Oral Rehydration Solution (ORS)

Oral Rehydration Solution (ORS)

ORS (Oral Rehydration Solution) is a special combination of dry salts that is mixed with safe water. It can help to replace the fluids lost due to diarrhea. In a state of diarrheal disease there is imbalance and much more water is secreted than reabsorbed causing a net loss to the body which can be as high as several liters a day. In addition to water loss, sodium and potassium are also lost.

Certain concentration of sodium (Na) is needed for proper functioning of the body.For example, only with adequate sodium concentration in the intestinal wall, water can be absorbed by it through a process known as osmosis. If there is inadequate salt in the intestinal wall the body will not be able to absorb water.

The saline bottle directly transfers water and sodium into the blood stream. However, for the saline water is administered through mouth, intestinal wall, is a not able to absorb neither water nor sodium. Dr. Dilip Mahalanabis found that if glucose (sugar) is added to the salt solution, then all the three- water, sodium and glucose are absorbed by the body.

During diarrhea the intestine is still able to absorb glucose molecules. Thus, the ORS solution uses the glucose molecules to enable the sodium to be is carried through by a co-transport coupling mechanism. ORS is an effective treatment for 90 – 95% of patients suffering from diarrhea, regardless of the cause. As the water is replaced balance is attained saving the patience in most cases.

Let us see homely made of ORS, be very careful to mix 6 level teaspoons of sugar and 1/2 level teaspoon of salt dissolved in 1 litre of clean water. Too much sugar can make diarrhea worse. Too much salt can be extremely harmful to the child. Making the mixture a little too diluted (with more than 1 litre of clean water) is not harmful.

Through the process of osmosis, the salts and sugars pull water into your bloodstream and speed up rehydration.