No, I’m not talking about diarrhea of the mouth. If you are human, you have probably experienced diarrhea at one time or another. If it’s alright with you, I’d like to take a few moments to share what led me to discuss diarrhea in this blog post, and maybe even a little bit about the experiences of some people I’ve known—including myself—who have dealt with diarrhea.
One of the more embarrassing topics in our culture, and similar ones, is diarrhea. Every culture is a little different. Western culture is extremely visual. We’ve been conditioned to believe that if we don’t look like a high-fashion model on TV or some seemingly perfect celebrity, then we haven’t fully lived. The brainwashing, programming, and paradigm-shifting is so powerful that our society has reached the point—at least in the U.S. and similar countries like Great Britain and Australia—where we really can’t separate ourselves from the highly visual world we live in.
Let’s face the facts: we can’t go out in public naked. More attractive people tend to get higher-paying jobs. People judge us by the type and style of clothes we wear. In many parts of the country, women still aren’t respected when they lead a business meeting. Many of us care what type of car we drive for a variety of reasons. In professions like law, medicine, and accounting, there’s often a dress code.
So, what does this have to do with diarrhea? If we have diarrhea in public so severe that we can’t find a restroom in time, it becomes a serious problem. It’s more common than you might think, but it’s also deeply embarrassing in our appearance-driven culture. We’ve even developed a slang term for when someone can’t hold it and fecal material leaves a visible stain: “skid marks.”
It never fails to surprise me how deeply embedded ideas about health are in our society. Helping patients who experience diarrhea has been one of the most challenging things I’ve faced as a healthcare provider, and there’s a good reason for that. Most of the time, when my patients experience diarrhea, it’s actually a good thing! Diarrhea is one way the body releases poisons, toxins, and even infectious microbes like parasites, viruses, mold, yeast, fungus, candida, mycotoxins, and bacteria. Why would you want these nasty substances lingering in your system?
But what are we usually told about diarrhea? That we need to do whatever is necessary to stop it—take Pepto Bismol, activated charcoal, baking soda, or eat rice. What does this really do? It interferes with the body’s natural healing process. If you have a fungal infection, a parasite, or even a bacterial infection, diarrhea can be one of the best ways your body gets rid of it. If you’re doing a liver cleanse, kidney cleanse, or heavy metal cleanse, diarrhea is one of the most effective ways to expel dangerous substances from the body.
Now, I’m completely open to the idea that if diarrhea is too severe to continue working, something should be done to balance it with your need to work. Yes, we all need to pay our bills. But, if your health has declined to the point where you’re experiencing diarrhea, don’t you think it might be a good idea to take a few days off to heal? Wouldn’t that make you healthier, happier, and more productive in the long run?
The most effective way to address diarrhea is to tackle the cause. Why do you have diarrhea? By addressing the root cause, you should be able to stop it and prevent it from recurring. Understanding the cause of diarrhea takes some detective work, which is where a healthcare professional like Dr. Ilya Skolnikoff, DC, DIBAK of Triad Of Health Family Healing Center, comes in. A healthcare detective can determine not just what causes diarrhea in general, but what is specifically causing your diarrhea.
There are millions of treatments for diarrhea, but thinking in terms of finding a single “cure” is silly. What really works is diagnosing the underlying cause of your condition and having an effective system of therapies to correct the imbalance. If this concept is unclear, feel free to call our office for further explanation, or better yet, schedule a New Patient Health History and Physical Examination so we can determine what’s causing your health issues and how to help you.
If there’s only one takeaway from this post, it’s that diarrhea is not necessarily bad. If you experience diarrhea, consider finding a well-trained healthcare provider who can help you discover why and who has an effective system of diagnosis and treatment to resolve it. I hope this healthcare provider would also educate you on your condition, how it developed, and how you can work together as a team to eliminate it.
Please note that I’m not saying diarrhea is always good. Prolonged diarrhea can be dangerous, leading to electrolyte imbalances and nutritional deficiencies. However, diarrhea that is carefully monitored by a healthcare provider and even anticipated during a detox is very different from uncontrolled, chronic, severe diarrhea. I’ve had overweight patients experience mild diarrhea for just seven days and lose 10 to 13 pounds, keeping the weight off. That kind of diarrhea doesn’t sound so bad to me!
Remember, people who regularly experience diarrhea often suffer from Open Ileocecal Valve Syndrome. The circle in the diagram surrounds the Ileocecal Valve, showing the problem’s location. But what’s the cause?
When I was about 10 years old, I had diarrhea so bad I couldn’t make it to the restroom in time. It was embarrassing. Despite my father being a medical doctor, nobody figured out what was going on. I was eating foods I was allergic to, and my body couldn’t handle it, so it expelled the allergens.
I’ve also had friends, mostly women, who have had such severe diarrhea they had to pull over on the side of the road to relieve themselves. One friend even considered wearing a diaper! These are people in their late 30s. A common factor among them was a diet high in dairy, sugar, and wheat—foods like ice cream, pizza, and smoothies, which may not be the healthiest choices for good digestion.
