The treatment of dysentery should aim at removing the offending and tonic matter from the intestine. It should help in alleviating painful symptoms, stopping the virulence of the bacteria and promoting healing of the ulcer.
To begin with, the patient should fast as long as acute symptoms are present. During this period, he should take only orange juice and water or buttermilk. The latter combats offending bacteria and helps in the establishment of beneficial micro-organisms in the intestines.
The patient may be given small doses of castor oil in the form of emulsion. This acts as a mild aperient and facilitates quicker removal of offensive matter, minimises the strain during motion and also acts as a lubricant to the ulcerated surfaces. The patient should also be given very low pressure warm water enema, admitting as much water as he can tolerate.
After the acute symptoms are over, the patient may be allowed rice, curd, fresh ripe fruits, especially, bael, banana and pomegranate and skimmed milk. Solid foods should be introduced very carefully and gradually according to pace of recovery. Flesh foods of all kinds should be avoided in future.
Other foods, which should be avoided, are tea, coffee, white sugar and white flour and products made from them as well as alcohol in all forms. Foods which have a detoxifying and cleansing effect upon the intestines such as fruits and vegetables, are most essential to the future dietary.
Among specific food remedies, bael fruit is perhaps the most efficacious in the treatment of dysentery of both the varieties. Pulp of the fruit mixed with jaggery should be given thrice daily. To deal with a chronic case of dysentery, the unripe fruit should be roasted over the fire and the pulp mixed with water.
Large quantities of the infusion so made should be administered with jaggery. The pulp of the unripe fruit mixed with an equal quantity of dried ginger can also be given with buttermilk.
The use of pomegranate rind is another effective remedy for dysentery. About 60 grams of the rind should be boiled in 250 ml. of milk. It should be removed from the fire when one-third of the milk has evaporated. It should be administered to the patient in three equal doses at suitable intervals. This will bring relief.
Lemon juice is very effective in dealing with ordinary cases of dysentery. A few lemons, peeled and sliced, should be added to 250 ml. of water and boiled for a few minutes. The strained infusion should be given thrice daily.
Other Measures
The patient should take complete be rest, as movement induces pain and aggravates distressing symptoms. Hot water bag may be applied over the abdomen. Heating compresses may also be applied at 60°F over the abdomen. These compresses may be changed every half an hour or so. Hot foot bath, once or twice daily, will also be beneficial.