Natural Cures To Get Rid Of A Stomach Virus

The stomach virus is a condition that comes and goes in about 24 hours. It has also been coined as the "24-hour flu." In those 24 hours, the stomach flu brings with it a lot of symptoms such as fever, chills, weakness, dizziness, sweating and violent episodes of vomiting and diarrhea. Although you are told to let the flu run its course, there are several ways to help the process along naturally.

Rest

Rest as soon as you feel the symptoms of the stomach flu start. If you continue working or continue interacting with people, you can make your symptoms worse or spread the virus.

Initial Fast

When you have a stomach virus, you may have very little appetite or no appetite whatsoever. Go with this feeling and do not eat anything at all for a few hours. Do this especially when your symptoms are at their worst.

Fluids

When you are constantly throwing up, running to the bathroom with diarrhea and sweating profusely, you are losing a lot of water. This can lead to dehydration which can be very serious if left untreated. To counter this, drink fluids all day long. Just make sure to sip on them as guzzling anything down can upset your stomach even more. Drink water, soup broth or electrolyte formulas like sports drinks. You can also suck on chopped ice to keep your mouth moist and to get a slow and steady flow of water. Stay away from any fluids that can promote dehydration like coffee, caffeinated tea, soda and alcohol.

Food

Once your symptoms have subsided to the point where you are only going to the bathroom every few hours, you can start to incorporate foods back into your diet again. But avoid foods like dairy products, foods that are greasy, foods that are high in fat and foods that have a lot of spice or are highly acidic. Eat easy to digest foods like bananas, rice, applesauce, toast, crackers and plain noodles.

Prevention

When you are feeling better, prevent yourself from getting the flu in the future by avoiding contact with anyone who has the stomach virus, do not share food with anyone who may have the virus and make sure to wash your hands thoroughly throughout the day.