Sarah68

You need to include more fiber in your diet and you should start some Metamucil. It is a water soluble fiber supplement that is safe to be taken on a daily basis and is as good for diarrhea as constipation, as it will bulk up your stools. Ensure that you drink enough water with it though.

As you have diarrhea for sometime, it is possible that your natural gut flora are out of balance and you probably need to either start eating some live yogurt or taking some Acidophilus Caps, twice daily on an empty stomach to restore this balance. This can help stop diarrhea, gas and bloating too. Keep them in the fridge though, as heat kills bacteria.

Also, taking Calcium supplements is also a good natural way for stopping diarrhea. Calcium will help your colon to absorb more water back naturally and thus make your stools bulkier. Also, the herb slippery elm is also very good for diarrhea.

You should take a look at your diet too, to determine whether your diet is causing your symptoms. It could easily be and you could be intolerant to dairy and wheat products and lots of people with IBS find this to be the case. Try to cut out caffeine, alcohol, soda and junk food and increase your dietary carbs and see if this makes a difference too.

If you start experimenting with this now, you should be able to see if it helps before flying to Australia.

Sometimes, it is simple measure that can work best in this situation, rather than conventional drug therapy, as you have already found out.

Also, the homeopathic remedy ARSENICUM ALBUM is extremely effective for stopping diarrhea or diarrhea plus vomiting and stomach pain and any combination of this. These remedies are freely available from all pharmacies and healthfood stores in England and cost about £3.50-4.00. I would suggest that you purchase either a 6 or 30c potency and take some before your journey. Up to three doses should stop it, so that you have a comfortable flight to Australia.

There are lots of wonderful Naturopaths working in Australia and you could consider consulting one whilst you are out there to get some more natural help with your stomach problems. They make these wonderful herbal tinctures specifically for you that can make a world of difference.

Good luck and happy holidays.