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THE DIARRHEA DIARIES
Dear Les,
I hope you can help me and I apologize if you are eating when you read this. Every now and then I get diarrhea and I’m not sure if it’s from something I ate or because I am stressed (assuming stress can cause the runs, irritable bowels, etc). For example, I might have sushi for lunch on a really hectic day only to find myself spending lots of time in the restroom that afternoon. Is it the sushi or the stress? Is there a good way to ID the cause because I would like to avoid needlessly cutting out foods that I like if it is really stress that takes me to the toilet.
Candy
Dear Candy,
Thanks for sharing. Yes, there is a good way to flush out the sources of your “relaxed” bowels, but first the poop on the stress-diarrhea-irritable bowel relationship.
Diarrhea’s loose, watery stools are a pain in the bum mostly because they have us running to the bathroom all day, but stress is rarely the reason for this temporary condition. Instead, blame bacterial and viral infections, many of which are living in the food and water we ingest. Intolerance to things like the sugar in dairy products (lactose), reactions to medicine, and conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), also rally the runs.
IBS is different than diarrhea. The latter is an IBS symptom, but IBS is a more complex and ongoing disorder of the lower intestinal tract that is often fueled by emotional stress. The characteristics of IBS are plentiful, including irregularities in the stretching and movement of the intestines. There’s no shortage of IBS affects either: chronic, frequent and often painful diarrhea, chronic, frequent and often painful constipation, bloating, gas, and/or a sensitive abdomen after eating that is relieved with a bowel movement. IBS is really common—the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disease estimates that as many as 20% of Americans experience IBS symptoms. Getting a health care providers input is recommended when the above side effects are on tap--especially when diarrhea just won’t quit.
Tough times with colleagues or a playground bully, for example, don’t cause IBS, but the stress from these situations can throw off the rhythms of our digestive system. So, if stress gets mixed into existing intestinal testiness, it can promote some or all of those lovely IBS symptoms.
Candy, your latest diarrhea diary entry says that you get the runs every now and then. Going on what we’ve talked about so far, your liquidity in the lavatory here and there is probably due to what’s going into your mouth, assuming that you have not been sick or on medication during the time of your unwanted bathroom visits. Actually, keeping an eating diary can get you to the bottom of what’s making you fast and loose; I suggest writing down for the next couple of weeks everything you eat, when you eat it, and what happens in the hours or day following your feasts. If sushi, milkshakes, peanut butter, or a sushi-milkshake-peanut butter combo, repeatedly leads to lava flows, alter your diet accordingly.
You were sweet to consider my feeding schedule when posing your question. Glad you did ask because most people with intermittent and regular digestive irregularities don’t do a darn thing about them, even though their discomfort can be dramatically reduced with dietary changes, medication, and of course, stress management.
Les
11/07
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