Therapy
To treat malnutrition successfully, the exact cause must first be determined. The main goal of the therapy is to supply the organism with a sufficient amount of energy. Since the causes of malnutrition are in many cases also due to psychological factors, an appropriate psychotherapy should be initiated.
For most of those affected, menus help to regain a normal relationship to food and food intake and put an end to malnutrition. The patient’s preferences and the possibilities of chewing and swallowing should be taken into account when creating such a diet. In addition to food intake, the body’s supply of sufficient fluid (at least 1.5 to 2 liters per day) should not be neglected.
However, since such a diet is not always sufficient to lead the affected person out of malnutrition, additional special drinking food preparations can be distorted.These usually have a very high proportion of calories (i.e. energy units) and can usually cushion the organism’s lack of energy more quickly. In addition, the intake of certain food components can be well influenced by this drinkable food. Special solutions contain varying amounts of carbohydrates, proteins and protein.
In extreme cases of malnutrition, however, successful treatment cannot be guaranteed even by the intake of high-calorie drinking packs. Artificial nutrition may be necessary for these patients. With this type of nutrition, a thin tube (so-called stomach tube) is inserted through the nose or directly through the abdominal wall and placed in the stomach. In this way, a high-caloric food pulp can be introduced directly into the stomach, thus increasing the absorption of energy suppliers.