The search for remedies for common ailments is an ongoing pharmaceutical imperative. There is money to be made, but recent events—recalls and overdosing—has led to the questioning and wisdom of heading to the medicine chest shelf as soon as the first nose runs or stomachache occurs. Not everyone wants the latest antibiotic or cold remedy, particularly for their children. Some actively seek out alternative remedies and/or revive external treatments, like the mentholatum ointment and mustard packs that their mothers and grandmothers used. And sometimes, they just head to the kitchen….
There is a wealth of curative remedies in your kitchen, from honey for coughs and chicken soup for a cold, to peppermint or ginger tea for an upset stomach. And now you can add yogurt to that list, at least for certain types of diarrhea or stomach viruses.
Probiotics—live cultures that are a type of “good” bacteria—are added to foods and are helpful in keeping the digestive system on track, as well as boosting your immune system. Yogurt is the most common source of probiotics in our everyday lives, and a recent report in the December issue of Pediatrics stated that through randomized trials, “probiotics were modestly effective in treating healthy children with antibiotic-associated diarrhea or acute viral gastroenteritis.” There was also some benefit shown for children suffering from colic, chronic ulcerative colitis, and irritable bowel syndrome, although more research is needed to confirm these findings.
Study authors wrote, "Probiotics taken early during diarrhea from a viral infection may shorten the illness in otherwise healthy children. And probiotics also may prevent diarrhea in children who are taking antibiotics, which can sometimes cause the condition."