What to do If You Do Get Sick while travelling in India

Relax After Travelling

On India tour packages If you are careful, you probably won't get anything worse than a little Travelers' diarrhea, or perhaps a cold, but if you have severe diarrhea lasting for more than a couple of days, you run a high fever, you have fever and chills, you become really weak or you have any unusual symptoms, you should see a doctor. While good allopathic care is available in various places, you will also find many physicians practicing traditional forms of medicine.

Delhi Belly is a relatively mild condition that is common among foreigners traveling to India. It can be caused by food your body is not used to, jet lag, change of altitude, change of climate, or contaminated food and water. Many people get it in the first week or two they are in India, though it can occur at any time. Usually, the symptoms—diarrhea (3-6 loose, watery stools in a day), cramps, nausea sometimes accompanied by vomiting—come on suddenly, last for a day or two and then pass by themselves.

Whenever you have diarrhea, avoid spices, fried food, raw fruits and vegetables, as well as alcohol and drinks containing caffeine. Drink lots of water or other clear liquids such as chamomile tea, hot, freshly cooked, clear broths, or pack-aged fruit juices diluted with safe water. Vomiting and diarrhea depletes your body of essential electrolytes potassium, sodium, and glucose. You can replace them by sipping tender coconut water (said to be the best fluid replacement by many Indian doctors); commercially prepared electrolyte products or oral rehydration salts (available at most medical stores); or a home-made mixture of packaged fruit juice (for potassium) with 1/ 2 teaspoon of honey or sugar (for glucose) and a pinch of table salt (sodium chloride); or else you can mix 6-8 level teaspoons of sugar plus 1 level teaspoon of salt in 1 liter of pure water. Nimbu pani (which is basically lemonade), made sweet and salty, is also an excellent rehydration fluid. It's also delicious. If it's made well, it is even better than regular sweet lemonade. Be sure to sip slowly so you don't bring on more vomiting.

If you pinch the skin on the back of your hand, it should spring back quickly. If it doesn't, it means you are dehydrated and you need to drink more. It's a good idea to keep some electrolytes on hand because if you do get a little sick, you may not feel up to going out to get some.

Defizzed Coke has a settling effect on the stomach and can be quite helpful in cases of TD. However, soft drinks should only be taken flat and warm; otherwise, the carbonation can irritate the stomach even more. Pouring a carbonated drink back and forth between two glasses will get rid of the bubbles quickly.

Once your stomach has settled and the diarrhea and vomiting have subsided, you should wait at least a few hours or even a day before beginning to eat again. Start with bland, easily digestible foods such as hot applesauce, fairly watery hot cereal, thin soups, or soda crackers, before progressing to something simple but a bit more substantial like idlis (which also make nice dumplings in soup broth.) Dairy products should be avoided; although you could try a thin lassi-salty lassi would be better than sweet, in this case. To make thin lassi, mix 1 part fresh yogurt with 6 parts pure water and stir vigorously (2 minutes in a blender is better); add salt to taste. For at least a day or two, you should avoid spicy, greasy, acidic, high-fiber, heavy, or sugary foods, as well as caffeine and alcoholic beverages; then resume your normal diet gradually. Continue to drink lots and lots of pure water, preferably warm or hot, as well as other liquids. The kind of food that your system is used to will often help you feel much better if you are still feeling a bit low once the symptoms have subsided.

While some doctors recommend anti-diarrheal products like Immodium, Lomotil, or bismuth tablets (all of which only address the symptoms), others contend that they may interfere with the body's ability to fight the infection.

According to many naturopathic physicians, grapefruit seed extract (10-15 drops in water or defizzed Coke) or colloidal silver is beneficial, and can help to alleviate the symptoms quickly. A few drops of grapefruit seed extract or colloidal silver in your water every day is thought to be helpful for preventing Delhi Belly. There are also Ayurvedic preparations that are excellent preventatives. Check with an appropriate health professional.

In the case of infants, elderly or weak people, TD can be life-threatening so medical attention should be sought immediately. Zinc tablets combined with rehydration salts are frequently given to children suffering from diarrhea, but they may be appropriate for adults as well. You may want to ask your doctor about this.

If the symptoms are especially severe, they could be indicative of food poisoning, which is much more serious, and in which case you should see a doctor right away. Food poisoning comes on suddenly and is far more intense than ordinary TD (which can also be caused by contaminated food). The warning signs are usually no more than a few minutes prior to the onset of severe symptoms. Get to a doctor if possible. Food poisoning can be deadly, so you shouldn't wait around to see if it gets better on its own. Don't resort to anti-diarrheal medications, because your body is frantically trying to rid itself of the offending organisms and you don't want to hinder the process. As with TD, rehydration is essential. Drink a lot of pure water together with whatever rehydration method is available. If you go to a hospital, the doctors will probably want to give you an IV (intravenous drip), but they may consent to give you oral rehydration if you ask.

If you have diarrhea with blood or mucus, any fever, or there is no improvement after about 48 hours or so, you may have dysentery instead of ordinary TD, in which case, you should see a doctor immediately and get a stool test to determine exactly what you do have so it can be properly treated. However, don't take any medications, including anti-diarrheals, without the doctor's advice, as they could make your condition worse.

Hospitals in India, whether allopathic or Ayurvedic, are often quite different than in the West, with the exception of some of the new super-modern hospitals that you will find in the metropolitan areas (these are often ISO certified, which means they have international standards). Always go to the best hospital available, if you have any choice in the matter.

If you ever have to be hospitalized, especially in a hospital that is not up to international standards, you need to have someone staying there with you most of the time. She will be responsible to bring you food, medicine from the pharmacy, surgical supplies, etc. These things are usually not part of the package. She should also stay with you whenever the doctor visits, and she should not be shy to ask about everything and to insist on necessities like new needles rather than reused ones, and to check on sterilization of instruments, etc. Don't take anything for granted. A bi-lingual dictionary is essential if the nurses don't speak English and you don't speak their language.

If one is not available, get someone to write down the most necessary words in the local language. Western doctors are available in every city, as are pharmacies (usually called "medical stores"). Medical care is astonishingly cheap, except at some of the big hospitals, but even those are still far cheaper than their Western counterparts. A consultation with a private doctor, even a specialist, is usually only about Rs.100– 500, though specialists in big hospitals may charge more, while government hospitals are free. In case of a serious emergency, try to get to the best and the most modern hospital available. If you have health insurance, always carry proof with you.

Doctors

Most medicines are available in India and they are much cheaper than in the West, but their quality is variable. A recent article in The Hindu estimated that counterfeit drugs may account for about 60% of the drugs on the market. Many of these just don't have any beneficial effect, but others are dangerous.

Luxury tours in India organized by Swan Tours use hotels and resorts which are hygienically top class and assure a healthy stay. It is recommended to contact tour operators in India for a list of hotels and resorts which offer clean and neat accommodation options.

Ayurveda is the leading indigenous system of medicine in In-dia. It is an ancient system, and because it is effective when well practiced, it has become increasingly popular in the West. It is highly recommended for non-acute health problems—especially chronic ones—although its ability to deal with acute emergencies is not nearly as well developed as Western medicine.

Ayurveda is essentially prevention-oriented, and Ayurvedic medicine doesn't have the horrendous side effects that frequently result from allopathic medicines. I would hesitate to say that there are no side effects at all, but they are certainly far, far fewer and more benign. Moreover, with Ayurvedic herbs, the vast majority of side effects are merely a matter of physiological purification, which puts them in a different category altogether from the side effects associated with allopathic medicine. Of course, there can also be problems caused by herbs that have not been properly prepared or have been accidentally taken in the wrong combination or in the wrong quantity, but even these are unusual. In such cases, they are more likely to be ineffective than to cause any damage. Your best option is to go with the most reputable brands of Ayurvedic herbs, such as Nagarjuna, Nidco, Maharishi Ayurveda or Trigunayu. Note that some brands have similar names (e.g., Nagarjun instead of Nagarjuna), so read the labels carefully. If none of these are available, ask your vaidya (Ayurvedic doctor) which locally available brands are the best.

In cases where Ayurvedic doctors charge only for prescribed herbs and charge nothing for the consultation, patients who can afford to do so customarily make a donation, which covers costs for those patients who can't afford the medicines. Ayurvedic herbs are extremely economical in comparison with allopathic medicines, though there are a few very special preparations that contain gold and other precious substances and are expensive.

There are about 3,000 Ayurvedic hospitals in India, most of which are functioning in conjunction with allopathic institutions. Although most practitioners are institutionally qualified through an Ayurvedic college, Ayurveda has mainly been passed down through various families of vaidyas (Ayurvedic physicians), there are still many vaidyas who simply carry on the family tradition without a formal degree. Stemming from diverse family traditions, Ayurveda has many branches, and each of these has its specialties, some of which have been preserved better than others.

The Ayurvedic clinics that you find in tourist areas generally don't offer much more than a nice massage to relax your muscles, and they rarely have a qualified vaidya, so they wouldn't be a good choice for people with serious health problems. However, there are several renowned Ayurvedic hospitals and clinics in various parts of India that are well equipped to deal with serious problems.

Siddha and Unani are less well-known systems of traditional medicine, but like Ayurveda, they are also recognized by the World Health Organization. Homeopathic medicine and naturo-pathy are also quite popular in India, as are many other varieties of natural medicine. As you travel around India, you may also encounter various sorts of indigenous healers, bone-setters, etc. Although they usually hold no medical degree, some of them are really good at what they do. Such people you only find by word of mouth.

For more travel information on travel tips in India contact Swan Tours, one of the leading travel agents in India.

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