Doctorweblog. About Health & Medicine

Plus-one cases are rarely seen by a physician. The plus-one patient is basically a happy person, mildly stimulated by a “natural high.” He rarely, if ever, thinks of himself as a candidate for serious illness.

Plus-three and plus-four cases, on the other hand, are sometimes brought to a physician, and such cases could be presented. (In her manic phase, for instance, Nora Barnes was a plus-four case.) These cases are relatively rare, however, since before the average food or chemical addict reaches this stage, his withdrawal symptoms have usually become more and more pronounced. It is this withdrawal phase which brings him to the doctor’s office—not the previous “high.”

This is why a discussion of stimulatory reactions focuses on the plus-two stage. It is here that we find at least three serious medical problems: hyperactivity in both children and adults; obesity; and alcoholism, the acme of the food-addiction problem.

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Since the end of World War Two, a staggering array of synthetic hormones, tranquilizers, and antibiotics, has been used to treat meat, poultry, and fish.

The most common hormone used for this purpose—diethylstilbesterol, or DES—was given as a medicine to pregnant women to prevent miscarriage. It is now known that the substance has caused cancer in the children of women who used it, the so-called “DES babies.” The United States government is now waging a major campaign to warn such children, the potential victims, of the danger that was incurred.

For years, however, this hormone and other related substances, such as Ralgro and Zeranol, were implanted in chickens, cattle, and sheep to make them grow fatter and come to market sooner. Industry has argued that only minute amounts of the chemicals were left in the meat which reached the consumer. But a growing number of scientists countered that it only took a few parts per billion to cause cancer in experimental animals.5

In addition to the use of hormones, it is common practice to inject animals with tranquilizers just before they are slaughtered and to dip certain foods (such as fish) in an antibiotic solution, to prevent them from spoiling. One of my patients became sick from eating store-bought fish. One day, her husband went deep sea fishing and brought back some fresh bluefish. She had no adverse reaction to this fish and soon learned that she could eat most freshly caught fish with impunity. She could also eat pieces of large commercial fish which were sawed into small portions while still frozen. Her problem apparently arose from the antibiotic solution which the industry routinely uses to treat smaller fresh fillets.

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Diarrhea refers to looseness of the stools, not to the frequency of bowel movements. (Frequent bowel movements with normal stools are not diarrhea.) The number of loose bowel movements per day measures the seriousness of the diarrhea.

Diarrhea in children over the age of five differs in several ways from diarrhea in infants and younger children. Diarrhea is less likely to cause dehydration (a serious loss of body fluids) in older children. The older and large the child becomes, the smaller the chances of dehydration. Serious dehydration is unlikely past six years of age-unless diarrhea is combined with vomiting, which keeps the child from drinking enough liquids.

Viruses in the intestine are the most common cause of diarrhea in older children. Dysentery bacteria and parasites in the intestine are the next most common causes. Respiratory viruses and reactions to certain foods are the least likely cause of diarrhea in older children.

Other diseases may cause long-term, frequent diarrhea in older children (though they are rare or unknown in infants). Ulcerative colitis is a condition in which ulcers frequently appear in the colon (large intestine). Regional enteritis (Crohn’s disease) is a recurring inflammation in the small intestine. The cause of these two diseases is not known. Cystic fibrosis is an inherited disease that affects the lungs, pancreas, sweat glands, and sometimes the liver and other organs. It often causes frequent diarrhea with foul-smelling stools.

Signs and symptoms

Loose, watery stools are the major symptom. There may be mucus or flecks of red blood in the stools. The child may have cramps. There may also be fever, loss of appetite, vomiting, and weight loss, depending on the cause of the diarrhea.

Home care

If the child has both diarrhea and vomiting, treat vomiting first by restricting the child’s diet to clear liquids only. Once the vomiting stops treat the diarrhea by limiting or not reintroducing solid foods – especially those with roughage, fruits (except bananas and apples), vegetables, butter, fatty meats, and peanut butter. Do not give the child milk, since milk may further aggravate diarrhea.

Encourage the child to drink plenty of clear liquids: tea, water, flavored gelatin water, and commercial mineral and electrolyte mixtures.

Precautions

• Do not give anti-diarrheal medications to children, since side effects are common and can be dangerous.

• Isolate an infant from children who are ill with vomiting and diarrhea.

• If there is blood in the stools, high fever, prostration (extreme weakness or collapse), or severe or prolonged diarrhea (more than two to three days), call your doctor. Dysentery may be the cause.

• Report frequent, repeated diarrhea to your doctors. Frequent diarrhea may be a symptom of colitis, enteritis, or cystic fibrosis, especially if there is weight loss.

Medical treatment

Your doctor’s treatment will be the same as home treatment. If necessary, the doctor may request blood tests, X rays of the large and small intestines, and sigmoidoscopy (an examination of the large intestine). In severe cases, hospitalization may be ordered.

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