Diarrhea means bad food? The culprit may be these 7 things, don't take it lightly

Who doesn’t have diarrhea in the summer? What’s the big deal? NO, NO, NO, diarrhea can also be fatal!

It took only 24 hours for 56-year-old Ms. Wang to go from diarrhea to death.

The cause was that Ms. Wang ate some unclean food at home, and a few hours later she developed symptoms of vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal pain.

But a day later, Ms. Wang's diarrhea not only did not improve but became more severe. She became listless and had chest tightness and shortness of breath. Her family sent her to the hospital for treatment, and her condition worsened and she was transferred to the ICU.

When Ms. Wang arrived at the hospital, she was in shock, her blood pressure was as low as 80/40 mm Hg, her skin was very dry, and she had obvious signs of dehydration.

This was mainly because Ms. Wang excreted a large amount of watery stool during diarrhea one day, and also sweated profusely due to abdominal pain, resulting in too much water lost in her blood vessels, which was not replenished in time. In addition, she suffered from chronic underlying diseases, which induced complications.

During this period, Ms. Wang's condition continued to deteriorate, and she developed serious arrhythmias such as ventricular fibrillation. Despite all efforts to rescue her, Ms. Wang was ultimately unable to be saved.

According to the doctor, Ms. Wang's diarrhea turned out to be fatal because she took it too lightly. The most common complication of diarrhea in summer is shock. If shock is not treated in time, it may cause sudden death.

Diarrhea, also known as loose stools, is a common clinical symptom of the digestive tract, commonly known as loose stools. It is a sudden change from the usual bowel habits. The stool is mainly unformed. Some people may have accompanying symptoms such as a feeling of tenesmus or a feeling of anal prolapse.

When the frequency of bowel movements increases to more than 3 times a day, the feces are thin and the water content exceeds 85%, and the stool volume increases to more than 200g per day, it is diarrhea.

If the duration of the disease is less than 4 weeks, it is called acute diarrhea, and if it is more than 4 weeks, it is called chronic diarrhea. Clinically, chronic diarrhea can be divided into four types:

1. Secretory diarrhea

This type of diarrhea is represented by cholera. Its characteristic is that even if the patient abstains from food and water during bowel movements, the diarrhea will not stop. Therefore, the patient will suffer from severe dehydration or even shock in a short period of time. The treatment is mainly based on adequate fluid replacement.

2. Osmotic diarrhea

This type of diarrhea is represented by colonoscopy and oral polyethylene glycol electrolyte powder for bowel cleansing. The characteristic of this type of diarrhea is that the diarrhea will stop after the osmotic drug is discontinued.

3. Exudative diarrhea

This type of diarrhea is mainly caused by intestinal inflammation which increases mucosal secretions. This type of diarrhea is characterized by the presence of red and white blood cells in the stool.

4. Diarrhea caused by gastrointestinal motility disorders

The distinguishing feature is the absence of red and white blood cells.

In clinical practice, if diarrhea occurs, it is necessary to identify the cause of the diarrhea, conduct corresponding examinations to confirm the disease, and develop a reasonable treatment plan.

Why is diarrhea more common in summer?

Some netizens complained that when summer comes, their stomachs seem to have changed. Eating watermelon will cause diarrhea, drinking ice water will cause diarrhea, and eating barbecue will also cause diarrhea... Why is diarrhea so common in summer?

Summer is the "long summer" among the five seasons and the "earth" among the five elements in traditional Chinese medicine, corresponding to the spleen.

Therefore, digestive system diseases are more likely to occur in summer, such as diarrhea, bloating, indigestion, hiccups, etc., but more people suffer from diarrhea.

People often attribute diarrhea to "eating bad food", but it is not that simple. There are many causes of diarrhea, the most common ones are:

1

Dietary damage

As summer approaches, the days become longer and the nights shorter, and people's nightlife becomes richer.

Invite a few friends to drink and chat in the evening, beer and barbecue skewers have become the "standard" in summer. However, eating too much raw, cold, spicy, fatty and greasy food will damage the spleen and stomach, leading to dysfunction of the spleen and stomach, and thus diarrhea.

In addition, the summer is hot and humid, which easily breeds bacteria and viruses. Food is easily contaminated by pathogenic microorganisms, which increases the chance of infection after people eat it. Therefore, unclean diet is also an important factor leading to summer diarrhea.

2

Emotional disorders

In hot weather, people excrete more body fluids, which may affect the normal functioning of the digestive system. Some people will experience negative emotions such as irritability, anxiety, and anger, which will indirectly lead to loss of appetite, refusal to eat or drink, resulting in decreased immunity, gastrointestinal diseases, and diarrhea symptoms.

Some people also experience abdominal pain and diarrhea when they are emotionally stressed. This is what we often call "irritable bowel syndrome."

According to TCM theory, "the liver is a yang organ, which likes to be regulated and hates to be depressed, and its expression is anger". Summer is the season when the human body's yang energy is most abundant. The abundant yang energy in the human body causes the liver yang to easily rise, which can damage the liver and cause the liver to lose its ability to vent.

Excessive liver qi can damage the spleen and stomach, causing dysfunction of transportation and transformation, and incomplete digestion of food, resulting in diarrhea.

3

Weak spleen and stomach

Long-term eating disorders, internal injuries due to fatigue, long-term illness, etc. can easily lead to weak spleen and stomach.

If you have an irregular diet, eat too much, eat food that is difficult to digest, or have insufficient gastric motility, it will cause symptoms such as bloating, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, acid reflux, heartburn, and hiccups.

4

Bacterial infection

The weather is hot in the summer, and bacteria reproduce very quickly. The shelf life of food is short. If food is left for more than 4 hours, it is very likely to deteriorate or be invaded and contaminated by bacteria, such as E. coli. Once food contaminated by these bacteria is ingested, the intestines will be irritated and diarrhea will occur.

Common bacterial infections in summer include Salmonella, Vibrio cholerae, etc., which can be transmitted through food or water and cause diarrhea.

5

Viral infection

Common viral infections in summer include norovirus, rotavirus, etc., especially rotavirus infection, which is the most common. It can be transmitted through droplets or contact with contaminants, inducing diarrhea.

In addition, insects such as flies and cockroaches are active in summer. They carry a large number of pathogens and can easily spread various gastrointestinal infectious diseases.

6

Food poisoning

Many people like to eat cold dishes, raw foods such as fruits and cold drinks in summer. Due to the lack of thermal processing, these foods are more easily contaminated and spoiled. For example, eating uncooked lentils can cause acute diarrhea.

7

Cold abdomen

In summer, due to the hot weather, many people will sweat a lot. They will not cover themselves with quilts when sleeping at night or even turn on the air conditioner. This factor will cause cold stimulation to the abdomen, which will lead to local ischemia and hypoxia in the intestines, which will also cause diarrhea.

How to treat summer diarrhea?

• If diarrhea is accompanied by symptoms such as fever, vomiting, abdominal pain, etc., you can take oral medications such as Huoxiang Zhengqi Tablets, Belladonna Tablets, and Pimidic Acid for treatment.
• When diarrhea is severe, it can be treated with antidiarrheal drugs such as montmorillonite powder and phenoxylate tablets.
• When diarrhea is severe, it is recommended to undergo fluid rehydration therapy under the guidance of a doctor to avoid dehydration caused by electrolyte imbalance.
• Pay attention to food hygiene, eat three meals regularly, at regular times and in regular amounts, mainly eat light liquid food, eat less spicy and irritating food, and avoid overeating.

Teach you 4 ways to avoid diarrhea

In the eyes of some people, diarrhea may be a minor symptom. In fact, in addition to causing gastrointestinal discomfort, it is more dangerous because it can cause dehydration, electrolyte imbalance, abnormal renal function, acidosis, shock, etc.

To prevent diarrhea, the following are recommended:

01

Avoid being too cold and keep your abdomen warm.

Some people like to eat raw and cold food. They must eat it in moderation according to their physical condition. Even in summer, they must pay attention to keeping their abdomen warm.

02

Pay attention to food cleanliness and hygiene.

Keep areas that come into contact with food clean, pay attention to the cleanliness of kitchen utensils and tableware, and keep the knives and tableware used to process raw and cooked food separate and not mix them.

In addition, wash your hands before and after meals and after touching food.

03

Pay attention to refrigerator hygiene.

In particular, raw and cooked food in the refrigerator should be separated to avoid contamination by some bacteria that are adaptable to cold and afraid of heat. Meat should not be kept in the refrigerator for more than 2 days, and vegetables should not be kept for more than 5 days.

04

Food is best cooked before eating.

Food should be cooked thoroughly, do not eat stale or unclean fruits and vegetables, do not eat spoiled or expired water and food, and also pay attention to the hygiene of aquatic and seafood.

5 acupoint massage methods to regulate the spleen and stomach and stop diarrhea

The main lesions of diarrhea are in the spleen, stomach and large intestine, so the massage techniques are mainly focused on strengthening the spleen and stomach, warming and transforming cold and dampness, and the acupoints are mainly selected from the Stomach Meridian of Foot Yangming, the Spleen Meridian of Foot Taiyin and the Ren Meridian.

1. Abdominal massage

Rub the upper abdomen counterclockwise, and rub the area around the navel and lower abdomen clockwise for about 5 minutes in total.

This method is mainly used to strengthen the spleen and stomach, astringe the intestines and stop diarrhea.

2. Press and massage Tianshu and Zusanli

Tianshu: Horizontally at the level of the navel, 2 inches away from the anterior midline, one point on each side. Press and rub the Tianshu points on both sides with your thumb and index finger for about 2 minutes each.

Zusanli: Located on the outside of the calf, 3 inches below the calf nose. Use your thumbs to massage Zusanli on both sides for 2 minutes each.

3. Massage Zhongwan

Zhongwan is located in the abdomen, on the anterior midline, 4 inches above the navel and belongs to the Ren meridian.

Pressing and rubbing the Zhongwan point can soothe the liver and nourish the stomach, help digestion and relieve stagnation, harmonize the stomach and strengthen the spleen, and reduce adverse reactions and promote diuresis.

4. Press the Xiali point

Xiali Point is a special acupoint for treating diarrhea. Press this point hard with your fingers and the urge to defecate will disappear immediately.

When severe diarrhea occurs, stimulating this acupoint will relieve the symptoms.

Whether sitting upright or lying on your back with your legs crossed, this acupoint is located on the dorsum of the foot, 2 cm inward between the big toe and the second toe.

5. Wailaogong Point

If you have diarrhea, you can use your thumb to rub the Wailaogong point clockwise. You can massage it for 3 to 5 minutes every day, which can help relieve diarrhea.

The patient lies on his palm and the acupuncture point is located on the back of the hand, between the second and third metacarpal bones, 0.5 inches behind the metacarpophalangeal joint.

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