Cause of Traveler’s Diarrhea
Last updated January 01, 2011
Traveler’s Diarrhea is one of the most common ailments to affect those who travel. If you have ever experienced this problem, you understand how frustrating it can be when you finally arrive at your foreign destination either for business or pleasure, only to find that no matter what you eat, you are sick and stuck in the wash room. Understanding the causes of this phenomenon is the first step in preventing it.
The CDC estimates that as many as 50 percent of international travelers, up to 10 million people, experience diarrhea while they travel. Latin America, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia are destinations the most prone to causing the problem for their visitors. Those with disorders of the immune system or who are very young or very old are at the highest risk for the condition.
You may have heard, “Don’t drink the water!” from well-meaning friends and acquaintances before you left for your trip. In some areas of the world, this is very valid advice. Some countries do not have the same level of water treatment as we have in the United States, and your body is not equipped to deal with the parasites and other problems in the country’s water. Because of this, contaminated food or water is one cause of traveler’s diarrhea.
But if you are a seasoned traveler, you are probably already well aware of the need to avoid the water in a foreign destination. Yet, even with the precautions necessary to avoid water and contaminated foods, you may still succumb to traveler’s diarrhea.
Another issue that can lead to traveler’s diarrhea, even when traveling to areas with safe water sources or when taking all necessary precautions to avoid water in your location, is a lack of digestive enzymes in the digestive system. The modern, highly processed American diet strips the body of these important enzymes. As a result, the body is not equipped to digest foreign foods with unknown ingredients and unusual spices properly. The result is cramping and diarrhea, but not because something is wrong with the food. Rather, the condition sometimes occurs because your digestive system is ill equipped to eat the food. This explains why people who live in the country can easily eat the food without problem, yet you get sick after just a few meals in your destination of choice.
With these two causes in mind, the best way to combat traveler’s diarrhea is to avoid potentially contaminated foods and drinks, and to find a way to restore the balance of digestive enzymes in your system. With these tool tools in hand, you will be able to travel without the discomfort and embarrassment of traveler’s diarrhea.
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