6 Things that you should do to Avoid Diarrhea in Summer

Summer months are favourite months of diarrhoea. Though diarrhoea can hit anybody at any point of time, but in scorching hot weather conditions, it hits more and more infants, children and younger people. It is because in summer season severe gastroenteritis takes place because of bacterial infection in intestine and stomach. However, there are some preventive measures to keep this disease at a distance. This blog talks about some of these measures.

During summers, the most common cause of diarrhoea are infections caused by the microscopic-sized parasites, known as giardiasis and cryptosporidiosis. Diarrhoea generally gets transmitted through the contaminated water. These can spread from one person to the other and also from animal to person by contracting illness from agents. Diarrhoea comes along with other ailments, such as abdominal cramps, nausea, loss of appetite, vomiting, mild fever, etc. Sometimes Diagnosis of Diarrhoea gets delayed and that triggers alarming and chronic situations.

However, to prevent these alarming circumstances during summer months, it is always a prudent move to follow some natural preventive measures. Some of these measures are given below:

Ø Keep your Hands Clean: Mind, if your hands are not clean, more susceptible you will become to get diarrhoea. It is because diarrhoea attacks when it comes in contact with bacteria, viruses, organisms and parasites, like giardiasis. If your hands are not clean, germs will get spread at a fast pace, damaging your bowel movement and causing watery poo.

Therefore, for ensuring safety from these pathogens, you should keep washing your hands at frequent intervals. Mind, the cleaner your hands are, lesser you become susceptible to diarrhoea.

Ø Stay Away from Antibiotics:  Though doctors of today are quite prompt in recommending antibiotics, but the use of antibiotics is not good for the microbial balance in the intestine. This imbalance leads to diarrhoea. Hence, you should go for holistic remedies than to take(devour) antibiotics. Avoid using these medicines in minor infections, but if the intake is unavoidable, include more yogurt. Yogurt will help prevent the occurrence of diarrhoea as its live active culture help maintain the microbial balance and prevent infection from reaching the intestine.

Ø Say No to Undercooked Foods:  Eggs and meat contain bacteria and live parasites that give rise to chronic diarrhoea conditions. Hence, before consuming them, make sure that they are properly cooked. Apart, drink adequate water in summer months as water washes off toxins and infections from the body naturally. Despite remaining hydrated, if parasites are still in your body, you can take mild antibiotic, but only after taking advice and assent of your doctor. The moderate dose of antibiotics helps kill parasites and stop occurrence of the disease.

Ø Do not Eat Raw Foods without Washing: Fruits and vegetables are the breeding grounds for bacteria that may lead to acute infections and diarrhoea. Therefore, make sure to wash fruits and vegetables thoroughly before eating them raw. Apart, Salads should also not be consumed hours after they are cut/prepared. Making these types of mistakes may lead to intake of parasites/viruses and ultimately diarrhoea.

Ø Have More of Fluids: During summer season, maintain your body well hydrated. Take adequate of water, but not the untreated water, as diarrhoea is predominantly a water-borne disease and dirty and impure water is the main reason of infection.

Ø Avoid Acidic Foods: In summer season, our body tends to get infections/ diseases very fast. Therefore, you should minimize the intake of spicy and acidic foods, such as grapefruits, oranges as they can cause diarrhoea symptoms by breaking down the stool. Apart, avoid taking milk if your body is sensitive to lactose products. In addition to these, you should also avoid taking caffeine as it can make your stool loose.

It is important to know that the above-mentioned measures include, but not limited to the measures taken to avoid diarrhoea in summer.

                                                      ---Ashish Jha