Diarrhea or Montezuma's Revenge, can ruin your vacation, keeping you in bed for days on end. If you take a few precautions and observe some simple guidelines along with having the right treatments in your suitcase, you may be able to avoid a case of Mummy Tummy and enjoy every minute of your vacation.
Step 1
Drink only bottled mineral water when you travel and avoid drinking local tap water even for brushing teeth or ice in your drinks as recommended the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP). This is the most important thing you can do to help protect yourself from ingesting organisms that may be in the water wherever you vacation.
Step 2
Eat only cooked foods. Many raw foods, especially fruits and salads are washed in the local tap water which may leave deposits on the skin containing organisms that can give you traveler's diarrhea. If you eat fruit, only choose those that can be peeled, suggests the AAFP.
Step 3
Include hand sanitizer gel and wipes in your suitcase when you travel. Use the wipes before eating or whenever you feel you need a cleanup to prevent the spread of germs while you're out and about.
Step 4
Wash your hands thoroughly throughout the day to remove bacteria and other microbes you pick up while touring. Use an alcohol based hand sanitizer to clean your hands after you wash them in the local water supply.
Step 5
Watch what you eat. Even cooked foods may contain local products that may be contaminated or merely processed locally, exposing them to organisms native to that environment. If you are not used to eating the local foods, you may get ill.
Step 6
Take homeopathic Arsenicum Album with you for traveler's diarrhea, suggests Maesimund B. Panos, M.D in her excellent first aid book, "Homeopathic Medicine at Home." Arsenicum treats all kinds of diarrhea and vomiting and is especially helpful if you are also experiencing burning pain in the abdomen and anus, excess thirst, anxiety and restlessness.
Step 7
Include homeopathic Nux Vomica for treating traveler's diarrhea and use this if Arsenicum Album doesn't help you, recommends "Everybody's Guide to Homeopathic Medicines." Nux Vomica is helpful for diarrhea accompanied by intense abdominal cramping and spasms. If you've eaten too much or foods that are spicier than you're used to, Nux Vomica will help to resolve the diarrhea.
Step 8
Take loperamide (Imodium A-D), Pepto Bismal or other diarrhea medication in your bag for use in the event the homeopathic remedies don't help you. Of course you can use this instead of homeopathic remedies to control diarrhea, but it does have some side effects, so read the package insert first.
Step 9
Ask your doctor for a prescription for antibiotics that you can take with you in the event nothing else works and you can't find a doctor locally.
Tips and Warnings
- Buy a homeopathic first aid book to throw in your suitcase. There are many available in health food stores and a book can be invaluable in helping you choose a remedy when you're traveling and can't find a homeopath. Consider buying a homeopathic first aid travel kit which will supply the most common homeopathic remedies for travel sickness including Nux Vomica and Arsenicum Album. See the link in resources.
- The information offered here is for educational purposes and is not meant to replace medical advice.
Things You'll Need
- Hand sanitizer and wipes
- Arsenicum Album
- Nux Vomica
- Homeopathic first aid kit
- Homeopathic first aid book
- Loperamide (Imodium A-D)
- Antibiotic
References
- "Everybody's Guide to Homeopathic Medicines", Stephen Cummings, F.N.P. and Dana Ullman, M.P.H. 1984
- "Homeopathic Medicine at Home", Maesimund B. Panos, M.D., 1980
- American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP): Traveler's Diarrhea
