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Food Poisoning

Food poisoning is characterized by abdominal pain, without or without diarrhea, vomiting, sweating, and/or weakness. It usually within 24-96 hours of eating a food contaminated with a virus or bacteria.

Symptoms of food poisoning vary greatly. Symptoms can manifest as quickly as 30 minutes to one hour if due to chemical food poisoning; one to twelve hours in cases due to bacterial poisoning; 12 to 48 hours in cases due to viral or salmonella poisoning. Symptoms can range from stomach pain and nausea, to constipation, diarrhea (sometimes in alternation with each other) and, in very severe cases, collapse and shock.

Food poisoning is far more common than is typically believed. Many cases of diarrhea each year, for instance, are probably due to food poisoning. Many of these cases go unreported as the cause is not known and is usually attributed to the stomach flu.

What To Consider

Flu, gastrointestinal disorders, digestive enzyme deficiencies, drug interactions, stress, and nutrient deficiencies or excess (too much magnesium can cause loose stools and abdominal cramps) can all mimic symptoms of food poisoning. In infants, symptoms can also be due to an intolerance to honey.

You should suspect food poisoning if a number of people who ate the same food come down with similar symptoms. The most common forms of food poisoning are infective types such as salmonella, found in farm animals or passed on by food handling or flies from contaminated fecal material; frozen poultry that is not completely thawed before being cooked; contaminated drinking water; foods that remain at room temperature too long, which can encourage Clostridium - often referred to as the "cafeteria germ" - to grow; and food products such as chicken, duck, or geese, raw or partly cooked eggs, or raw fish such as clams, oysters, or sushi.

Other causes include organisms such as Staphylococcal bacteria, which can be passed through the hands, coughing, sneezing, or breathing onto the food, botulism, which can occur in food preserved at home; viruses that contaminate shellfish due to contaminated waters; and other infective organisms such as Giardia and Campylobacter, which can take up to one week before causing symptoms.

Noninfective food poisoning is another factor, and is caused by poisonous mushrooms, toadstools, and fresh vegetables and fruits that have been contaminated with chemicals and insecticides, stored in inappropriate containers, or from leakage of metals from the containers into the food.

Note
If food poisoning is due to chemical or bacterial toxins, proper treatment may require pumping the stomach. Food poisoning usually improves within three days unless due to botulism, chemical poisoning, or mushroom poisoning. However, some infective organisms do not cause identifiable initial symptoms but can linger in the body and may cause long-term health problems that are difficult to diagnose.

Caution
In cases of food poisoning that cause severe vomiting and diarrhea, seek immediate emergency medical care and keep samples of food available for testing, if possible.

Self-Care Tips

Diet
Stop eating all solid food, drink plenty of fluids, and immediately take six charcoal tablets, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Bifidobacteria, L. bulgaricus, and grape seed extract. Also replace lost electrolytes, if needed, by dissolving one teaspoon of salt and four teaspoons of sugar in one quart of water. Be accurate with salt amount or it may create more dehydration. Garlic cloves can also be helpful. Once symptoms abate, slowly reintroduce high-fiber foods such as grains to help settle your stomach.

If you are traveling in areas where food poisoning is common, try eating more hot, spicy foods to encourage more gastric secretions and avoid all drinking water except bottled water and do not eat any raw vegetables or use ice in your drinks.

Nutritional Supplementation
The following nutrients can help hasten recovery and prevent long-term side effects related to food poisoning: acidophilus, charcoal tablets, grape seed extract, garlic capsules, vitamin C with bioflavonoids, and kelp tablets.

Lipoic acid is also useful because it can protect the liver from damaging free-radical attack caused by ingesting poisonous foods.

Herbs
For non-severe cases of food poisoning, drink cumin, coriander, or fennel tea.

Homeopathy
Arsen alb., Chamomilla, Ipecac., Apis mel., Nux vom., and Colchicum are useful homeopathic remedies for food poisoning.

Juice Therapy
Drink the juice of carrot, beet, and garlic to help settle your stomach and also to help eliminate bacteria or viruses associated with food poisoning.

Caution

If your symptoms persist despite the above measures, seek the help of a qualified health professional.

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