In order to help keep the bowels healthy, customers should:

• Eat a varied diet, that includes plenty of dietary fibre
• Keep to a healthy weight
• Exercise regularly
• Take care with certain medicines (e.g. codeine, which can cause constipation)
• Drink plenty of water
• Not ignore the urge to go to the toilet
• Wash their hands well after going to the toilet
• Take precautions to reduce the risk of food poisoning when travelling.

Stay away from work or school for two days and avoid using swimming pools for two weeks
after having diarrhoea caused by an infection.

Signposting

For more information, you can see:

• Your Counter Intelligence Plus training guide
• The IBS Network
• Guts UK
• NHS – common digestive problems
• Cancer Research UK – constipation
• Pancreatic Cancer UK – diarrhoea.