Content

• To step
• Method 1 of 2: Make your own oral rehydrating agent (ORS)
• Method 2 of 2: Understanding how an ORS works
• Tips
• Warnings

An ORS, or oral rehydration fluid, is a liquid anti-dehydration agent prepared with sugars, salts and clean water. It can help with fluid loss due to severe diarrhea or vomiting. Studies have shown that for treating dehydration, an ORS works just as well as administering fluids through an IV. You can make an ORS using a package, such as the packages that are sold under the brand names Pedialyte®, Infalyte® and Naturalyte®. But you can also make an ORS yourself at home from clean water, salt and sugar.

To step

Method 1 of 2: Make your own oral rehydrating agent (ORS)

1. Wash your hands. Before preparing the drink, wash your hands carefully with soap and water. Have a clean pitcher or bottle ready.
2. Prepare the ingredients. To make your own ORS solution you need the following:
   • table salt (for example, iodized salt, sea salt, or kosher salt)
   • clean water
   • granulated or powdered sugar
3. Mix the dry ingredients. Place 1/2 teaspoon of table salt and 2 tablespoons of sugar in a clean bowl or container. You can use both granulated and powdered sugar.
   • If you don't have a teaspoon on hand to measure out the correct amount, you can take a fist full of sugar and a pinch of salt that fits between three fingers. However, this method of measuring is not that accurate and therefore not recommended.
4. Add a liter of clean drinking water. If you don't have the ability to measure out a liter, add 5 cups of water (each cup holds about 200 ml). Only use clean water. You can use bottled water or freshly boiled and cooled water.
   • Only use water. Milk, soup, fruit juice or soft drink are not suitable because an ORS made with a liquid other than water will not work. Do not add extra sugar.
5. Stir well and drink it. Stir the ORS mix well into the water with a spoon. After about a minute of vigorous stirring, the mixture should be completely dissolved in the water. The liquid is now ready to be drunk.
   • You can keep an ORS refrigerated for 24 hours. Do not keep the solution any longer.

Method 2 of 2: Understanding how an ORS works

1. Ask your doctor if he recommends drinking ORS solutions. If you suffer from severe diarrhea or vomiting, your body will lose water, which can cause you to dehydrate. If so, you will notice the following symptoms: you feel more thirsty, a dry mouth, you feel sleepy, you need to urinate less often, your urine is dark yellow in color, you get headaches, dry skin and dizziness. If you experience one or more of these symptoms, call your doctor. If the symptoms are not that severe, chances are you will be instructed by the doctor to drink an ORS solution, or an oral rehydrator.
   • If left unchecked, dehydration can become serious. Symptoms that indicate severe dehydration include: very dry mouth and skin, extremely dark or brown urine, less elastic skin, a decreased pulse rate, sunken eyes, fainting, general physical weakness, and even coma. If you or the person you're caring for shows symptoms of severe dehydration, get emergency help right away.
2. Understand how an ORS solution can prevent severe dehydration. An ORS is formulated in such a way that the drink replenishes the loss of salt and improves your body's ability to absorb water. It is best to take an ORS at the first symptoms of dehydration. In the first place, such a drink helps to rehydrate your body. Dehydration is easier to prevent by drinking ORS solutions than it is to be cured.
   • If you are suffering from severe dehydration, you will need to be hospitalized and given fluids through an IV. However, if the dehydration symptoms are noticed at an early stage, you can make ORS solutions at home and treat mild dehydration yourself.
3. Learn how to drink an ORS. It is best to drink an ORS with small sips at the same time throughout the day. You can drink the drink while eating. If you vomit, stop drinking the ORS solutions for a while. Wait 10 minutes and then drink some of the solution again. If you have a baby and are breastfeeding, do not interrupt breastfeeding during treatment with the ORS solutions. You can keep drinking the ORS solutions until the diarrhea is over. Below we have indicated for you how much ORS you should administer to:
   • Babies and toddlers: 0.5 liter ORS per 24 hours
   • Children (ages 2 to 9): 1 liter of ORS per 24 hours
   • Children (over 10) and adults: 3 liters of ORS per 24 hours
4. Know when to see the doctor if you have diarrhea. The symptoms should disappear a few hours after you start drinking the OHR solution. You should urinate more often and your urine will slowly turn pale yellow in color and almost clear. If no improvement occurs, or if you experience any of the following symptoms, get medical help immediately:
   • diarrhea mixed with blood or black tarry stools
   • persistent vomiting
   • high fever
   • severe dehydration (dizziness, drowsiness, sunken eyes, no urine in the past 12 hours)

Tips

• Diarrhea usually clears up within three or four days. In a child, the real danger lies in the loss of fluids and nutrients from the body, which can lead to dehydration and malnutrition.
• Encourage the child to drink as much as possible.
• You can buy ORS packs at the drug store or pharmacy. Each package contains enough for one intake and contains 22 grams of ORS in powder form. Mix the solution according to the specific directions on the package.
• The so-called BRAT diet (bananas, rice, applesauce and toast) can help you recover from severe bouts of diarrhea and in some cases can prevent dehydration because these foods are easy to digest and gentle on your gut.
• If you suffer from diarrhea, consider taking zinc supplements. After an initial bout of diarrhea, you can take 10 to 20 mg of zinc every day for a period of 10 to 14 days to replenish your body's zinc levels and reduce any subsequent attacks of diarrhea. Foods rich in zinc include shellfish such as oysters and crab, but fortified cereals and white beans in tomato sauce are also high in zinc. Eating the above foods can help, but it is also important that you take nutritional supplements to replenish the decreased zinc levels in your body due to severe diarrhea.

Warnings

• Always check that the water you use is not contaminated.
• If the diarrhea has not resolved after a week, seek the advice of a doctor or healthcare professional.
• Never give a child with diarrhea pills, antibiotics, or other medications unless those medications have been prescribed by a doctor or registered nurse.