Question
What are the treatment methods for pediatric diarrhea?
Answer
The treatment of pediatric diarrhea should follow the principle of treating the symptoms in an acute case and the root cause in a chronic case, addressing both symptoms and root causes. The main treatment methods are as follows: 1. Dietary control: To alleviate the burden on the digestive system, those with frequent vomiting can fast for 6-12 hours, then be fed with rice gruel, followed by milk, starting with small amounts and gradually increasing to normal quantities. 2. Infection control: Appropriate antibiotics and other preparations are used for different pathogenic bacteria. 3. Traditional Chinese Medicine treatment: This condition primarily manifests as diarrhea, commonly referred to as ‘Xie Xie’ in traditional Chinese medicine. Chinese medicine believes that ‘Xie Xie’ is related to the spleen and stomach, often caused by irregular diet and external pathogenic factors (cold, heat, dampness), which damage the spleen and stomach leading to illness. The stomach is responsible for receiving food, while the spleen is responsible for transforming it. When the stomach fails to descend properly, it causes vomiting. When the spleen fails to transform properly, it cannot benefit moisture, leading to excessive dampness and diarrhea. Global Hospital Network warmly advises that for mild cases of diarrhea, attention should be paid to dietary adjustment to reduce the burden on the digestive system and promote its recovery. For severe cases, it is first necessary to correct water and electrolyte metabolism disorders, improve circulation and kidney function, and conduct etiological treatment. For patients with prolonged illness, the focus should be on enhancing the body’s resistance. Therefore, treatment should be tailored to the specific conditions of each child.