5 Tips To Cure The Stomach Flu Fast And Easy (Because Who Has Time For That?!)

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If you have ever had what is commonly known as the stomach flu, you know how disgusting it is. Also, how painful it can be. The stomach flu is best known for its ability to multi-task. You often find yourself sitting on the toilet with cramps and diarrhea while holding a trash can in front of you so you can vomit at the same time. This is sometimes so painful that you really believe that the end is near. You wish it were near so you would be out of your misery.

Stomach flu, despite its name, isn’t really the influenza virus, but rather it is caused by bad bacteria. This seems to happen quite a bit when we travel, (ever hear of Montezuma’s Revenge?), because our digestive systems are not accustomed to some of these bacteria. When our own microbial balance goes berserk, we end up with what is called the stomach flu.

Although most of us “get rid of” everything within 48 to 72 hours, it can take as long as 10 days for your body to heal and recover. Symptoms that your body is trying to kill or remove these nasty bad guys include such lovely things as vomiting, nausea, fever, sore muscles, cramps, headaches, weakness, diarrhea, and shivering. Nice.

To help your body remove these unwanted, and possibly dangerous bacteria, we have a list of five of the best ways to naturally work with your body and help you to get back on your feet fast.

1. Stay Hydrated

One of the biggest dangers of stomach flu is dehydration. You are losing more fluids than you are taking in so you need to stay hydrated. This means a great deal more than just drinking a lot of water. Your body is losing essential trace minerals and salts. You’ve seen those electrolyte replacing drinks on your supermarket shelf. Although these sound like a quick and easy solution, they are filled with sugar (or worse, aspartame), artificial colors and artificial flavors. You certainly don’t need any of those things! To get all of the salt and minerals your body needs, simply add a pinch of Himalayan salt to a couple of glasses of water or ¼ teaspoon in about 1.5 liters of water. Himalayan salt has 84 trace minerals, something you can’t get from regular table salt, as well as the ionic energy this salt has when mixed with water.

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2. Make Probiotics Your New Best Friend

Although probiotics are really great for everyday health, they become vital while dealing with the stomach flu. Probiotics are the good bacteria that naturally live in our digestive system. These good bacteria help to balance out the yeast and bad bacteria, so everyone lives together in harmony. When our digestive system is out of whack, we need to give it a helping hand with probiotics. Try eating two or three cups of plain yogurt that contains live and active cultures. If you can keep them down, fermented foods, such as miso, sauerkraut and pickles are also loaded with healthy probiotics. There are also plenty of probiotics supplements available at your local health food store.

3. Slippery Elm

The bark from this tree has been used for sore throats and digestive problems for hundreds, perhaps even thousands of years, by the Native Americans. Slippery elm coats and soothes the digestive track, providing a protective layer. It also offers some pain relief because this bark is also a powerful anti-inflammatory. You can find slippery elm bark just about everywhere, including most pharmacies and health food or natural stores. Take as directed.

4. Anti-Inflammatories

The best anti-inflammatory on the planet is curcumin, the active ingredient in turmeric root. Consuming some curcumin supplements or turmeric powder will help to stop the inflammation that is causing you a great deal of abdominal pain. Curcumin will also help to speed healing. The only drawback here is that your body has a hard time absorbing curcumin. You can mix a ½ teaspoon of turmeric powder in a glass of milk and drink it two or three times each day or consume 1 gram of curcumin supplements with either a glass of milk or eaten with a meal that contains fat. Since turmeric is a fat soluble substance, this should aid the body in absorbing it.

5. Natural Antibacterial

Eating probiotics will help to put good bacterial back in the digestive tract, but it can also help to kill off some of those bad guys if you want to heal faster. Consuming some natural antibacterial such as oregano oil, coconut oil, garlic, clove, thyme, colloidal silver, and apple cider vinegar will kill off some of the bad bacteria but leave the good guys alone.

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How to Kick the Worst of it in 72 Hours

1. Just living through the first 24 hours feels like a huge chore. For the first 24 hours, simply focus on staying hydrated. Just drink water (with some Himalayan salt) and nothing else. You probably wouldn’t be able to keep anything else down anyway. See if you can drink 4 liters of water. If not, drink as much as you can.

2. Your body needs food now which is why you feel so weak. However, your stomach is still tender so stick to the BRAT diet which is easy to digest. BRAT stands for bananas, rice, applesauce, and toast. Simple, bland foods will be easier on your stomach. Try eating a banana with some yogurt or some plain white rice with yogurt, toast with a bit of applesauce on it, you get the idea.

3. Your body is probably ready for some more substantial food, but don’t go crazy. You should still eat plenty of toast, yogurt, and bananas but you can add a few more things to your diet such as vegetable broth, perhaps some vegetable juice or some pureed vegetables. Although you might feel like you can handle some heartier fare, you might regret it if you don’t wait at least another 24 hours before you try something more solid.

The first 72 hours are the worst but you should be sure that you take care of yourself and not overdo things for the next 7 days. If you are still vomiting after 72 hours, you should see your doctor.

References:

www.en.wikipedia.org

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