Home Treatments For Stomach Flu

It is an easily preventable disease, but almost everyone gets the stomach flu from time to time. The range of symptoms range from hardly noticeable to very severe; however, it is not the same thing as “the flu,” as its name suggests.

It is mainly caused by a bacterial, viral or parasitic infection that is in a food or water source, and really has nothing to do with the influenza virus itself.

One of my clients recently contracted Giardiasis, which are protozoan bacteria that cause severe nausea, diarrhea and abdominal cramps, by drinking water from a contaminated mountain stream. Once she realized why she was sick, she realized that it could have been avoided, since they had water filters with them. Ouch.

She told me that she had taken a prescription drug to clear it from her system and it worked pretty well, but she was still experiencing mild symptoms on a regular basis. She was tired of feeling yucky all the time, and a little worried that the prescription medicine didn’t work completely.

There are two things to consider when treating food-borne or waterborne illness with prescriptions. It may only work for the stomach flu about 85% of the time, and that the little critters responsible for this lovely experience are getting stronger and more resistant to treatment. Yikes.

I recommended that she approach her illness with a three step plan. First, you need to limit exposure to foods or water sources that may be contaminated. Second, it is vital to support your body’s attempt to clear these “superbugs” from your digestive system. Finally, when you’re feeling better, you need to replace the fluids and beneficial bacteria that were lost while you were sick.

Avoid

I know it’s pretty hard to avoid something that you can’t see, but there are a few foods which are more likely to make you sick. Following a few guidelines to ensure the food you are eating is safe can probably help you avoid the stomach flu altogether.

* Keep it clean – Wash your hands often, and practice safe food handling by not cross-contaminating raw foods like meat or eggs with cooked foods, and keep all food prep surfaces clean. Choose clean restaurants where you trust the food sources, and the cooks.

* No raw eggs – This includes Caesar salad dressings, eggnog, hollandaise sauce, and certain brands of ice cream. Salmonella has now been found to contaminate chicken eggs even before the shells form themselves inside the hen. Bye, bye, raw cookie dough.

* No raw fish – You should not consume raw clams, oysters or sushi if you feel there is a risk of contamination, or if you are already fighting an infection.

* No raw meat – Always cook meats such as poultry, beef and pork to a safe internal temperature, and handle carefully.

* Safe drinking water – Be sure that your drinking water is safe, especially if you have a private underground well, or are camping or backpacking.

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