Friday, August 2, 2013

Diarrhea Treatment Methods That Work


Diarrhea affects a lot of people everyday, whether we admit it or not. It is a serious bowel and stomach illness that almost everyone has experienced. Diarrhea refers to the frequent discharge of loose stools due to improper absorption, or lack thereof, of water from digested matter by the intestines. The stools vary in color and sometimes contain blood and undigested food particles. Luckily, it can be treated right away by different diarrhea treatment methods.

There are actually different causes for diarrhea but the most common is viral infection in the intestines. The infection causes the intestines to absorb less liquid which results to the food and liquid just passing through the intestines and then being released by the body faster at a much faster rate.

Some causes of diarrhea are food that was improperly prepared, as well as contaminated water, parasitic infections, and intestinal diseases. There actually is no cure for diarrhea since the underlying causes vary from person to person, which is why doctors focus on curing the effects of diarrhea, like dehydration.

Normally, diarrhea will go away by itself but a prolonged suffering from diarrhea must be treated immediately since it could result to the patient losing vital nutrients and minerals. The simplest home diarrhea treatment, therefore, is to drink lots of water to replace what you have lost as a result of the diarrhea. You can also try mixing in sugar and salt to your lemonade and then drinking it every few minutes. A number of people suffering from diarrhea have also found Gatorade is a good way to replace lost electrolytes due to dehydration.

Likewise, people suffering from diarrhea should also avoid drinking caffeinated drinks and alcohol because they can worsen dehydration. Milk as well as greasy and dry food should also be avoided as it can prolong and worsen the condition; instead, eat yogurt rich in probiotic to ease the symptoms of diarrhea. The BRAT diet is also advisable. The letters of BRAT stand for banana, rice, apple, and dry toast, the major types of food that are considered an effective diarrhea treatment for both children and adults.

Diarrhea that has been going on for more than a day, especially if there is already blood present in the stool or if the stool appears to be black in color, requires a visit to your doctor. Your doctor would then, most likely, prescribe rehydration solutions as a diarrhea treatment to keep your body from getting dehydrated. Tests would be performed to check the cause of your diarrhea. This is done to ensure that your diarrhea is not a symptom of a larger health problem.

In the most severe dehydration cases brought about by diarrhea, the patient needs to be hooked up to an IV in order to replace lost body fluids. Also, children under three months must be rushed to the hospital right away to get diarrhea treatment. If not given early medical attention, there is a high probability that the baby would get dehydrated and die.

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