1. Treat Your Dehydration
Bacterial gastroenteritis can make you feel miserable, but it will generally clear up on its own. Treatment is primarily focused on reducing some of the symptoms of the infection. While diarrhea is the chief complaint of gastroenteritis, the diarrhea itself is not usually treated. However, diarrhea can lead to dehydration and this needs to be addressed.
If your doctor diagnoses you or your child with dehydration, the first thing to try is oral rehydration via fluids. These are available over-the-counter and there are some specially formulated for children. Your doctor can help you decide how much of these fluids are necessary. Occasionally, these fluids are unsuccessful or the dehydration is severe enough to warrant the use of intravenous fluids. You will need to be hospitalized for this, but treatment is usually brief and will effectively re-hydrate your body.
2. Use Anti-microbial Medications
Although most cases of bacterial gastroenteritis will clear up on their own, some infections require anti-microbial medications. For example, moderate to severe cases of shigella should be treated with antibiotics and can help shorten the duration of your illness. However, they will not prevent complications. Antibiotics are not used for mild cases.
Whenever possible, your doctor will likely recommend that you do not take antibiotics. For salmonella species, for example, antibiotic use is associated with relapse. Generally, only infants younger than 3 months and people with compromised immune function are given antibiotics for salmonella poisoning. Some strains of bacteria have become resistant to antibiotics and this is another reason to avoid unnecessary medications.
3. Probiotics for a Healthy Gut
An interesting complementary treatment to consider is the use of probiotics. The digestive tract is full of bacteria and many of these, including priobiotics, are beneficial and necessary for optimal digestive function. During bacterial gastroenteritis, harmful bacteria invade the digestive tract, causing unpleasant symptoms and displacing the balance of good bacteria. Supplemental probiotics can help restore the healthy bacteria. Studies have demonstrated that probiotics can often be helpful in reducing the severity of symptoms such as diarrhea, and may help reduce the period of illness.
Probiotics are found naturally in certain foods such as yogurt. You can also take them in supplemental form. They are found in the refrigerator section of most health foods stores.
