Intravenous (IV) Therapy At Patients Medical we can create an IV therapy protocol to specifically address your medical and lifestyle needs, from nutrition supplementation and treatment of migraines, to respiratory ailments, chronic conditions, and many more.
Anti-Aging and Longevity Treatments Remember when you were in college and stayed up all night drinking beer, eating pizza, and partying; yet you still were able to attend class in the morning? How many of you could do that now?
Do you think you may be suffering from a gastrointestinal infection? Gastrointestinal infections are very common. There are many viruses, parasites and bacteria that can infect our gastrointestinal systems if we happen to be exposed to them in food that we have consumed. Common symptoms of a gastrointestinal infection include:
If the symptoms do not clear within a few days or if you find blood in your still, you should contact your doctor immediately.
The biggest risk during a gastrointestinal infection is dehydration due to vomiting and diarrhea. It is critical to stay hydrated, especially for young children and infants. Fevers should also be monitored in children with these infections, as excessively high body temperatures can lead to seizures.
Depending on the pathogen, gastrointestinal infections can also be extremely contagious. Any small quantity of germs may easily infect another person via a doorknob, sink spigot, or contaminated food or water. Very frequent hand washing is highly recommended. If you can avoid going to work while suffering from such an illness (or keeping your child at home during their illness), you are advised to do so to avoid spreading it to others. Although the infection may be difficult to contain when sharing a home with another person, confining the ill person’s toilet use to a single bathroom may help avoid spreading the infection.
Through excellent hygiene, clean drinking water, and safe food preparation, most gastrointestinal infections can be avoided. Most infections occur through what is called the fecal-oral route, in which trace amounts of infected fecal particles are unintentionally consumed. Although this sounds impossible in a society with good sanitation, something as simple as poor hand washing habits after using the restroom can spread diseases to other people through door knobs, shared hand towels, or direct contact. Certainly, infected food preparation areas (or food preparers) in restaurants are also potential sources of illness.
Gastrointestinal infections are commonly caused by bacteria, including:
These bacteria are frequently acquired by eating undercooked foods. Both Campylobacter and Salmonella, for example, are bacteria normally found in the intestines of healthy birds. Because of the way that the food processing industry commercially prepares poultry, chicken that you buy at the grocery store is completely covered in these types of bacteria. This is why it is critically important to make sure that chicken is cooked through to the center of the meat. Salmonella is particularly dangerous for people with weakened immune systems as it can make its way into the bloodstream, causing a potentially fatal infection. E. coli is another bacterium that may be life threatening if ingested. This bacterium is normally associated with cattle, and should the cow’s feces come into contact with food or water that is consumed, an infection can occur that results in severe bloody diarrhea.
There are also highly infectious viruses that can cause gastrointestinal infections, such as the Norovirus, which accounts for approximately 50% of foodborne illness outbreaks in the US and 90% of non-bacterial outbreaks around the world. It can be spread rapidly through person to person contact, particularly in enclosed communities, such as hospitals, prisons, dormitories, long-term care facilities, and cruise ships. Due to particular properties of the virus, it is not easily killed by soaps and detergents, but can be cleansed away with bleach.
Gastrointestinal parasite infections typically come from contaminated food or water. The parasite Giardia lamblia is often consumed by hikers that are drinking stream water, for example. Despite how clean the water in the wilderness may look, it is important to boil or filter it to remove parasites and other microorganisms before drinking it.
Most of these infections will clear up without treatment, since the gastrointestinal system empties itself even more regularly than normal in response to the infection. Because of the fluids lost, however, most people find that rehydration is necessary. This can be done by drinking ample fluids with electrolytes (Gatorade is an excellent source, for example). In cases of severe dehydration, doctors may also recommend that intravenous fluids be administered.
If you visit a doctor for your symptoms, they may also take a stool specimen to culture it and determine the source of the infection (particularly if there is blood in the stool). If you have acquired a parasite, they may prescribe antiparasitic drugs to help you clear the infection. Antibiotics are normally not administered unless a person has a weakened immune system because they can very often make the diarrheal symptoms worse. Some physicians now recommend the use of probiotics to help treat infections, as it helps restore and maintain the population of healthy bacteria that normally resides in the digestive system.
Although anti-diarrheal medications are tempting for quick symptom relief, they are generally not recommended for gastrointestinal infections because they prevent the body from eliminating the infectious organisms through the stool. Antiemetics to reduce nausea and vomiting may be administered safely, however, to aid in rehydration.
No matter the severity of the gastrointestinal infection that you are suffering through, Patients Medical is prepared to help you with a treatment program designed to address your symptoms. During your initial consultation, we will learn of all your concerns and collect specimens for testing. Following diagnosis, we can help devise a program that will help your infection clear up as quickly and comfortably as possible.
In addition to making sure that you are taking in plenty of fluids to stay hydrated, Patients Medical’s physicians may recommend:
Our job at Patients Medical is to listen, to connect the dots between a patient's medical history, symptoms, and their underlying causes. Patients Medical is a superb place for women and men to secure integrative and holistic health care from providers who give personalized care, partner with the patient to focus on the root cause of their illness, support their recovery, and help them maintain good health.
To make an appointment with one of our physicians, please call us at 1-212-794-8800. We look forward to hearing from you.