Food Poisoning

Food poisoning occurs when contaminated food is eaten; this is common kind of illness, usually mild, but sometimes can cause death.

People usually don’t pay much attention to mild food poisoning, since they can only feel mild symptoms of the said illness. However, food poisoning must be addressed accordingly to avoid further complications in our body.

Causes

Food poisoning can be divided into two categories:

· Infective agents – includes, viruses, parasites and bacteria
· Toxic agents – Pesticide residues on fruits and vegetables, poisonous
mushrooms

Food usually can be contaminated due to poor preparation and/or sanitation. Food stored at the wrong temperature also develops contamination. Food servers and handlers who do not wash hands after using the bathroom or have infections themselves often cause contamination.

Symptoms

Symptoms include:

· Nausea
· Headache
· Vomiting
· Abdominal cramping
· Diarrhea

Depending on the contaminating agent, symptoms may include:

· Fever and chills
· Bloody stools
· Dehydration
· Nervous system damage

These symptoms can affect a group of people who consumed the same food in one given occasion, which also called outbreak.

Treatment

Chamomile Tea:
It is used to treat nausea and vomiting, drink a cup of chamomile tea, two to three times a day until the illness subsided.

Lemon:
Squeeze four medium sized lemons and add small amount of sugar to taste, most advisable for food poisoning caused by bacteria.

Goldenseal Root:
In capsule form, take two capsules every four hours

Apple cider vinegar:
Drink two to three tablespoonful, vinegar’s acidity can kill bacteria in the stomach.

Anise and caraway:
Boil anise and caraway; drink three to four glasses a day until the illness subsided

Charcoal tablets:
Take one or two charcoal tablets, if there’s no charcoal tablet, just roast a piece of bread until get black.

Avoid solid food while nauseous and/or vomiting, drink plenty of fluids instead.

Prevention

Cook all meat and seafood thoroughly
Wash hands thoroughly when handling food
Always read the label and expiry dates of canned foods