run its course. So why endure it when you can relieve it? Don’t suffer in silence, you can treat your diarrhoea and can get back in control in just one hour with IMODIUM®!
1 NICE Clinical Practise Guideline. Irritable bowel syndrome in adults: Diagnosis and management of irritable bowel syndrome in primary care. February 2008.