Proper control of diarrhea with a salt solution

[JerryNYC]

I am troubled by Shamrock's advise that recommends drinking his homemade mixture to control diarrhea. I may not agree with his other things he has written but this recommendation of his is risky. There is no way of knowing the actual concentration of the electrolyte salts in this homebrew that people may be drinking and this is vital!

Liquids with too much of a concentration of electrolyte salts (hypertonic) tend to pull water from the into the gut and may increase the diarrhea.
Liquids with too little a concentration of electrolyte salts (hypotonic) tends to move water from the gut into the bloodstream may reduce the diarrhea but may also reduce the concentration of necessary electrolytes within the body.

Liquids that you drink to control diarrhea should contain roughly the same concentrations of electrolyte salts (isotonic) as is normal for the human body. This will help to reduce diarrhea, while supplying appropriate amounts of electrolytes to the body. In addition, a small quantity of glucose is necessary to allow water and electrolytes to flow across membranes into the body.

This issue was found to be of vital importance during the early days of perfecting surgery for removal of the large intestine to cure ulcerative colitis. The large intestine is vital for reabsorbing liquids flowing down the gut and returning them to the bloodstream. For several days after this removal very little fecal material is passed by the small intestine. (This post-surgical blockage is called “ileus”). But at some point, liquids in the small bowel (coming from intravenous introduction of fluids into the body) pour out of the newly formed ostomy at the end of the small intestine. It was found that this depleted the balance of electrolyte salts within the body and often led to serious problems of morbidity and mortality. This problem was resolved by checking the levels of electrolytes in the blood several times a day and balancing the proper mixture of electrolytes in the blood by modifying the composition intravenous fluid going into the body. This is now standard procedure after surgery.

So, how about diarrhea that occurs well after recovery from surgery? Loperamide (Imodium) is usually recommended (Check with your doctor) but the fluids that you drink should have a balanced concentration of electrolyte salts (primarily sodium and potassium) plus the proper amount of glucose. You cannot get this with a home brew. The simplest way to deal with this is to have a ready mix in your home. I keep a box that contains small packs of powder to be mixed with 1 liter of water (1 liter = 1.06 quarts, so a quart will work well). I get this from Amazon.com as “Trioral oral rehydration salts, new World Health Organization (WHO) formula”, which has the proper mixture of sodium and potassium salts plus glucose. I keep a box of 15 packets, but they also come in boxes of 50 and 100.

[JerryNYC]

by JerryNYC » Today 17:00.

Sorry but I botched the second paragraph by leaving out a word. It should read:

"Liquids with too much of a concentration of electrolyte salts (hypertonic) tend to pull water from the bloodstream into the gut and may increase the diarrhea.

Liquids with too little a concentration of electrolyte salts (hypotonic) tends to move water from the gut into the bloodstream may reduce the diarrhea but may also reduce the concentration of necessary electrolytes within the body."

[22Sunpuperwolf22]

HI Jerry NYC,

I'm am cautious with the advice given in the UOAA discussion group and I really do a lot of research all the time and work with my doctors secondarily when I don''t understand something medically to the fullest. I appreciate your concern with Shamrock's advice. And your note is well taken. What works for Shamrock doesn't necessarily work for others, so I hear what people have to say and I research it fully if I feel it warrants further research, and if I want to apply that recommendation to myself. Shamrock was, I'm sure, offering his suggestion with good intentions. I thank you for posting this note here for me and as well for others so that other discussion members will do their own active research before taking advice of any kind here, or on any site that they post on. Thank you for your post, Jerry NYC! It is well taken.

[Shamrock4806]

Many issues can cause diarrhea with an ileostomy and the oral rehydration isn't a cure for diarrhea, especially if it's caused by too much salt in the body. You got this entirely wrong reading my original post on the subject. How that occurred is unknown, perhaps on purpose or your suffering a bit from dehydration now?

All the oral rehydration solution does is attempts to replace lost electrolytes due to rapid water loss caused by the original diarrhea causing problem, which the list of culprits is long.

If one drinks more plain water because they are thirsty and that causes even more electrolytes being lost. So they don't feel well and suffer from electrolyte loss. Headache, nausea and so forth. May even have to be hospitalized.

You are correct that anything said in open forums needs to be evaluated carefully but the solution I use was developed by ChatGPT and is based upon WHO's recommendations.

Here is the output from ChatGPT

Based on WHO Oral Rehydration Solution — simplified for home use when you don’t have exact measuring tools.

Official WHO mix (per 1 L water):

6 tsp sugar

½ tsp salt

Stir till clear (slightly sweet, not salty)


Simple “food-based” version:

Fill a water bottle ¾ full with water

Add a tiny pinch of salt (barely tasteable)

Top off with orange juice

Shake well, sip slowly


Water = hydration
Salt = sodium retention
OJ = sugar + potassium like WHO mix

Tastes faintly sweet, not salty → that’s the correct range.

Good for mild dehydration, heat, or recovery after sweating

ChatGPT 5


If you feel better buying a product that just pre measures the same ingredients for you your welcome to do so. But it isn't necessary.

And notice the WHO's recommendation doesn't even include potassium. So now what's up with that right?


So let's ask ChatGPT

Why The WHO Recommendation Works Without Potassium

The main life-threatening issue in dehydration is water and sodium loss.

The glucose + sodium combo triggers the body’s “sodium-glucose co-transport mechanism,” pulling water back into the bloodstream efficiently.

Potassium replacement helps, but isn’t essential for survival in mild/moderate dehydration — and is often supplied later through food (fruit, juice, soups, etc.) once the person can eat again.

So there it is there.


By the way this is the full WHO Recommendation

Official WHO Formula (since 2002)

For 1 liter of clean water:

2.6 g salt (≈½ teaspoon)

13.5 g glucose (≈6 level teaspoons sugar)

(Optional components for full-strength version used in hospitals)

1.5 g potassium chloride (KCl)

2.9 g trisodium citrate (or 2.5 g baking soda alternative)


So if one wants a more precise hospital mix they can get the ORS packets (provided it's complete) but it's not entirely necessary as water and salt loss are the life threatening issues.

So it all depends, hospital use or just common use. But the orange juice formula does contain potassium so one is getting that back sooner than later when they eat something.

[JerryNYC]

I continue to be troubled by Shamrock's comment that a homemade rehydration fluid mixture is as effective as the new World Health Organization (WHO) mixture, which I suggest that people should store as a ready-to-use powder.
If I get a severe, ongoing bout of diarrhea in the middle of the night, I want to be able to mix up a rehydration fluid rather than did through a cabinet or refrigerator to see if I have everything, or run out to a store. (If one is traveling, it is easier to take the powder with them. And I want the recipe to match up with the best medical knowledge that has been acquired through the years. And finally, I look for original documents and do not ask (Dr.) Chatbox for things. Here is a perfect example of the limitations of “Artificial Intelligence” in answering medical or scientific questions.
Here is what Shamrock writes in his reply to me:

“And notice the WHO's recommendation doesn't even include potassium. So now what's up with that right?”

So let's ask ChatGPT

"Why The WHO Recommendation Works Without Potassium”

But one can get the answer directly from WHO by googling,
https://www.who.int/publications/i/item ... H-CAH-06.1
and then downloading this 123 page document (Which I recommend that you do NOT bother to read! It will put you to sleep.
But here is the overview:
Overview
In 2003, the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF recommended a reduced-osmolarity formula for oral rehydration therapy (ORT) with the following composition per liter of water:
glucose 13.5g
sodium 2.6g
potassium 1.5g
citrate 2.9g
This does not square with Shamrock’s comment that “The WHO's recommendation doesn't even include potassium.”, followed by him insulting me. Artificial Intelligence cannot be relied on to answer medical or scientific questions. Trust me. I am a longtime academic expert on scientific and medical issues!