Watery Diarrhea|Vomiting And Diarrhea|Toddler Diarrhea

What is Cholera and its causes?

Cholera is a disease that involves severe painless, watery diarrhea caused by Vibrio cholerae bacteria which can transmitted via contaminated water (tainted water) and food (especially contaminated raw food). It usually occurs in low socioeconomic countries or outbreak after disaster such as after war, after natural disaster (flood, tsunami, famine, etc) or untreated sewage disposal contamination. Cholera can be endemic or pandemic or both. Cholera causes a severe dehydration or great loss of body fluid either from diarrhea or vomiting or both that may cause the patient collapse and even death within a few hours if attention or treatment is being ignored.

WHO has identified V. cholerae O1 bacteria is the main contributor to cholera disease. Gram-negative bacillus V. Cholerae multiplies in small intestine and produces A and B subunits of enterotoxin. Subunit A activates intracellular adenyl cyclase causing a great loss of water and electrolytes into gut lumen meanwhile subunit B binds to enterocytes. This boosts the fluid flow from blood into large then to small intestines. Cholera bacteria can be killed with chlorine and in our human acid saliva as well as in our stomach.

Signs & Symptoms

The major symptoms of Cholera are diarrhea (patient having more than 10 stools within 24 hours) and continuous vomiting. Other symptoms may occur as follow:

• Dysentery - collection of intestinal diseases which characterized by inflammation of bowel wall and caused by various viral or parasites or bacterial infections in the intestines


• Fever and muscle ache


• Low immune system


• Irritability of mind


• Lassitude


• Sleeplessness


• Slow pulse at the wrist


• Paleness of face


• Stomach pressure


• Cramp of the calves

Prevention

Best way to prevent Cholera is to practice good sanitation especially during food preparation like washing hands before handling the food or eating the food, drink boil water that kill most of the germs and bacteria, cook the food instead of eating raw food and adding chlorine to unsafe water sources.

Treatment

Replacement with water containing salts and sugar to replace loss fluids is the quick remedy to treat cholera disease. This remedy can be accompanied by orally taking tetracycline, a type of antibiotic to reduce diarrhea and the infectiousness which is pretty effective. However, patient is encourage not to take anti-diarrheal medicine but rather consume high carbohydrates, low fat and protein diet to rejuvenate energy in our body

Babies, parents, and poop: it's a consuming topic for the first few years of your little one's life. Just what is baby poop supposed to look like? More importantly, is your baby's poop (and his elimination pattern) normal?

Newborn Diapers

The newborn period is marked by a unique substance called meconium. It's black and looks like tar. It's sticky and stains everything. It's altogether unpleasant! It doesn't smell bad, though; it's just something to look forward to being done. The meconium lined the inside of your baby's intestines while she was still in the womb, and after birth it needs to be eliminated. It lasts 3-4 days and as it is eliminated you'll notice a gradual transition to normal poop for a baby not having solids.

Breastfed Baby Poop

If your baby is breastfeed you'll see mustard-yellow poop. Sometimes it looks a bit seedy or curd-y. It can be runny or creamy. It has a faint smell of cheese or movie theater popcorn! Sometimes the hue and color can change slightly depending on what you've eaten.

Formula Poop

If a baby is getting any formula, including a homemade one, you'll probably see poop that looks more pasty and like peanut butter. Like breastfed poop it can sometimes have a greenish hue. It smells more than breastfed baby's poop.

Problem Movements

If your baby is having frothy, green bowel movements he is probably not getting enough of the fatty hind-milk. This is the milk that comes in after you experience let-down and contains the calories and fat your baby needs to grow and his brain needs thrive. If you notice this you should be sure you're not cutting your baby's feeds short. Try starting your baby on the same side you finished him on. You should also increase the amount of good fat in your diet -- traditional fats like butter, bacon grease, and coconut oil are best. Consider a fish oil supplement as well.

If you are giving your baby an iron supplement you may see black poop. This is normal but may be scary. Since the iron in a supplement isn't well-digested much of it tends to come back out in the diaper. Consider boosting your own iron reserves if you're nursing or giving a meat-based formula if you're formula feeding.

Solid Stools

When your baby begins solid food you'll see big changes in the poop. It becomes much more like what you expect bowel movements to look like. It's dark brown and more solid than previous no-solid movements. It's slightly more formed but should still be formed and easy to pass.

You may see bits of undigested food in your baby's bowel movements after starting solids, too. Color may change based on what your baby ate. If your baby always has undigested food in her poop you should consult with your doctor to be sure there's nothing going on with her digestive system.

Other Problem Poop

It's possible for babies to suffer from diarrhea and constipation. These are more likely to occur with babies who are formula fed or who have started solid foods. Both look much like the adult versions: diarrhea is very watery and constipation is hard and pebble-like.

Diarrhea can be a response to infection or to allergy. If it persists for more than a couple of days call your baby's doctor. If your baby stops taking liquids and grows listless or unresponsive take her to the emergency room immediately as dehydration can set in quickly. Most of the time a baby who continues to nurse or take the bottle will be okay, but you should watch her very closely.

Constipation is often in response to hard-to-digest foods. Consider removing grains from your baby's diet and sticking with fruits, vegetables, and meats. Babies don't have the enzymes needed to digest grains, so eliminating them can solve the problem. Occasionally a milk allergy can cause constipation, too.

Call your doctor if you see any other types of unusual poop: bright red poop which indicates bleeding in the intestines (sometimes a few red streaks accompany constipated poop), blackish poop when not giving iron which indicates bleeding further up the digestive tract, mucus-y poop which may indicate infection, or very pale, chalk-colored poop which can indicate problems with internal organs.

A Rainbow of Color

Remember that most baby (and toddler) poop will be a normal variation of yellow to brown. You may sometimes see surprising colors, such as when your little one has berries -- or samples a crayon! But a variety of hue and texture can be very normal. Remember that one day you'll finally be done with worry about what's in the diaper!

The health benefits of breastfeeding are well established in the literature and also in history. Let's face it babies have been breastfed since the beginning of time.

Improved resistance to infectious illness:

Breastfeeding provides the infant with many immunological benefits and protects against infectious diseases. The mother's immune system is more mature than a baby's over time the mother has had the opportunity to build resistance to many disease causing pathogens. This protection is passed to the infant in the form of antibodies in breastmilk. Colostrum is particularly high in antibodies.

Mother's pick up microorganisms from their infants through their close physical contact and produce antibodies to any possible pathogens the baby might have picked up. In this way breastfeeding provides the baby with an ongoing external source of antibodies, that his own immune system is too immature to produce.

Better digestion:

Breastfeeding promotes the elimination of meconium which is the substance that is in the baby's intestines from life in the uterus.

Unlike commercially prepared formula the composition of breastmilk changes over the lifetime of the breastfeeding relationship and in this way breastmilk meets the baby's nutritional needs at every stage of life.

In addition breastmilk provides several protective factors for the infant's digestive system that protects against diarrhea type illnesses.

The baby's close physical contact with the mother through breastfeeding provides inoculation with the beneficial bacteria the infant needs to colonize the gut. These microorganisms provide the raw materials necessary for the manufacture of certain vitamins and the digestion of solid foods when the baby's digestion tract is more mature.

Early protection from allergies:

A baby cannot be allergic to breastmilk. The protein of breastmilk is "species specific" and therefore the baby cannot be allergic to it. During the first few weeks of life the baby's gut lining is immature and permeable meaning it will allow certain large molecules (like protein) to leak from the gut. If these proteins enter the infant's immature immune system allergies are a possible result.

Breastfeeding protects against this by providing the infant with a substance called secretory IGA. This immunoglobulin in colostrum and breastmilk prevents the absorption of very large foreign molecules when the infant's immune system is immature.

The health benefits of breastfeeding are well known and pediatricians now recommend that breastfeeding be the main source of nutrition for the infant for the first year. The advantages of breastfeeding are so well established scientifically that it is recommended that breastfeeding continue well into the second year of life.

Colon cancer symptoms may not be present in many cases. However, if symptoms are seen they can include a variety of changes in the stool or bowel habits (i.e. diarrhea, constipation). Colon cancer also known as Colorectal Cancer, is a malignant (cancerous) tumor growth found in a portion of the large intestine, which is a common cancer site.

Colon Cancer Symptoms And Causes

In many cases of colon cancer no symptoms will be apparent in the early stages of the disease. Later symptoms may develop such as:

• Bloody or black, tarry stools


• Abdominal pain or cramps


• Diarrhea or constipation or narrow stool


• Unexplained weight loss


• Anemia

Most cases begin as benign (non-cancerous) polyps, which slowly become cancerous. The cause of colon (or colorectal) cancer is not well understood but risk factors include being over the age of 60, eating a diet low in fiber and high in fat and red meat, being of African American or eastern European descent, a prior diagnosis of cancer elsewhere in the body or colorectal polyps, the presence of an inflammatory bowel disease (i.e. Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis), a family history of colon cancer, smoking cigarettes and drinking alcohol.

Colon cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths in the United States. However, a complete cure is often possible with an early diagnosis.

Colon Cancer Diagnosis And Treatment

Observation of the aforementioned symptoms may lead to a diagnosis but many times the condition is detected through a routine physical exam. Early detection kits may be available for those at high risk, which can detect blood in the stool (available at most pharmacies).

If symptoms have appeared, a physical examination, sigmoidoscopy, colonoscopy, or barium x-rays of the large intestine may be performed to make a definitive diagnosis. Blood tests may be taken to check for anemia and a fecal occult blood test (FOBT) may be ordered to detect small amounts of blood in the stool, which could indicate colon cancer.

Treatment will depend on how much the cancer has progressed and if it has spread to other areas of the body. Surgery to remove the cancer cells is often performed. Surgery may result in a need for a colostomy, which is a diversion of the bowel through an opening in the abdominal wall. Chemotherapy and radiation therapy may be prescribed as well to destroy cancerous tissues.

Prognosis improves with early detection and treatment.

So you have just woken up and gone to the toilet to take care of business. When you turn around and flush, do you look at the poo that you have just produced?

Most people that I have asked this question to eventually say, "Yes!"

I'm sure that you have noticed by now that some days it's a bit mushier, some more solid, some even have chunks in it. What does all that mean?

Have you ever put any thought into the fact that your poo could actually be telling you something about the state of your body?

Poo deserves the respect that society has failed to give it. The size, shape, smell, and colour are all a window into the inner workings of your body.

It's time to put on your laughing caps because we are going on a journey to the dark side of poo! This is sure to get you thinking about what you put into your body and have you laughing at the same time.

Here are 8 Types of Poo You are Sure to Have Experienced at Some Time in Your Life and the Reasons that You Have Them.

Deja Poo

Ever looked into the toilet to see the food you just ate come out in the same form it went in?

This is often the case with insoluble fibres such as corn. Your body lacks certain enzymes that break down some components of plant cell walls. Consequently, you have the pleasure of seeing it again on the way out!

Monster Poo

You have worked hard to get this one out and you turn around to see this trophy and wonder how such an immense sized poo managed its way out of your body. You bask in the glory of the poo and as you flush, hope it will make it down the toilet.

The reason for this poo is likely due to what you ate and drank the night before. Imagine putting oats into water and letting them soak overnight and seeing how much bigger they are by the water that they absorbed. It's quite similar in your belly. If you eat a lot of fibre and water, it will tend to expand in your belly creating a bulging poo for the morning after.

Floaters Vs. Sinkers

It can be so embarrassing when you are at a friend's place or a public toilet and you turn around to see your poo floating. You flush the toilet and it doesn't go down. You think to yourself, "Oh No! Please go down!" You flush again and start to run out of water and flushes. Luckily this time it goes down. Don't you hate it when it doesn't and you leave it floating there for the next person to find?

Why does that happen? It's most likely due to gas and fat in your diet. You may have noticed at the same time that you are also farting a bit more than usual. Next time you go to eat the 3rd burger from McDonald's you may want to think again!

A little something you can try if this does happen to you... Put extra water in the toilet. This should give it a bit more force to flush the floater down.

Soft Serve

Not quite as liquidy as diarrhea, you turn around happy to see that there is actually some solid matter in the toilet, possibly looking like a soft serve ice cream.

If this is short lived, it is most likely due to a poor digestion of food. If the problem persists, it may be due to lactose or gluten intolerance. Please consult with a doctor for appropriate tests to be done to diagnose this.

D.A.D.S

This is short for day after drinking stool. If you have had a big night out and have woken up with a hangover, this is most likely the result of your drinking. It will often be semi-solid, have stomach pains as you pass it and will have the smell of the bar that you left at 4am.

This occurs because your body wants to eliminate the toxins quickly. The process of creating the poo is sped up and not all the liquid is absorbed, resulting in runny poos.

Pebble Poo

These are frustrating. You have just sat down and worked to get out your poo only to see little pebbles in the toilet when you have finished. It is so anti-climatic.

The very simple solution to this is to eat more fibre. The lack of fibre in your diet is allowing for a lack of production of a sticky substance that holds your poo together.

Log Jam

Otherwise known as constipation. You sit on the toilet with pains in your stomach and gas and a desire to poo, but nothing comes out! How unrewarding and unpleasant.

Up your intake of water and fibre. If this persists, you may need to get a colonic to flush out your system and unblock what you have been building up. Look for a well-trained practitioner in your local area. And check out my article on cleansing if you want more information about colonics.

Ring Of Fire

As you sit down to have your comfortable poo, you are unpleasantly surprised by a burning sensation that makes you think your bum is on fire.

The likely cause for this is chilli or other spicy foods. Think about it, it probably felt the same way going in as it did coming out!

See... Poo can be fun! My husband and I talk about our poos most days. (No, I'm not lying!) We definitely celebrate the majority of the days that we have those perfect poos that come out nice and easy, leave no smell and are clean to wipe. I love those ones!

We are also aware that if we go a couple days without them, we have to adjust something in our diet. It's just that simple.

Think your little brother smells bad if he skips taking a shower for a day? Consider this: at least he bathes more than once a year, doesn't have lice or fleas, and doesn't wipe his bum with a communal sponge.

Today may possibly be the most hygienic period in human history. Here are a few unclean habits our ancestors had and the dirtiest time periods in the history of human existence.

Roman times. In Rome, public toilets were common. But they weren't like today's modern toilets, with stalls for privacy. Most Roman toilets were long planks with holes cut out, opening into a storage tank. People sat next to one another to urinate and defecate, and historical records indicate they were social locations where people would go to mingle while doing their business. Instead of toilet paper, the public baths were outfitted with communal sponges that everybody used to clean up. In addition, urine was a cleanser, and public urns were set up in cities where people were encouraged to relieve themselves so the urine could be collected for the commercial cleaners.

The Renaissance. During the Renaissance and Regency eras, it was popular for both men and ladies of the upper classes to have pale skin. To achieve this, many people used white makeup made from lead and mercury. While often the manufacturers claimed it was good for the skin, the makeup could cause sores and skin disease. In addition, during some parts of these eras elaborate wigs and upswept hairstyles were in fashion, the bigger the better. Hairdressers often powdered hair and wigs. To achieve an upswept look, some hairdressers arranged the hair over a cushion placed to give it height. Then they would add feathers and other decorations with wax; sometimes they would simply cut the feathers out at the end of the day instead of washing them out. Some ladies with these complicated hairstyles would wear them for days or weeks without washing.

The Medieval era. During Medieval times, bathing was looked upon with mistrust. It was seen as sensual and done mostly by people who were given to sexual debauchery; many believed that bathing allowed the devil to enter one's body. When it came to health, many medical authorities of the time claimed that letting water touch you, especially during colder months, could cause serious illness. Most castles had rushes on the floor instead of rugs; people would throw scraps of leftover meat and bones into the rushes after meals and sometimes urinate in them as well. The rushes in medieval castles got dirty very quickly and had to be changed regularly.

Paleolithic times. Thousands of years ago, before people settled in cities and began to feed themselves through agriculture, cleanliness was not a priority and baths and showers were non existent. It's likely that primitive peoples had no way of washing their hair dreadlocks were probably common and with no soaps or scents, people were probably used to the smells of unwashed bodies. In addition, leftover carcasses and bones from meals were often disposed of in the same caves where people lived so people's homes must have been fragrant.

The Victorian era. Victorian London was full of cesspits-large tanks where sewage from each house was collected and cleaned out regularly. The tanks were often located beneath people's houses or behind them in open pools. The pits weren't well insulated and often leaked into basements and ground floors, and the contents of the cesspits were sometimes carried through people's houses when they were cleaned out. People who didn't have cesspits used chamber pots to go to the bathroom, and they regularly emptied the pots by throwing the contents out the window. It was considered a fairly normal occurrence to have the contents of a chamber pot land on one's head while out walking or shopping.

Colonial times. During the beginning of the American colonial period, settlements were small and precarious and they struggled for survival. Colonists were often unprepared for the harsh conditions of the new continent and the hostile welcome from the natives. In such tough environments, cleanliness was not a priority.

Colonial Jamestown, an important early American settlement, was built in an island surrounded by swamplands. The settlers originally planned to trade with natives for fresh water and food, but the natives were hostile and not always willing to trade. So the colonists were forced to drink brackish water from the swamp, which made many of the people extremely sick. Dysentery is a messy disease involving explosive diarrhea and vomiting and it's likely that Jamestown was not a particularly clean place when most of its inhabitants came down with it. Around the same time, Jamestown entered a period of famine so most people were dying of either dysentery or hunger. With all the diarrhea, vomiting and dying going around in Jamestown, chances are the town and its inhabitants didn't smell very good.

The Ancient Egyptians. The Ancient Egyptians shaved their heads so they wouldn't get lice-then wore wigs to make it look like they still had hair. But just because they had shaved heads didn't mean they were clean. They put wax cones filled with perfume on top of their wigs, and as the wax melted during the day, they were always surrounded by sweet smells. Of course, their heads were also covered in wax by the end of the day.

Have you been thinking to yourself lately, "what does green poop mean?" Well, the good news is, even though you may suffer from odd colored stools, it doesn't necessarily mean that you should worry. As a matter of fact, it happens to be fairly normal and can be easily explained. There may be various reasons that acted as catalysts to turn your feces green in color. Here are several points you should take a look at.

The Main Causes and Reasons behind Green Stools

1. You may get green bowel movements if you eat copious amounts of green and leafy vegetables such as broccoli and lettuce.

2. You may even get green poop if you eat copious amounts of processed foods that have a green color such as drink flavoring, popsicles and sherbet.

3. Furthermore, you may suffer from green poop because of consuming too much iron. Since the human body will not absorb every iron constituent, you might excrete several amounts of the iron salt. In general, iron can be found within beans, breakfast cereals, spinach and red meat.

Other causes and reasons behind green poop might include medication side effects, food poisoning, ulcerative colitis, too much laxatives and antibiotics, celiac disease, irregular bowel syndrome, malabsorption, bacteria overgrowth, infectious diarrhea and Crohn's disease.

The Symptoms and Signs behind Green Poop

Green poop does not always mean a person's internal system is infected or that there are intestinal disorders in that person. As a matter of fact, the majority of color changes in poop can be attributed to medications and consumed foods. However, if you begin to suffer from fever, rectal pain, weight loss or diarrhea, you should consult your doctor at once.

To avoid such problems, it would be advisable to get your colon cleansed twice every year. This process is something that everybody has been putting to use in today's day and age since people can eliminate irregular bowel movements, additional fats and constipation through it. The body will even eliminate any unwanted toxins that might have layered into the skin, as well as inner sludge, to lead a healthier life with ease.

The earliest signs of autism and other autistic spectrum disorders (ASDs)

ASD children can seem fairly normal in the first year of life. If the ASD child is your first, it may be very difficult to recognize a problem since you don't really know what to expect. Even if this is not your first parenting experience, we are constantly told by pediatricians, educators, well meaning family members, and so-called experts that all kids develop in their own way and time. This is certainly true, but in retrospect, most parents of ASD kids can recall some early signs of a problem, such as these very telling traits:

• Not making eye contact when talking, talked to or called




• Don't smile when they see familiar people




• Limited or no baby talk (babbling or pre-speech)




• Don't point or understand pointing




• Failure to play infant games like peek-a-boo, patty-cake or waving bye-bye




• Fixation on certain toys, objects, movies




• Failure to learn and consistently use familiar words




• Loss of words




• Odd non-verbal vocalizations (squeals, squeaks, grunts, melodic utterances)




• Lack of interest in family members




• Don't like to be hugged or cuddled




• Repetitive rocking and twirling




• Arm and hand flapping




• Walking on toes




• Looking sideways (glancing out of side of eye)




• Easily upset by changes to routine or changing activities




• Don't turn towards sudden noises (but can hear)

Or these traits which are harder to interpret as specific to ASD:

• Sensitivity to certain textures or being touched




• Sensitivity to bright light, especially fluorescent lights




• Sensitivity to loud or unusual sound




• Very limited diet and refusal to even try certain types of food. Often this is based on texture more than flavor.




• Frequent severe abdominal pain




• Long periods of screaming with no recognizable cause




• Weak muscle tone and uncoordinated movement




• Insensitivity to pain




• Unusually strong ability to memorize




• Inability to sleep or frequent waking during the night / gives up napping at an early age




• Self-injurious behaviors like biting and head banging

In addition to these clues, many ASD children have repetitive and unexplained rashes, frequent ear infections, frequent bouts of diarrhea and/or constipation, and severe colic. Some ASD children are just the opposite - never sick.

The Checklist for Autism in Toddlers (CHAT)

The checklist for Autism in Toddlers (CHAT) is a set of diagnostic criteria that can be used to screen children at 18 months of age. This is a big improvement over the more traditional criteria because it can catch ASD earlier. It is designed to be administered by a physician but is easy enough that any parent capable of being objective can administer it. The first part consists of nine YES/NO questions:

1. Do they like to be swung and bounced?




2. Are they interested in other children?




3. Do they climb?




4. Do they play peek-a-boo or hide and seek?




5. Do they pretend?




6. Do they use their finger to point to something they want?




7. Do they point to indicate interest or to have you look?




8. Do they play properly with small toys?




9. Do they ever bring toys over to show you?

The second part requires observation of the child then answering five questions:

1. Does the child make eye contact?




2. After getting the child's attention, pointing across the room at some object and asking the child to look, did they look at the object or your finger?




3. Can you get them to demonstrate pretend play?




4. After getting the child's attention and asking them to show you some unreachable object, do they point to the object?




5. Can the child build a tower?

The test scores a severe risk of autism when the child fails (answer is NO) the bold questions (Part 1, questions 5,7 and Part 2, questions 2,3,4). There is score of mild risk if the child fails only the pointing tasks (Part 1, questions 6,7 and Part 2, questions 2,4). A child is at risk for other developmental disorders if they fail more than three questions. This test and has been given to more than 15,000 infants with some success in predicting ASD.

AAP indications for immediate evaluation

The American Association of Pediatrics (AAP) has published a set of red flags that indicate a child should have an immediate ASD evaluation. These are:

• No babbling, pointing or other gestures by 12 months




• No single words by 16 months




• No 2-word spontaneous phrases by 24 months




• Loss of language or social skills at any age

The Autism Treatment Evaluation Checklist (ATEC)

The Autism Treatment Evaluation Checklist (ATEC) was designed to assist parents, physicians and researchers to evaluate treatments for autism. The Autism Research Institute (ARI) offers a no-cost internet scoring procedure that calculates four subscale scores and a total score from the ATEC. The scores are weighted according to the responses and the corresponding subscale. The higher the subscale and total scores, the more impaired the subject (your child). You can get a copy of the ATEC here. If your child has a diagnosis of autism or an ASD, or if you suspect there is a problem you should fill out an ATEC form to record your ASD child's starting or baseline score. Be sure to be very honest, you do them no favor by exaggerating their skills. Once it is filled out, you can go to the ARI website and fill in the information. They will score the information and send you a report.

A word of caution concerning pediatricians and the medical establishment

If you even suspect that your child has a problem, you should seek professional advice immediately. Children with autism or related disorders do not usually get better on their own and may get much worse. Treatments are available and are much more effective when started early.

Pediatricians are the doctors best placed to be on the front line of autism diagnosis and treatment. They usually see our children first and most frequently. Unfortunately, pediatricians and the medical establishment in general, have a very distorted and unhelpful understanding of these disorders. Commonly, pediatricians take a conservative approach to diagnosis, preferring a wait-and-see approach to aggressive action. ASD children do not have the luxury of time! If your child gets a referral for further tests and if they get a diagnosis, parents are likely to be told that the best they can hope for is management of symptoms with prescription drugs. This might sound reasonable, but it fails to acknowledge what is known about causes and effective treatments. This means that most parents are not told that there are ways to determine what is at the root of their child's problems and that once these problems are addressed, children with autism or ASDs can get better!

Any home health cabinet or closet should contact certain Over-the-Counter (OTC) medications that are readily available. OTC medicines do not require a physician prescription. There are hundreds of these to choose from and your pharmacist can help you decide which one would be best for the symptoms that you have. Keep some OTC products at home in case you need them. Others should be purchased only after your symptoms develop. Those that you should have readily at home are:

• Anti-Diarrheal Preparations


• Antihistamines


• Decongestants


• Cough Syrups (expectorants and suppressants)


• Ibuprofen


• Aspirin


• Acetaminophen


• Syrup of Ipecac

Before you take any anti-Diarrhea medicine, wait six hours. Many times, your body needs to clean itself out from an infection or poison. Give it time before you take any medication for Diarrhea, and only use medicines if you have cramping or discomfort. There are two types of anti-diarrheal medicines - those to thicken the fecal matter and those to slow your intestinal spasms. The ones that 'thicken' absorb both the good and bad bacteria - the good is needed in digestion, so long-term use of these is ill-advised. Good ingredients in 'thickening' products are kaolin, attapulgite or pectin. The minute you become constipated, stop these OTC meds. Most anti-spasm meds for Diarrhea contain loperamide. When you have Diarrhea, drink plenty of fluids and drinks with electrolytes. A good home-made electrolyte solution contains: 1 quart of water, 翻 teaspoon of baking soda, 翻 teaspoon of salt, and 2 tablespoons of sugar. Aspirin and acetaminophen both relieve pain and fever, as well as minor itching, swelling and inflammation. However, be careful with aspirin, as it can become a poison and overdose in children. Do not use aspirin for children younger than 15 years of age.

Aspirin can irritate the stomach lining and sometimes cause stomach bleeding. Acetaminophen does not seem to have the same ill effects in children as aspirin, but it does nothing for swelling or inflammation. Ibuprofen is another fever and pain reliever, which is an anti-inflammatory commonly used for menstrual cramps. Discard aspirin after one year and acetaminophen after two. Antihistamines were originally developed to treat allergy symptoms. One of the drawbacks is that they can make you sleepy. Try to find the ones that don't make you drowsy. Decongestants make breathing through your nose easier. Using these before during a cold can prevent ear infections. Syrup of Ipecac is useful to induce vomiting if poisonous substances are ingested. However, do not induce vomiting if dishwasher detergent, gasoline, kerosene, drain cleaner, oven cleaner, oil-based paint, furniture polish or a cleaning solution have been ingested. Check the label for instructions on what to do with these products or call 911. You should induce vomiting with laundry soap, dishwashing liquid, plant food, aspirin, medications, ink, fingernail polish remover or rat poison.

Viral gastroenteritis, also known as "the stomach flu", is a very common infection of the stomach and intestines. It is the second most common illness encountered in American families and causes approximately 50,000 hospitalizations per year. Viruses that are transferred from infected food to person and passed from person to person via contaminated silverware, food and water cause it. These viruses can be very contagious and "outbreaks" may occur if appropriate hand washing and sterilization does not occur in public facilities. Outbreaks of viral gastroenteritis are common in schools, hospitals, long-term care facilities, jails, dormitories, and cruise ships.

The viruses which cause gastroenteritis are rotavirus, norovirus, adenovirus, saporvirus and astrovirus. Rotavirus is the most common virus implicated in this illness. It causes endemic gastroenteritis in infants and children. Norovirus (Norwalk virus) causes ninety percent of outbreaks of gastroenteritis in the U.S. Although "the stomach flu" implies the influenza virus is associated with this infection, it is not.

Viral gastroenteritis is characterized by intense muscle aches, cramps and chills which precede nausea, abdominal pain, vomiting and/or diarrhea. Vomiting and diarrhea usually temporarily relieve the nausea and pain. The vomit and diarrhea are usually non-bloody and the stool may lighten in color. People often feel fatigued and dehydrated because of the energy involved with clearing the infection from the body and losing fluid via vomiting and diarrhea. The symptoms begin 1-2 days after becoming infected with the virus and last 1-10 days, depending on which virus is involved.

The treatment of viral gastroenteritis includes rest, analgesics and re-hydration. Tylenol may be used to treat fever and muscle cramps. The replenishment of fluids with water, electrolyte drinks or oral rehydration solutions (sugar and electrolytes) is essential to prevent dehydration. When replacing fluids, it is important to replace volume and electrolytes such as sodium, chloride, hydrogen and potassium. Water as hydration helps replace volume, but if too much is given without replacement of electrolytes, the relative concentration of these important ions decreases and metabolic/electrolyte imbalances occur in the body. Re-hydration should occur with electrolyte drinks to protect against hyponatremia. Most quality sports drinks will fill this requirement.

One should drink enough fluid to keep their mouth moist and their urine light yellow to clear. As the diarrhea and/or vomiting subsides, one may slowly introduce soft foods into the diet. Soft foods are jello, saltine crackers, pudding, rice, bread and soups without meats. It is important to watch for abdominal cramping, retching or liquid stools while trying to resume a normal diet, these symptoms could indicate the intestines are still inflamed from the infection and need more time to heal.

Adequate hydration is especially important in people who are young (infants), elderly, frail and immunocompromised - their bodies are already stressed and gastroenteritis can take a huge toll on the body. These people are usually either dependent on others for fluid and food or have difficulty maintaining healthy nutrition. Vomiting and diarrhea may further deplete their bodies of already limited water and energy stores.

If dehydration occurs, the body's normal fluid balance is disturbed and potentially serious electrolyte (sodium, potassium, hydrogen, bicarbonate, and chloride) abnormalities can occur. When electrolyte abnormalities are severe and prolonged, the function of the nervous, cardiovascular, pulmonary and renal systems is compromised. Dehydration is characterized by fatigue, dry mouth, decreased urination, loose skin and lightheadedness (especially when changing from the laying to standing positions).

Although one may be tempted to use anti-diarrheal (Imodium) and anti-vomiting (Phenergan) medications, these types of medications are not recommended during this illness. Vomiting and diarrhea are the body's way of getting rid of the virus, and even though these symptoms are distressing and uncomfortable, it is important to allow the body's natural defense mechanism to function. The exception to this rule occurs when someone cannot hold down fluids and is dehydrated; the use of an anti-diarrheal medication can help the body restore its fluid balance.

Viral gastroenteritis can be prevented by thorough hand washing after eating and using the bathroom and wiping surfaces that have come in contact with infected food with disinfectant cleaners. Eating a balanced diet and taking supplements which boost the immune system can also prevent one from getting viral gastroenteritis.