Food Poisoning (Botulism, Gastroenteritis, Salmonella)
Gastroenteritis, the medical term for food poisoning, covers a number of intestinal disorders contracted from contaminated food. Symptoms usually appear within one to six hours after eating, and include nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps, and diarrhea. The cause can be a bacterium, protozoan, or toxin. This last may occur naturally in certain plants, mushrooms, fish, or shellfish, or it may be a byproduct of improper canning techniques. Outbreaks of food poisoning often happen among people who have eaten contaminated food in a restaurant or at a party or picnic. Staphylococcus or salmonella is frequently the culprit.
Food poisoning does not normally pose a threat to healthy people, but it can be serious in an elderly person, a very young child, or anyone debilitated by another medical problem. A new strain of Ecoli bacterium, found particularly in undercooked ground beef, is especially dangerous to children.
Even healthy people are susceptible to botulism, caused by a toxin created by Clostridium bacteria. Though rare, it differs from other forms of gastroenteritis in that symptoms may not appear until several days after infection and do not always include nausea or vomiting. General weakness and blurred vision are typical; difficulty in swallowing and paralysis may follow. Botulism is often fatal.
Diagnostic Studies and Procedures
The broad diagnosis is generally easy, because diarrhea and other symptoms come on rapidly and are unmistakable. Identifying the responsible organism, however, usually requires a laboratory, culture of stool and vomit samples. If a poisonous plant or animal has been ingested, diagnosis rests on identifying the source of the poison.
Medical Treatments
Mild cases usually subside within a few days. If vomiting is severe, it's best to see a doctor, who may seek to control it with injections of an antiemetic drug. He may also prescribe medication for severe abdominal cramps. Antibiotics are not often used, since they may not be effective and can even prolong the problem. Diarrhea may not be treated either, as it helps remove the causative organism from the intestinal tract.
Ecoli, which can cause a severe type of anemia, kidney failure, and botulism are medical emergencies that require hospitalization and close monitoring of vital signs. Because botulism causes progressive paralysis, which can impair breathing, the patient may have to be put on an artificial respirator and cared for in an intensive care unit.
Alternative Therapies
Various alternative therapies may help alleviate nausea, cramps, and other food poisoning symptoms.
Aromatherapy. Aromatherapists advise inhaling geranium, camphor, or chamomile oils twice a day to relieve nausea and cramps. Inhaling cypress oil is said to aid in reducing diarrhea.
Herbal Medicine. Chamomile tea may help calm the stomach, stop nausea and vomiting. Herbalists suggest steeping cloves in boiling water for five minutes, then drinking the strained tea. A cinnamon stick or 1 teaspoon minced ginger can be used in the same way.
Parsley tea can help settle an upset stomach, but it is also a diuretic and so is likely to increase urination. Do not employ this remedy if you are dehydrated from vomiting or diarrhea.
Naturopathy. A Native American remedy for an upset stomach is a drink made by pouring 1 cup of boiling water over 1 teaspoonful of cornmeal. Let the mixture sit for five minutes, add salt to taste, and then drink.
Self-Treatment
Prevention is the best way to deal with food poisoning. Except for cured products, such as salami, keep fish, poultry, meat, milk and other dairy items, eggs, and gravies refrigerated until cooking, and / or serving time. To kill harmful bacteria, cook eggs until no longer runny and meat and poultry until the juices run clear. If you take such foods to a picnic, pack them in containers that keep them cool. Except when they are part of a salad, even rice and beans can cause food poisoning if kept at a warm temperature for more than two hours. Serve them soon after cooking or refrigerate them.
Salmonella from contaminated foods, such as raw chicken, easily spreads to anything with which it comes in contact. Wash your hands and all surfaces and utensils scrupulously.
To prevent botulism, discard any canned foods that have a broken seal, bulging top, or strange color or odor. Infants can develop a type of botulism from honey; thus, a baby under one year should never be given honey.
To combat nausea, drink flat ginger ale or other sweet carbonated beverage. Avoid solid foods until the diarrhea is gone, but drink extra fluids to prevent dehydration.
Other Causes of Food Poisoning Symptoms
Some medicines -- laxatives, antibiotics, digitalis, and chemotherapy drugs -- which can produce nausea, diarrhea, and vomiting. Food allergies and excessive alcohol use can have these effects too.