Loose Bowel Movements (LBM) and Diarrhea

Definition: Loose Bowel Movements are watery stools.  This
can occur for a number of reasons.  Reasons include
gastroenteritis, bacterial infections, viral infections,
milk intolerance, osmotic diarrhea, taking antibiotics,
food poisoning, colitis, laxatives, and other reasons.

Diarrhea is defined as an increase in the frequency, fluidity,
and volume of bowel movements.  Normal bowel movements
vary from individual, while one person may normally
have 2 bowel movements per day, another person may
have one bowel movement every 3-4 days and the definition
must take this into account.

Types of Diarrhea
1. Osmotic diarrhea
2. Secretory diarrhea
3. Deletion or interference with normal ion abdorption
4. Exudative disease
5. Impaired contact between intestinal chyme an absorbing
surface.  Rapid transit, short bowel syndromes.
6. Bloody stools.
Colitis, crohns, rotavirus, infectious, ulcers, gastrointestinal
bleeds.

Therapy:  LBM therapy is aimed toward determining the cause
and treating that.  In some cases symptomatic therapy is
initiated for comfort.  

Lomotil and imodium and narcotics slow down bowel
movement which in turn stops diarrhea.

For amoeba and giardia the treatment of choice is
flagyl (metronidazole) an antibiotic that kills the
parasite.  The diarrhea usually stops within hours
once treatment is initiated.

If a viral infection, many of these are self limiting
and they end in 24 - 48 hours.

With frequent diarrhea, once every hour or more, one
can become dehydrated and become very sick.  If this
occurs, one must drink lots of fluids to make sure
that dehydration does not occur.

If problems: Problems occur with the continuing of LBM
and not getting a resolution.  It is important to follow
up with your primary physician to determine the etilogy and
to determine a definitive therapy.