Food is one of the most common ways of getting an infection, and so the stomach is more prone to infections than other body parts. Whether it is eating raw or uncooked foods or unhygienic foods, the stomach bears the brunt of one s bad food practices. The only consoling factor is that it is equally easy to treat a stomach infection if some simple measures are adhered to. 

Read on to know some of the easiest and most effective ways to treat a stomach infection.

Drink it right: What you drink and how you drink makes a lot of difference to the way your stomach infection will respond. The vomiting, diarrhoea and sweating is robbing the body of a lot of fluids, and so replenishing this fluid along with minerals is very essential. Ensure you drink a lot of clear liquids like water, coconut water, clear soups, sports drinks, and other energy drinks. Electrolyte replacement can be added to improve their efficacy. Herbal teas like ginger tea and peppermint tea are highly recommended to soothe the stomach too. At the same time, avoid caffeine, strong black tea, alcohol, and chocolate as they are detrimental to the already affected stomach.
Eat right: Even on a regular basis, you are what you eat. So, when your stomach is already infected, eating right assumes a lot more importance. Go easy on the stomach and give it something easy to digest, yet of high nutritional value. Banana, rice, apple, and toast (abbreviated as BRAT) is very easy and packs in good nutrition for the recovering stomach. Avoid a lot of fibres, fatty foods, greasy foods, sugars, and dairy products which are hard for the stomach to digest. Eat small meals, but eat a lot more frequently than you otherwise would.
Rest well: With the body losing a lot of fluids and nutrition along with it, the body would naturally feel very tired and fatigued. Let the body run its course, and give it the rest it demands. In the next couple of days, once the virus has run its course, this will resolve.
Medications: Stomach infection is usually caused by a virus, and so antibiotics do not play a curative role here. However, if you have high fever or body aches, Tylenol or acetaminophen can be used sparingly. If diarrhoea or vomiting is severe, loperamide or promethazine can also be used. However, this should be substituted with sufficient rest and nutrition (solid and liquids).
If these are not helping and you are not able to keep the food down, visit the doctor. Sometimes, a day or two in the hospital may be required for complete cure and recovery.

Stomach Infection - Easy Tips To Help You Treat It!

6 Natural Treatments for Constipation Relief

Constipation can make you miserable. Though medically defined as less than three stools a week or worse, daily bowel movement is essential to keep healthy and feel fresh. Caused by slow movement of food through the digestive tract, constipation can occur due to poor bowel habits, eating less fiber, medications, hormonal issues or some other disease. However, it can be easily fixed with fiber, fluids and frequent exercising. You can try these natural treatments to relieve your discomfort and keep it away:

1. Coconut Oil and Flaxseed - A great combination
Coconut oil is a wonderful hydrating agent and eases stools. Flaxseeds help in the elimination of toxins, excess fat and cholesterol from the body. So in one tablespoon of coconut oil, add half a teaspoon of flaxseeds, chew well and eat this every morning.

2. Harad or Terminalia Chebula Myrobalan - A Wonder Fruit
An important ingredient of Triphala, harad is a wonder fruit that has amazing health benefits. One of these is relieving constipation. Take the small black variety and roast it with few drops of Ghee and grind to store. 5-6 gms daily with water at night will relieve constipation.  

3. Yogurt - Excellent Source of Probiotics
Probiotics which contain beneficial bacteria are a great remedy for constipation. However, you can take the humble homemade yogurt full of beneficial bacteria in your meal every day and get relief from constipation.

4. Fiber Fix - Figs and more
Fiber helps to bulk up your stool making the bowel movement faster. Figs are a great source of soluble fiber and you can soak 2-3 overnight and have both the fruit and the sweet water to get regular bowel movement. You can also include high fiber whole wheat bran cereal to your diet for added benefits.
Do not forget to back your fibers with 8-10 glasses of water as you increase your intake.

5. Baking Powder - The Versatile Solution
Baking powder has an alkalizing effect and eases movement through the bowels. Add a teaspoon to   cup of warm water and drink it quickly for best results.

6. Oatmeal Tea - When things are Severe
Oatmeal is fibrous, Honey is healing and moisturizing and Chamomile is an anti-inflammatory agent which soothes the stomach. Together, they can stop severe constipation. So, take a cup of water and add three teaspoons of oatmeal, a Chamomile tea bag and two teaspoons of honey. Drink 2-3 times a day if your problem is severe.

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6 Home Remedies that Work for Constipation Relief

The word colic directly refers to the colon. Colic pain is a sharp abdominal pain followed by bouts of crying usually occurring in infants below the age of one year. The pain only last for a short period of time ranging from a few weeks to a couple of months. Very few number of babies will cry endlessly indicating towards an underlying condition.

It is mainly characterized by sharp crying for supposedly no apparent reason, irregular sleep patterns, and restlessness or owing to deviation from normal postures. The apparent causes of colic pain include indigestion and negative reaction of the sensitive gut to the breast or formula milk, although no concrete cause of the state has been discovered.

Doctors often suggest home remedies such as swaddling, pacifiers, holding and comforting the baby and more frequent feedings to reduce the condition. Since it is so common among infants and relatively less harmful, no proper medication is usually given. Physicians suggest mothers to reduce the content of caffeine, alcohol or spice in their diet. Sometimes a warm bath, burping the baby or going on more frequent walks is useful. Background music draws the attention of the baby and hence drives their focus, away from the abdominal pains.

Colic pains are mainly treated by care rather than medicine. The baby is made to feel comfortable and the distress is reduced just by being around the infant. The primary care giver plays an important role in consoling the child and helping them get through the sudden pain which further plays a significant role in personality development. Colic pains are extremely short lived and probably one of the first few challenges of parenthood. They are primarily dealt with care and feeding except in extreme cases where medicinal cures such as lactase drops and simethicone drops are used to treat the abdominal pain.

Colic Pain - How To Treat It

A Gastroenterologist is a physician with dedicated training and unique experience in the management of diseases of the gastrointestinal tract and liver. If you are planning to visit one, you most likely have a problem in one or many organs like esophagus, stomach, small intestine, colon and rectum, pancreas, gallbladder, bile ducts and liver. 

Visit your doctor to understand the severity of your condition and the course of treatment, as it is obvious that during this time you must be suffering from anxiety and you may not ask the questions arising in your mind. That is why you need to prepare in advance for your first visit with a gastroenterologist. Being an active partner in the doctor patient relationship is bound to have its benefits. Here are some handy tips:

1. Come mentally prepared: Don't let the anxiety get to you. If you need some extra help calming down, try yoga or meditation. You can simply go out on a walk alone to help you focus your thoughts. This is just like any other doctor visit. The good part is that you are taking the first step in easing your discomfort and starting treatment, so go with a positive mind.

2. Maintain a diary of symptoms: It is likely that you are experiencing discomfort from past few days or weeks before you finally realize the need to seek out a specialist. Try to remember as much as possible about the symptoms you experienced in a chronological order. Write down any over the counter medicines you've tried or anything unusual that you may have consumed in the past week. 

3. Take stock of your medical history: It is likely that your doctor may want to know about any historic conditions you've suffered that may or may not relate to your present condition. Many ask you to fill out forms during your first time patient registration which includes many minor details about your medical past. List down any allergies, especially food allergies you have. 

4. Take stock of your recent medical tests: Bring your latest blood tests and imaging tests (X-rays, ultrasounds, MRIs, and CT scans) with you for the doctor's visit. If you have a pre-existing condition like diabetes, thyroid or you suffer from other chronic conditions like increased uric acid, carry your most recent medical reports with you. 

5. Make a list of questions for the doctor: In most cases, the first visit is a crucial factor in determining whether you want to continue the course of treatment with a particular doctor. This comes out of your ability to trust the doctor, his knowledge and diagnosis and an overall comfort level that comes with how well he handles your questions. Start by making a list of questions you want to ask about your specific condition and course of treatment and see if you get satisfactory answers. 

6. Brace yourself: If you want to suggest a treatment option, make sure you read up all about it before you tell the doctor.

6 Tips For Your First Visit With A Gastroenterologist

Lactose intolerance is a condition wherein you are not able to digest lactose, which is a sugar found in milk. Other foods that contain lactose include cheese and ice-cream. Inadequate production of the lactase enzyme in children causes lactose intolerance. This enzyme is produced in the intestine that helps in the digestion of lactose.


Lactose intolerance is often confused with milk intolerance. The symptoms are similar but they do not share the same cause. Milk allergy is an adverse reaction towards milk and it is a problem of the immune system, whereas lactose intolerance involves the digestive system.


Symptoms-
The symptoms of lactose intolerance are:
Bloating; on consumption of milk over a period of time
Diarrhea is also very common
Stomach pain
Nausea


Diagnosis-
It is self -diagnosable; just strike out foods containing lactose from your child s diet and see if the symptoms get better with time. If the symptoms happen to fade away gradually, then it certainly must ve been lactose intolerance.
However, it can be tricky as many non-dairy products also contain lactose.
If the child is lactose intolerant, then he/she might have to undergo a lactose breath test. This is used to test the levels of hydrogen in the child s breath after the child consumes a lactose solution. Usually, hydrogen levels are low in one s breath. However, if the lactose solution is not digested properly, then it will lead to a temporary increase in the levels of hydrogen in the breath, thus indicating lactose intolerance.


Treatment-
This disorder does not have a cure; so in case your child has lactose intolerance, you need to adjust his/her diet accordingly. Over-the-counter lactase is also available that helps in digesting lactose based foods. You can also go for the  lactose- free  milk variety for your child.


Lactose Intolerance in Kids

Stomach problems are one of the most common issues you face. Irrespective of what your age is, it is highly likely that you have an upset stomach once in while. A stomach upset has a distinguishable characteristic -  that stomach linings as well as the small and large intestines tend to swell. This is called inflammation. The following are the most common causes of an upset stomach.

1. Viruses
Viruses are the most common causes of an upset stomach. It is highly likely that your stomach upset is because of a virus since there are so many types of them.

2. Parasites or bacteria like Salmonella and Escherichia coli
This is also a very common cause of stomach upset. Salmonella infections are usually caused by eating raw eggs, meat and meat products whereas Escherichia coli infections come from raw vegetables as well as milk and dairy products.

3. Allergic reactions
These happen very specifically to people who have a reaction to a certain type of food.

4. Excess alcohol
Most people think that alcohol will only make you pass out or get liver cirrhosis. Many people do not know that alcohol can actually adversely affect your stomach as well.

5. Excess caffeine
Caffeine is also dangerous to your stomach as taking too much of it can cause a stomach upset.

6. Fatty foods
Fatty foods such as cheese, dark chocolates, whole eggs, fatty fish, etc. are dangerous because they are harder to digest than many other types of food. This means that eating even a small amount of fatty foods are enough to cause a stomach upset sometimes.

7. Eating too much
This is also a major cause of stomach upset simply because your stomach can only digest a certain amount of food.

You must also be able to distinguish when you have a stomach infection and when you have Chron's disease as it is basically a chronic stomach upset. Chron's disease causes the whole digestive tract to be inflamed.

Common Causes Of Stomach Problems

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