Diarrhea can kill

One primary problem in the woods is the lack food and when there is food to eat, ailments may be caused by lack of sanitation and hygiene. Hunters and survivalist would reprimand you for being too clean in your ways with food because you are not at home, you are not in a restaurant, bear in mind you are in the woods on survival mode so let's forget sanitation and hygiene for the moment.

Diarrhea is one disease that can easily dehydrate you and if not treated can lead to death. And what can avert the relentless attack of diarrhea? First in the list is corn starch. Mix 2 tablespoon in half a glass and drink it straight. More likely you don't have corn starch so you search for guava tree or star apple tree. Boil the leaves into a tea concoction and drink. And to eject diarrhea faster, drink plenty of water regularly.

 

Interesting point. Alongside your remedy it's important to remember that diarrhea is a symptom of another problem and before you stop diarrhea it's important to address the other issue. In the short term it's better to let the body just flush out what it wants. After that be sure to have dealt with any issues of poisoning or parasites etc. Keep lots of fluid handy and address all your issues sensibly.

 

Great tips. During these rough times, it's quite easy for things to go wrong and people to get sick due to all kinds of challenges in every aspect of your life, so i guess just be sure to keep a healthy mind and strong body, make sure you are eating, no matter the scarcity of food, find a way to get some nutrients intake. A great immune system really comes in handy in these circumstances.

 

I can't imagine being an SHTF situation and getting diarrhea, that would be the worst! I think the most important thing is to try and avoid it as much as possible. Obviously it's not completely possible, but there are some things which can cause it, such as undercooked meat. We all have triggers too and learning what they are sooner rather than later is useful. I know, for example, that I will have a bad stomach if I eat sausages. I think if I had diarrhea in the wild, I wouldn't try to treat it as I might just make it worse. I'd wait for the infection to pass and keep an eye out for signs of dehydration.

 

I suppose a person can reduce or even avoid diarrhoea altogether by eating dry food and drinking plenty of water between meals. But it would be prudent to stock on some medicines like those of typhoid or cholera since the diarrhoea could be a symptom of something worse. It could also be the body's way of registering for a change of diet. Either way, one should be wary of a diarrhoea that persists not a one time event.

 

Good thing that diarrhea is so easy to cure, with just staying hidrated you're countering diarrhe quite hard. But for someone without a sustainable access of drinkable water, I suggest lemons to soothe irritation in the intestines, lemon juice is an easy home remedy. Drinking freshly squeezed lemon juice in a large glass of water three to five times a day will kill off the pathogens causing the diarrhea.

 

Thanks for sharing these remedies. Diarrhea can be a very debilitating affliction which comes with a great amount of pain and discomfort. It may also cause persons to dehydrate in critical proportions and some may even end up dying as a result. I usually try a some salt-in-water solution which for the most part will quickly give me some amount of relief whenever I have an attack of diarrhea.

 

I know someone who got food poisoning and it lasted 6 months. He got really, lost a lot of weight, went to doctor numerous times, had to take meds all that time. Some kinds of food poisoning can be very very bad. Beware!!

 

Correct it is a symptom and not a sickness or a disease. Something that your body is not agreeing with is trying to dispel it. Water will come out of both ends via vomiting and diarrhea. As you've already mentioned the body will heal itself over time. You just need a lot of rest and even more water to replenish what you have lost. Having pain meds and upset stomach medicine would help, but if you are in the bush natural remedies to ease the process helps.

 

Chronic diarrhea is the one time most people will need electrolyte replacements!
If you got Gatorade this is the time to use it in small amounts!

 

Dehydration caused by diarrhea is a pretty severe condition, and you can die from it if you don't hydrate yourself right away. That's why lots of mortality cases from infants involve diarrhea, because they are removing fluids from the body faster than they can replace it, their cells dehydrate, and they will stop functioning in hours. You need to get it fixed right away, get some fresh and clean water from a stream, and immediately replace the fluids that you have been forcefully removing from your body. Lots of cases of starvation in the wilderness for those lost, but dehydration is also a huge factor in these cases.

 

Diarrhea is already annoying I can't imagine dealing with it in survual mode. I've always heard dogs cure sick stomachs and diarrhea with grass, and I wonder If this could work for humans. It may be best to add a few antidiarrheal pills to your first aid kit.

 

Diarrhea could be debilitating and the patient would become extremely weak and may not muster enough energy to walk on his feet. The best way to control diarrhea is to address it promptly and immediately. Mere water along is not enough. Electrolytes need to be replenished. If nothing is available, common salt may be administered.

The toxins produced by the pathogens could be irritating to the patient. Consuming yogurt can neutralize diarrhea-causing bacteria. It's, however, wise to carry necessary medication when you venture into woods.

 

Cocoa is also good for this and mint as well. I am not sure whether mint has to be used as a tea or the effect will be the same or similar if we chew it. I never tried so this is just me thinking aloud. Now when I think about it these are the only things I actually can remember that I know are helping. Good advice for corn starch. Does that mean eating corn could help?

 

You'll have to keep up with your hygiene. Make sure you have a pit where you can go for a call. You will have to boil the water for drinking and for washing utensils. To keep flies away, make sure there are on left overs. Left overs will also attract cockroaches.

 

Hmmm interesting remedies, I will give them a try as I frequently suffer diarrhea. I suspect I have either some kind of IBS or it's stress/anxiety related. However, in survival situations sanitation is extremely important. Diarrhea is still a major disease that kills many people around the world, usually due to unclean water sources. It just goes to show how critical proper clean water sanitation is!

 

I know that diarrhea is very dangerous and you always need to be careful. Hygiene is always important even if you are in nature.

 

I hate having diarrhea without being in the nature.
You definitely need to be careful if you get it and I would not continue drinking from the same water source that might have given it to you.
I also heard that Gatorade helps a lot but apparently also honey can help you.....

 

Wow, Corzhen; I see that you have done your research or you have some experience in surviving in a disaster! Thanks for sharing! Knowledge is power!

 

It might be something that people might be embarrassed about but it has killed before. The main problem is that your body doesn't have time to feed itself and you also end up suffering from dehydration. That is how come they always recommend that you take in a lot of liquids when this happens.

 

It is true that diarrhea can cause extreme dehydration. In a situation like this, it is absolutely imperative that one find a water source (fresh water) and stay hydrated! Drink lots of fluids and eat nutritionally valuable foods.

 

Almost anything in excess can kill you. Ingesting too much water can kill you via acute water intoxication so diarrhea can certainly lead to death if it is persistent and severe. Bananas are a very good food to eat in this circumstance as it will restore a significant amount of the lost potassium and beverages containing a small amount of sodium are vital as it will replace the salts that are lost in your body. Skinless apples are another good food source that will help you counteract the effects of diarrhea.

 

Wow had not even thought of the problems associated with having diarrhoea on top already having probably quite limited access to water or at least clean water, hI have read about oral saline solutions I think that are used in developing countries where diarrhoea is till a major killer, has anyone had much experience with these? are they worth adding to your medical kit? any home remedies?

 

I like your ideas guys and you are right diarrhea can kill you due to dehydration it causes plus the pain sometimes it is followed by stomach pain so my remedy will be to try a dry bread this helps to stop diarrhea and then mix a glass of AK warm water, tea spoon of salt plus tea spoon of sugar mix this and drink it twice or thrice a day this will help to gain back the water you are loosing and not be dehydrated ;-)

 

As a kid the local government gave these packs of powder that you mix with water that can help with diarrhea. I haven't seen any of those in recent years though. It seems like people found more accessible ways to combat dehydration such as Gatorade, and the taste of those old ones weren't really that good to begin with. Passage of time I guess. There have been lots of improvements in the medical field so that fewer people (especially kids) should die of a very treatable condition.

 

yeah Fortunately thanks to Medecin which is developing and these homemade remedies Are rarely being used But Sometimes we might need them we never known, Which is why it's good to have these knowledge always help just in case

 

Thanks for the tip. All those things besides the bread should always be in your survival pack, they don't weigh that much but can make a world of difference.

 

Some very good posts were made to this thread . This is an old thread but worth our present members reading . Basically it back ups the book I recently purchased " where there is no doctor . During teotwawki " life as we presently know it " nutrition for most will be poor with all food stores gone or fuel to drive to a food source . Bad diets lead to poor recovery from illnesses such as diarrhea "a leading cause of death in impoverished areas especially amongst children . The reason in the very old cemeteries there are so many children graves compared to the adults there . The point being we all need to plan well our nutrients available post S.H.T.F. . Hygiene preparation is another aspect of this killer . It doesn't take much to build a outhouse now but will be much harder when electric for power tools are gone . I have long since built my out house and will be out later today milking my goat . During teotwawki I plan to have plenty of nutritious milk for our survival group .

 

Good afternoon Poltiregist,

Great point re bad diet and recovery.

From above, you're presenting 3 themes:
1. diet
2. inherently treating the diarrhea
3. hygiene

First, always consider whether the diarrhea is only 1 aspect of another ailment present. Who know if dysentery or that Goma, DR Congo virus also present ? Still, hydrate and get nutrition in a somewhat hygienic environment.

There's an array of RX pharma and basic medicines for shelter in place Preppers. I have a short distance field evac in case of a forest fire. In my med kit is a RX pharma Paregoric containing USP opiate to kill pain. That, water and what I can eat (tree nuts are out) might get me away from the forest fire.

Some of the diarrhea protozoa pathogens can incubate for 1 - 2 weeks . With life-events stressing out the body, the immune system is weakened to some lower level. Thus, Preppers must keep on alert.

 

Basically diarrhea is the reason that if you are lost in the woods and have every reason to expect to either be rescued or find your way out in less than a week that you are better off not eating anything that you didn't bring with you. Eating things that you are not used to even though they might be eatable can and often does give you the trots. You can easily become dehydrated and in desperate need of water. That may leed to you making and choice about drinking water. If you drink and get something on top of the upset stomach you will be in serious trouble. Unless you have some sort of serious health issue a week without food is no problem at all. Diarrhea, if you don't have plenty of clean water, can kill you in a day or two. ALL of my kits have Imodium antidiarrheal pills included.

 

In a survival situation this may not be as helpful, but I learned of the 'BRAT' method for treating diarrhea when I lived up in Glacier, MT - Bananas, Rice, Applesauce, and Toast. I also know that if you already have a diet rich in probiotics you are much MUCH more likely not to get diarrhea, unless it is a viral symptom. That being said, I agree with @TexDanm and also carry Imodium in my BOBs.