How Senior Citizens Can Recover Quickly from Typhoid Weakness
Rapid urbanization and climate change have the potential to increase the global burden of typhoid. In addition, the unhygienic living conditions in overcrowded cities and inadequate sanitation system has made it easier for typhoid to spread through.
Typhoid fever is a rare disease in elderly and senile patients. However, the discomfort caused due to infection is more when compared to young patients. The difference here is the weakness inside the body due to age and the body’s inability to build sufficient antibodies that can fight the infection.
What is Typhoid?
Typhoid is a life-threatening disease caused by the Salmonella Typhi bacteria. It is usually transmitted into the body via contaminated food and water and is more prevalent in an unhygienic environment. The bacteria enter the body through the mouth and live in the intestinal tract of the infected person for 1 – 3 weeks, after which it enters the bloodstream. Once entered into the bloodstream, the bacteria makes its way to other tissues and organs. This is a very critical stage of infection as the bacteria is now living in the cell, which is safe from the body’s immune system let alone.
Typhoid infection can only spread from human to human by direct contact with the patient’s faeces. It can lead to high fever, diarrhoea, and vomiting. The disease can be easily treated with antibiotics when diagnosed early; if not treated on time, it can be fatal. It is diagnosed by detecting the presence of the infection-causing bacteria in the stool, urine, blood or bone marrow.
How to Recover From Typhoid Weakness?
Typhoid infection leads to a high and recurring fever accompanied by a loss of appetite. Thereafter, the patient witnesses weakness and weight loss that can last for months after recovery.
Antibiotics are the only treatment for Typhoid to date. However, when accompanied by a strict healthy diet plan, it can lead to a speedy recovery. Here is how to recover fast from Typhoid weakness in the elderly.
1. Increased fluid intake
As diarrhoea is one of the most common symptoms of Typhoid infection, this can result in excessive loss of water from the body, causing dehydration. However, one can avoid this by increasing the intake of fluids like fruit and vegetable juice, soup, buttermilk, barley water and also the Electrolyte fortified water. Besides, you can directly eat fruits rich in water content like watermelons or grapes. Rehydrating your body is the best way to speed up the recovery time of Typhoid weakness.
2. Proper medication
There are many cases where people do not complete the entire course of their medication because they feel that the symptoms have vanished. However, this is not the right thing to do as no sign or symptoms of infection could be the effect of medications. Hence, please talk to the consulting doctor for further action. The doctor may also recommend taking the test again to check the presence of the bacteria inside the body.
3. High-Calorie diet
Another good way for quick recovery from Typhoid weakness is to have a calorie-rich diet. Calories are known to give energy and strength to the body, thereby aiding the weakness and weight loss caused due to Typhoid infection. Try having calorie-rich foods like boiled potatoes, white bread, and bananas to speed up the recovery time of Typhoid weakness.
What to Eat and What Not
Besides prescribed medication, people in India also rely on traditional home remedies to treat infection and post-recovery complications. Learn how to recover from Typhoid weakness with the help of the following foods.
1. Dairy products
First on the list of foods to eat in Typhoid are dairy products like milk, paneer, and curd. They should constitute an important part of the diet plan to make up for the protein deficiency and speed up the recovery time of Typhoid weakness. Traditionally, the curd is known as the best food for Typhoid patients.
2. Omega-3 rich foods
Foods rich in Omega-3 are the best for patients recovering from Typhoid infection. Omega-3 is known to reduce inflammation in the body. So having foods like soybean, nuts, seeds, and eggs can help you with an easy and speedy recovery.
However, there are certain things that one should avoid when suffering from Typhoid infection. This includes,
● Beverages like tea and coffee
● Fats like butter, cheese, ghee and oil
● Nuts like almonds, walnuts, and pistachios
● Fruits like raw berries, kiwi, pears, and pineapple
● Legumes like black beans, kidney beans and chickpeas
● Whole grains like quinoa, brown rice, whole wheat flour, and ragi
● Raw vegetables like kale, broccoli, onions, peas, cauliflower, cabbage, radish and garlic
● Spicy foods like chillies, garam masala, pepper, jalapenos, and other condiments
Ayurvedic Tips For Post Typhoid Weakness
Ayurveda stresses to strengthen the body from within and build a strong immune system. Learn how to recover from Typhoid weakness with the following Ayurvedic tips.
Dietary recommendations
● Avoid heavy and spicy foods
● Have rice kanji or porridge cooked with ginger and lemon
● Have tea prepared with tulsi, ginger and cardamom every two hours
● Have a decoction of Patola leaves, Katukarohini, Neem, Triphala, Raisins, Musta and Vatsaka
Lifestyle changes
● Take adequate rest
● Avoid cold shower or bath
● Avoid excessive sleeping
Maintaining a hygienic environment, a healthy lifestyle and a good diet is all one needs to know on how to recover from Typhoid weakness in elderly patients. If you need further assistance or elder healthcare services then you can get in touch with Emoha where it is always #EldersFirst.
