How To Handle Diarrhea in Brazil

Diarrhea isn't fun anywhere but definitely makes you feel helpless when you are in a country where you don't know what to take.

The first reaction Mr. Rant has when I'm urinating out of the wrong side is for me to drink a Yakult. Since it has all the healthy bacteria my body would be obviously lacking in that situation it seems like good advice. I'm sorry but I always go no on that one. Yakult gives my healthy intestine the poops, goodness knows what ass fire I'd be dealing with when under the weather.

The next is Floratil. It's a pill version of the healthy bacteria. I totally take these but keep in mind that it usually takes a couple of days to work, aka when you diarrhea would have stopped anyway.

For those in a state of immediate need of corkage, the medicine you are looking for is called Imosec. This will cork you right up (especially if you take two). While I am a firm believer of letting the watery times roll, when you have to have all calls forwarded to the bathroom it may be time to step in and bitch slap Mother Nature. 

Yakult is Coming to You

I had to come to Brazil to meet this Japanese "treat." I had no idea what the hell was in that little cup and was skeptical from the first moment Mr. Rant insisted I try it.

He went off about the digestive benefits and how he drank one a day, "ever day", while growing up. Obviously I was late to the boat and thus needed to start immediately if not sooner.

So I tried it. Did it give me healthy digestive benefits? If peeing out the wrong end is healthy then it sure did.

Of course not even my kids have had that problem with the interestingly fermented little drink. I'm thinking I must be full of the healthy bacterium Lactobacillus casei Shirota or am getting plenty of probiotics via osmosis from everyone else.

Anyway, Yakult was created in Japan and only showed it's face in Brazil in 1966 due to the large number of Japanese immigrants. Now it is available around the world and they are even going to open up a factory in the Probiotic heaven of the US: California.

And while you may be excited to have yet another way to replace those pesky little bacteria after antibiotic use, I mean aren't we all (please note dripping sarcasm), do remember that Yakult has more sugar per 100g than coca cola.

Hey people, you can't have it all!

Do you drink Yakult daily?