Monsoons and diarrhea are linked in many ways. As the rainy season starts, water-borne diseases like diarrhea and other diseases that have diarrhea as a symptom, are more prevalent. Especially in young children, diarrhea is the leading cause of death. And it is more fatal than malaria, measles, and some other serious infections in children.
Diarrhea is a medical condition in which you suffer from watery stools. The frequency of passing stools is very high, which leads to dehydration. It is an infectious condition that can be caused by amoebic infection, bacteria, or viruses. If you are seeking treatment for diarrhea, you can consult the best general physician in Karachi.
What are the Signs and Symptoms of Diarrhea?
The main symptom of diarrhea is watery stools. Another important symptom is indigestion of any solid food and having abdominal cramps. Some people may experience vomiting along with diarrhea. Nausea, bloating, and dehydration, are some of the significant signs of diarrhea.
Can I treat Diarrhea at home?
You can treat diarrhea at home with your diet and home remedies. It is better to take medical advice and start taking medications for diarrhea. But you can relieve some symptoms of diarrhea with your diet;
BRAT diet:
You can not digest solid foods in diarrhea. Even sometimes you cannot take water and fluids by mouth. In this condition, you need an intravenous glucose infusion to avoid dehydration. But you can try the BRAT diet for diarrhea at home.
This diet includes bananas, white rice, applesauce, and toast of bread. These foods are usually digestible with diarrhea. BRAT diet is helpful in managing your watery stools and reduces the frequency of bowel movements.
Adding other foods like, chicken soup, vegetable soup, and soft purees can also be beneficial for your diarrhea.
Oral Rehydrating Solutions:
Many different types of Oral rehydrating solutions (ORS) are available in the market under different brand names. You should start taking them as your diarrhea starts. With the watery stools, your body loses many essential nutrients and mineral, that can be balanced with the ORS.
Psyllium Husk:
Psyllium Husk is a great home remedy for diarrhea. It is good for constipation as well when taken with water or warm milk. But if you are using psyllium husk for diarrhea, you should add it in yogurt and eat it. In this way, psyllium husk will give bulk to your stool, absorb extra water from watery stools, and make the stool hard.
Probiotics:
Probiotics are good bacteria that are present in your gut. If you are having diarrhea, the normal flora of your intestines gets disturbed. In this situation, you must take probiotics by mouth to help your intestine restore its normal function.
You can eat foods like yogurt to get probiotics or add manufactured probiotics available in the market to your diet.
Hydrate Yourself:
Dehydration is the major and most serious complication associated with diarrhea. If you are having more watery stools per day, your body may lose most of its water. This leads to dehydration, low blood sugar levels, and low blood pressure. A sudden drop in blood pressure, is a life threatening condition.
So hydrating yourself is the only solution to avoid dehydration due to diarrhea.
Eat a Soft Diet:
Soft diet includes some vegetables and fruits that are easy to digest or that give fiber to your watery stool, to absorb water and give bulk.
This diet includes soft vegetables in puree form, or you can try vegetable soup. Similarly having a broth of meat provides you with beneficial proteins, that are also essential for your health in diarrhea.
You can eat fruits like bananas, apples, and other pectin-rich fruits. Potatoes, sweet potatoes, are also food choices that can be consumed while having diarrhea.
Is Diarrhea a Life-threatening Condition?
Diarrhea is an infectious disease. It can be life threatening in case of severe symptoms like dehydration, a drop in blood pressure, and low blood sugar levels. In children under 5 years of age, diarrhea is one of the most common causes of death. That’s why mild diarrhea in children needs medical intervention.
When to See a Doctor?
Diarrhea can be life threatening if your stools frequency is not decreasing and your body is dehydrating. In this situation, you should visit hospital emergency room to get intravenous infusions and treatment for diarrhea.
Conclusion:
Diarrhea is very common during the rainy seasons when water borne diseases are spreading. It makes you sick with watery stools and causes dehydration. You can manage your diarrhea at home with different home remedies and dietary changes. You can eat BRAT diet including bananas, rice, applesauce, and toast. Add probiotics and psyllium husk in your diet and hydrate yourself with water and fluids.
If you are having severe diarrhea, and want to consult doctor for diarrhea, you can find them through marham.pk.
