Home remedies and appropriate treatment for dealing to a stomach flu mainly focuses on the means of providing care and support to the body as the immune system fights the disease. This is because, there are no medicines that can directly attack or kill the virus.
So how long does the stomach flu last?
Depending on the strength of the immune system and the type of the virus, it may take one to ten days to kill the virus using a natural remedy for stomach bug.
What is it?
Stomach flu, also known as gastroenteritis is viral disease associated with inflammations of the small intestine and the stomach. The gastrointestinal tract is very sensitive to inflammations, since it is always packed with food content. You should also be aware the stomach virus can be contagious from a couple of days up to a couple of weeks.
This type of flu can be experienced by anybody and everyone. People suffering from the condition may experience abdominal cramps, vomiting, nausea, fever and diarrhea.
Causes
Stomach flu is caused by viruses from food, water or any contaminated object or vermin that may come in contact with the gastrointestinal tract through the mouth. Since it is caused by viruses, it cannot be treated using antibiotics. Furthermore, antiviral drugs are also not effective in relieving the condition. In this regard, people suffering from the condition may benefit from the simple stomach flu remedies we discuss in this article:
Symptoms
- Abdominal pains. Hyperactive bowels and cramping are the main causes of abdominal pains as suggested by researchers. In addition, as food passes through inflamed walls of the stomach and intestines, pain is imminent.
- Diarrhea. Diarrhea after eating occurs as a result of inflamed intestines that are unable to absorb food and water. The result is that, almost all food taken tends to be ingested quickly on reaching the intestines.
- Nausea. This is caused by irritation in the inflamed areas.
- Vomiting. Results from nausea and when excessive, can lead to dehydration.
Early treatment is necessary since, persistence of the above signs of stomach flu will result into other serious complications such as:
- Dehydration. This is a serious complication that develops due to insufficient water in the body. The main causes of this condition are: failure to drink water or taking foods containing some amount of water due to nausea and excessive loss of water through vomiting, excessive sweating or urinating and/or diarrhea. Loss of body water is also directly related to loss of minerals and salt in the body. Dehydration is divided into three stages:
- Mild dehydration – this is associated with decreased output and an increase in the number of heart beats per minute. However, blood pressure, alertness, respiratory rate, and mucus membranes conditions will still be within the normal range.
- Moderate dehydration – the patient becomes lethargic, with dry mucus membranes, and a slight increase in the respiratory rate and the heart rate.
- Severe dehydration – this is associated with extremely dry mucus membranes, dry mouth, sunken eyes, tenting and increased respiratory rate and heart rate.
Common Stomach Viruses Responsible for Stomach Flu
- Adenovirus. It is a stomach virus that mostly affects infants causing diarrhea and vomiting. The virus can be very dangerous to infants with immune system weaknesses.
- Astrovirus. This is a common stomach virus during winter. It is associated with fatigue, vomiting, abdominal discomfort and diarrhea.
- Celivivirus. The stomach virus spreads through contaminated fluids or foods. The symptoms of the virus infection are vomiting, fatigue and diarrhea.
- Rotavirus. The stomach virus attacks children between the age of three to fifteen months causing fever, abdominal pain and diarrhea.
Treatment Procedure
Treatments and remedies for a stomach flu consist of dietary, natural, hygiene and medical remedies. Viral infections are usually self-limiting meaning that they resolve on their own. With these, stomach flu remedies are geared at supportive managements in order to allow a complication-free course of the disease.
Methods on how to treat the flu have been discussed below.
Once the symptoms have been noticed, stop solid foods intake for a while to let your cool down. This will also prevent causing more damage to the inflamed walls of the gastrointestinal tract.
Avoid Alcohol: Avoid taking foods containing alcohol, caffeine and nicotine. Also, avoid taking highly fatty foods like dairy products and keep off from seasoned foods until you recover from the effects of the stomach flu. Note. Taking the foods may worsen the condition of the disease and result to fatal conditions or death if not treated quickly.
Rest: Have some adequate rest. After experiencing painful disorders like vomiting, nausea and dehydration, it is important to rest and calm the troubled mind. A rest of the brain will restart everything in the normal way and leave you fresh after waking up.
Avoid Certain Medication: Get medication from only competent health specialists. Stay away from ibuprofen medications like Motrin and Advil. These have been found to worsen stomach flu symptoms. Instead, you may use acetaminophen medications like Tylenol, but with caution. Tylenol sometimes may result into liver toxicity more so when used in treating children.
Children: For infants: help them to rehydrate by giving them an appropriate re-hydration solution like Pedialyte. Remember, the infant rate of water absorption in the case of stomach flue is very low thus it is not advisable to use only water. Consult your doctor for more advice on how to do it correctly. Avoid asprin unless otherwise directed to do so by your doctor. Asprin has been found to affect the ability of the immune system in fighting the stomach virus. Doing so will therefore prolong the recovery period of your child introducing more health danger.
Sick Child with stomach flu
Home Remedies
Mint: There are various kinds of mint available such as peppermint, catnip, lemon balm, spearmint and wintergreen mint. Mint may be beneficial for stomach flu because it has antimicrobial properties that may help lessen the amount of virus in the GIT.
Banana: Bananas are rich sources of potassium, which is essential during diarrhea to prevent electrolyte imbalances. People with stomach flu may benefit from bananas to manage loose bowel movements and prevent problems related to potassium loss.
Apple sauce: Apple sauce is another home remedy for stomach disruption. It improves the bulk in stools in order to improve the consistency of the feces during diarrhea. Apples also contain rich amounts of potassium to prevent electrolyte imbalances.
Oral Rehydration Solution: Sodium or salt is normally present in our body and is depleted when one has viral gastroenteritis due to diarrhea and vomiting. If you have stomach flu, be sure to include the needed amounts of sodium in the diet by using iodized salt. Also, you can drink a salt and sugar solution in the form of oral re-hydration solution. Mix 1 tsp of sugar and a pinch of salt in a glass of lukewarm water and drink the solution every after each bowel movement or vomiting.
Crackers and Toast: These are one the effective ways to combat nausea associated with viral gastroenteritis. Crackers and toasts are easy to digest preventing gastric distention. In addition, it also reduces the acidity of the stomach that is usually increased during stomach flu. Make sure to grab a cracker or a toast before getting out of bed to limit nausea and vomiting episodes.
Rice Water: Rice water is another effective remedy for the condition. Rice water contains high amounts of electrolytes such as sodium and potassium that prevents diarrhea complications. In addition, rice water also reduces the workload of the stomach and the intestines; thereby limiting food intolerance associated with stomach flu. You may want to add either cinnamon or honey to improve the taste.
Blueberries: Blueberries contain high amounts of dietary fiber that can improve the bulk in stools. It is high in fiber, but low in roughage, which limits loose bowel movements. In addition, blueberries have antimicrobial and antioxidant properties to reduce the virus and toxins in the GIT that causes gastroenteritis.
Yogurt: Yogurt is probably the most popular remedy for a tummy bug. It is also one of the most effective remedies since it contains live microorganisms or probiotics that maintain the integrity of the gastrointestinal tract. It prevents other opportunistic microorganisms such as viruses from infecting the GIT.
Garlic: Garlic is also a popular remedy because of its antimicrobial properties. However, make sure not to take garlic raw because it may lead to further gastric irritation. You may take blanched or roasted garlic instead. It cools the bowel lining and the stomach walls presenting a sufficient form of relief to the patient.
Chamomile: Chamomile is an old and one of the most effective stomach bug remedies, which has lots of benefits such as smooth muscular relaxation, sedation, carminative effects, and anti-inflammatory properties as well as anti microbial properties. This herb has been found to posses anti inflammatory properties as well as the ability to help in muscle relaxation. Other properties that make the herb a good choice are: sedative, antimicrobial and carminative properties. Furthermore, chamomile reduces bloating effects that are common with stomach flu.
Elderberry: Natural medicine researchers have shown that an elderberry extract can be used as a successful treatment. The reason behind this application is the ability of the extract elements to reduce the virus activity by binding with each virus and thus preventing them from penetrating gastrointestinal tract cell walls.
Water: Among all the home remedies you can try for the stomach flu, water is the most beneficial because the body needs water more than anything else during the presence of stomach flu because of vomiting and diarrhea. Take some little clean water to help cool and clean the system. You may also try taking some ice in small quantities. In addition, other non-caffeinated drinks could also serve the purpose. The process of taking water should be maintained every day to avoid serious complications like dehydration.
QueaseX Anti Nausea Drops – Stomach Flu Fighter
CLICK IMAGE BELOW to see this effective natural remedy for stomach flu.
Final Word
It is clear that all practices involved in treating a stomach flu, aim at reducing the harmful effects of the disease such as dehydration and inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract linings. In addition, it is evident that with proper care, the disease is manageable. However, if not treated in the early stages, gastroenteritis can lead to death especially in children. Care should be taken to infants and any symptom be analyzed carefully to enable early diagnosis and treatment.
The treatment is by constant hydration. It is best that children are treated with specifically made rehydration mixtures. Discover methods to aid with the vomiting that is associated with the stomach flu with this video by pediatrician Dr. David Hill.
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August 15, 2014
They are very good for treatment and how do we get the drugs in my country ( Nigerian west Africa? ) thank you sister Sara, for sharing this topic:)