Suffering from Diarrhea due to Anxiety and Stress? Try these top Homeopathic Medicines

Diarrhea refers to passing loose, watery stool frequently, which means three or more three times a day. It can be attended with pain or cramps in the stomach, urgency to pass stool and passing stool involuntarily (means without your own knowledge). Diarrhea can happen due to many reasons. You might have generally heard of the common causes, like stomach infection, food poisoning or some other gastric issue. What most of us don’t know is that anxiety (refers to state of fear, nervousness and worry) and stress too can lead to diarrhea. It is very common to have an upset stomach resulting from stress and anxiety. The turmoil going on in our mind due to stress and anxiety can affect our gut. Besides diarrhea, other symptoms of stress and anxiety include sadness, fear, irritability, tiredness, sleep issues, palpitations, restlessness and headache.

Causes Of Diarrhea From Anxiety And Stress

1. There is a relation between our brain and gastric system. This is known as the brain–gut axis. Our gastric system contains numerous nerve cells about 600 million that is why it is also referred as enteric nervous system or the second little brain. Several studies have suggested that the brain in skull constantly communicates with the gut brain. So any mood issue tends to have an effect on the gut and any gut problem does have an impact on the mood. When a person is anxious or stressed, brain signals and the hormones going in the gastric tract result in chemical imbalance hindering the digestive process. This can result in many gastric symptoms including diarrhea.

2. Our body’s fight or flight mechanism also plays a role. It refers to the reaction our body gives on recognising some threat or harm about to occur to the body. On perceiving a threat, a series of physical changes occur in the body like increased heart rate, high blood pressure and changes in digestion process (resulting in diarrhea, nausea, stomach cramps). To be precise, the function of small intestine slows down and the motility of the large intestine increases which results in diarrhea.

3. Other reasons how stress and anxiety can cause diarrhea include increased blood flow to the affected muscle instead of the gastric system (blood flow is diverted from gastric organs to confront a crisis resulting from anxiety or stress), release of cortisol and adrenaline and change in gut bacteria with increase in number of unhealthy bacteria.

4. In a research, it has been found that persons having anxiety have increased amount of interleukin -1 beta that tends to affect the protective barrier of the intestine and result in pain and defective absorption of water and sodium from intestine. These can cause diarrhea.

5. There is a very well–known, quite common gastric issue related to anxiety and stress i.e. IBS – Irritable bowel syndrome. It is a disorder of the large intestine resulting in changes in bowel habit either diarrhea or constipation and in some cases alternation between the two; stomach cramps and bloating. It is well known that stress and anxiety could be potential triggers for IBS symptoms. In such cases, stress and anxiety act on nerves and make the gastric system hyperactive.

Homeopathic Management

Homeopathic medicines carry great scope to manage cases of diarrhea due to anxiety and stress. The use of these medicines is recommended in both acute as well as chronic cases. They can handle diarrhea that has occurred from acute episode of anxiety and stress as well as help gradually decrease the tendency to have diarrhea from chronic stress and anxiety. These are equally helpful in managing cases of IBS-related diarrhea. These medicines primarily focus on the psychological level to treat the root cause of anxiety and stress which is causing diarrhea. Once anxiety and stress go away, diarrhea itself gets better. The best part of using these medicines is that they are free from side effects as well as are not habit-forming. It is advised to get every case of diarrhea evaluated by a physician so that the cause behind this condition can be rightly diagnosed as it can arise from several causes, followed by its proper treatment. Self – medication should be avoided in any case.

Homeopathic Medicines For Diarrhea Due To Anxiety And Stress

1. Argentum Nitricum – Topmost Medicine

Argentum Nitricum is the most frequently recommended medicine for managing cases of diarrhea from anxiety. To be more specific, it is highly suitable when diarrhea occurs in cases of anticipatory anxiety. It refers to anxiety occurring from a chain of thoughts in mind about some event that is about to happen in the near future. As for example a family function, a school examination, some public meeting, some stage performance, a visit to a doctor’s clinic and so on. Here the constant thoughts keep coming one after the other about failure causing anxiety. In such cases, sometimes a person suffers from diarrhea and Argentum Nitricum is the best choice of remedy. Diarrhea may get worse soon after eating or drinking anything in cases, needing this medicine. Stool is attended with much gas. Besides, persons needing this medicine are always in a hurry, are impatient and impulsive.

2. Gelsemium

Gelsemium is the next prominent medicine to deal with cases of diarrhea due to anxiety, stress and fear. Persons needing this medicine have a number of anxieties and fears. For example, anxiety about present and future, about health, from hearing some bad news and fear of going to public places, of attending a public event. Any anxiety or fear episode brings loose stool. The stool is painless. In some cases, involuntary passage of stool can occur too.

3. Arsenic Album

Another well-indicated medicine to manage diarrhea from anxiety is Arsenic Album. In cases requiring it, loose stool is passed, along with weakness and a cold feeling in the limbs. There are marked anxieties like anxiety about health, about others, about the future, etc. Other attending symptoms may include restlessness, trembling, chest constriction and difficulty in breathing.

4. Kali Phos

Kali Phos is a leading medicine in homeopathy to manage mind-related stress and complaints arising therefrom. This medicine helps in controlling stress and managing its associated diarrhea wonderfully. It is suitable to persons who get stressed out from little things, remain sad and worried. This stress is affecting their gastric system. They suffer loose stool having foul smell and excessive gas in abdomen. Other complaints that can be present along with above symptoms includes sleep issues and tiredness.

5. China

China is very beneficial when there is frequent loose stool with excessive weakness. Along with this there is excessive gas in abdomen and bloating of abdomen. Stool has foul smell. Rumbling sensation in stomach pit can be felt. In cases needing it, there is a tendency to get anxious on small things.

6. Ignatia

It is another natural remedy for managing diarrhea related to stress, anxiety, depression, fright. It is indicated for persons who remain sad, irritable, and depressed from stress. They get frequent loose stool without pain. Though stool is frequent, it is scanty. There is gas rumbling in the abdomen.

7. Silicea

This medicine is suited to those who have anxiety issues, are very nervous and fear appearing in public. They feel high level of anxiety when have to give a speech or perform an act on stage with fear of speaking in front of a group of people. They have loose stool with pain in abdomen and weakness. Rumbling and heat are felt in the abdomen. There is a tendency to sweat heavily especially on hand and feet, where this medicine is required.