Petra’s Health Corner

Dear Readers,

Today I would like to write few lines on the subject of vomiting and diarrhoea. Neither is appreciated very much when it does occur, but we should not forget that both are quite healthy reactions by our body in that it uses vomiting and diarrhoea to eliminate substances which are harmful. It is important to keep that in mind before using medicines at an early stage which block off these healthy reactions.

Generally speaking, it is always toxins which cause vomiting and diarrhoea.

Usually, there are two different situations where our system is exposed to toxins:

Either we eat something that is “off” or – accidentally maybe – something that is poisonous. The body will react with pain, either in the stomach or in the intestines, and it will react by trying to get rid of the toxins: We start to vomit or we need to run to the toilet – in some unfortunate cases, both.

The other situation where toxins have entered the body and the body will try and eliminate them is when we have caught some infection, by eating unwashed fruit or drunk unclean water. That is the classic, of course, when we go to places where the general standard of hygiene is lower than we are used to and our system is confronted with unfamiliar pathogenic agents.

Keeping in mind then that the body is trying to clear out what is harmful, it is not a good idea to use substances that stop the elimination process at an early stage. Rather, the patient should rest and not have any solid food. Drink, however, is imperative, as otherwise there is the danger of dehydration. The body has no means of discriminating: together with getting rid of that which is harmful, it also needs to eliminate that which is beneficial: liquid, vitamins and minerals, and it is important to replace these. The simplest method is to drink mineral water, preferably with some salt in it, and eat sugar (cubes or by the spoonful).

A drink which is a bit more sophisticated is this: Mix 1 litre of water, ¾ tsp. salt, 1 tsp. baking soda, 1 cup orange juice or two squashed bananas, and four tbsp cane sugar. This can be drunk in large amounts until after the vomiting or diarrhoea has subsided. It is not important to eat – anyone can cope without food for a few days, especially when the digestive tract is affected. Nobody should be forced to eat anything unless that person asks for some food of their own accord. When that is the case, start with light food: toast, plain biscuits, steamed vegetables. Especially good in cases of diarrhoea – and often forgotten nowadays – is grated apple – WITH the skin. Apples contain almost no protein, so that the pathogenic bacteria have no "food", as it were. In addition, the sugar that is contained in the apples is absorbed by the system very quickly so that the bacteria cannot ferment it.

It can also be helpful to make some chamomile or peppermint tea, either from tea bags or from the herbs directly. Apart from the preference expressed by the patient, the determining factor which tea to make is this: Chamomile is generally better when there has been cramping pain in connection with a stomach infection, Peppermint is the choice when there is a stomach ache and nausea from eating something that was off.

Another thing which may come in helpful is a hot water bottle on the abdomen. That may calm and relax the muscles and generally calm the patient down, provided something warm agrees with them.

Before I leave you for today, I would like to draw your attention to the following points:

Don’t panic – in most cases a day or night of vomiting and/or diarrhoea is annoying and weakening, but it is not threatening. The fact that the body reacts in such a way is a positive sign of it being able to "help itself". Please also don’t be afraid if the body develops fever. If there is an infection of the intestines, the fever, too, is a strategy of the body to cope with the toxins. More information on fever will follow in one of the next columns.

However, please see a doctor

-          when you suspect poisoning, e.g. when children have eaten bits of obscure plants

-          when blood is vomited resp. the stool shows traces of blood

-          when that part of your eyes which is usually white looks yellowish

-          when you have hit your head before the complaints started (might be a concussion)

-          when the complaints have been going on unchanged for more than 24 hours or recur

Bye for now

Petra

You are warmly invited to submit comments, questions or suggestions by e-mail: 661964@web.de

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