Dietetics for NursesProudfit, Fairfax T. (Fairfax Throckmorton)
Science
Dietetics for Nurses
Proudfit, Fairfax T. (Fairfax Throckmorton)
Diet in disease
~Treatment in Abnormal Conditions.~--The treatment consists in
adjusting the diet to meet the needs of the particular disturbance
manifested. Plenty of fresh air, sunshine and sleep.
~Relapse.~--One danger which the nurse must always be on the lookout
for is the relapse into the acute stage. The diet is the chief
treatment. In acute gastro-intestinal disturbances rest from food is
essential for at least twenty-four hours. Some infants can easily
endure starvation for this short period. However, when malnutrition
has already been established, it is not wise to carry out the
starvation treatment over-long. A cautious return to a normal diet may
be made as soon as acute symptoms disappear.
~Fevers in General.~--It requires very little deviation from the
normal to raise the temperature of a child. A slight attack of
indigestion, a slight soreness of the throat, will bring up the
temperature of some children out of all proportion to the seriousness
of the disorder.
~Diet in Fevers of Short Duration.~--As a rule, in the fevers of short
duration, such as intermittent fever, malarial fever, etc., the diet
is a simple matter. Milk is given when it agrees, with buttermilk,
koumiss, broths, and albuminized beverages to vary the diet.
~Diet in Infectious Diseases.~--When, however, the fever is induced by
specific bacteria, such as in the case of typhoid and scarlet fever,
the diet is a different matter altogether. The disease may be one in
which the diet is the chief item of importance; such is the case with
typhoid and scarlet fever, with the former because of its long
duration, the increased rate of metabolism due to both the fever and
the action of the bacteria making it necessary to increase the normal
amount of food to meet the new requirements of the body; and with the
latter on account of the kidney complications which must be guarded
against, and which can only be handled by regulating the diet.
~Infant Feeding.~--The feeding of infants under febrile conditions
resolves itself into an adjustment of the milk formula to meet the
existing state of affairs. The digestion is always more or less
disturbed by fever, especially during the early stages.
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