Diarrhea

Some of the causes of diarrhea:

1. poor nutrition
2. viral infestation or intestinal flu
3. intestinal bacterial infection, amoebas, or giardia
4. worm infestations or other infections such as ear, tonsillitis, measles, urinary infections
5. malaria
6. food poisoning from spoiled food
7. inability to digest milk
8. difficulty in digesting new foods never eaten before
9. allergies to foods
10. side effects from medicines
11. eating too much of one kind of food, such as fruit, meat, sugar, or greasy foods

For most people no medication is needed, but the hidden danger is dehydration. If it keeps up over a time, the biggest danger is further malnutrition. A person with watery diarrhea must drink large quantities of water or they will die. Drink small swallows every few minutes of clean un fouled water. Use your emergency water reserves for this. You should have gallons of emergency water reserves specifically for this possibility. Food must be started and continued as soon as possible. When a person is vomiting or is too sick to eat or drink have the person drink only as much as they can tolerate at a time - usually small sips of fluid a frequent basis. Ensure that the water has been sterilized by boiling for 20 minutes.

Then switch to teas, rice water(soak rice in water), chicken broth, meat broth, egg broth, or bean broth, or breast milk for infants. When they can start eating, they should have the following: energy foods: ripe or cooked bananas, crackers, rice, oatmeal, well cooked maize, potatoes, applesauce, papaya, or body building foods such as milk, chicken, eqqs, meat - well cooked without fat or grease, beans/lentils/beans - well cooked and mashed, fish - well cooked. Do not eat: fat or greasy foods(fat generally), most raw fruits(must be cooked), beans cooked in fat, highly seasoned food, alcohol.

Guidelines for treatment of diarrhea according to the signs:

1. Sudden mile diarrhea, no fever, requires that the person drink lots of fluids, no special treatment required.
2. Diarrhea with vomiting requires a rehydration drink (1 liter water + 2 tablespoons of sugar or honey + 1/4 teaspoon salt + 1/4 teaspoon baking soda), and if available, some orange juice or coconut milk and a mashed banana or other mashed fruit, or tea or cola or other liquid every 5 to 10 minutes (few sips).
3. Diarrhea with mucus and blood; of and on, no fever sounds like Amoebic dysentery.
4. Acute (continuous ongoing) diarrhea with fever , with or without blood, sounds like bacterial dysentery, typhoid fever, or malaria.
5. Yellow, bad smelling diarrhea with bubbles or froth, without blood or mucus sounds like the microscopic parasite Giardia. Rest and plenty of liquid and good food is the only thing needed.
6. Diarrhea like rice water sounds like cholera. Dehydration is extreme. If enough fluids can be provided continuously the person will not die. Otherwise death is by dehydration.

Offered by Eric.