Dr. Mom: Natural Ways to Beat Stomach Flu

As of late there has been a stomach flu going around (aka, viral gastroenteritis – in no way related to the seasonal flu). Have you or someone in your family been affected? It can be especially difficult when children are sick, but the only way to deal with this infection is to let nature run its course. Someone in my family fell ill recently and it was not fun. We used naturopathic medicine to make her feel better and she quickly recuperated. If you’re taking care of someone with the stomach flu, the most important thing to do is to ensure that they’re well hydrated. It can be tough with ongoing vomiting and diarrhea, but these simple treatments can really make a difference.

(If you want to read more about what the signs of dehydration are and when to see a doctor, click here)

First of all, a person with viral gastroenteritis needs to sleep – a lot! It’s important for the infected person to stay at home and rest. This will help stop the spread of infection, and allow our body to focus on getting better. Avoid eating when you have the stomach flu. This gives our stressed digestive system a break, and again allows our body to concentrate its efforts on fighting the infection.

It is critical to stay hydrated and often water is not enough. Children especially, need to drink fluids that will replace the minerals lost to vomiting and diarrhea. When someone is having a hard time keeping any kind of liquid down or when diarrhea is severe, oral rehydration solutions are the best option. For a homemade solution, mix ½ tsp salt, 6 tsp sugar, and 1lt water. Ideally use sea salt and brown sugar because their mineral content is higher.

If your child brings up the liquid, wait 5-10 minutes before giving another sip, and try giving them smaller amounts more frequently. Another option is to use the rehydrating solution to make popsicles. These go over especially well with kids.

To relieve nausea a nice cup of ginger tea can do the trick. Here is a simple recipe: 6 pieces of thinly sliced (peeled) gingerroot, 1 ½ cups of water, and boil for 15 minutes. Ginger is excellent at quelling nausea. If your patient is not accustomed to the taste you can add a little bit of lemon or honey. There are many other herbs that can be beneficial for stomach upset when taken as a tea, some of these include chamomile, fennel, and peppermint. (If you’re allergic to ragweed it’s best to avoid chamomile.) Be sure to take small and frequent sips.

Once liquids stay down and your child is feeling better you can reintroduce solid foods by giving them congee (zhōu, 粥). It’s soothing and healing to the digestive tract. It’s especially nutritious when made with brown rice.

And most importantly rest, rest, rest! Your body will thank you.

Dr. Melissa Rodriguez is a Naturopathic doctor who lives with her family in Beijing.