Food Poisoning

Food poisoning is an acute distress caused by food containing toxins or bacteria. It is the outcome of ingesting a food or fluid which has been contaminated by germs, chemical or any hazardous elements. This condition is a serious matter in which the children are the most vulnerable victims.

In most cases, food poisoning will pass within 24 hours leaving the victim as good as new. But, unfortunately, once it has begun, it is not so easy to give the victim an immediate relief.
Similar to Food Poisoning is Food Contamination which is defined as the introduction or occurrence of a contaminant in food. A contaminant is any biological or chemical agent, foreign matter, or other substance unintentionally added to food which may compromise food safety or suitability. Among these hazardous contaminants are in a form of biological chemical or physical agents in food which has the potential to cause an adverse health effect to people.

World Health Organization’s research studies show, millions of people fall ill and many of these suffer from serious disorders, long-term complications, or die as a result of eating unsafe food.

Food borne and waterborne diarrhea diseases, for example, are leading causes of illness and globally kill an estimated 2.1 million people annually, most of whom are children in developing countries. The Food borne chemical hazards still cause significant public health problems, even though the disease burden of these chemicals is difficult to approximate.

Symptoms or Signs of Food Poisoning

• Lips turn violet or black.
• A toxic odor can be smelled from the victim’s breath.
• The throat feels hot and painful.
• The victim fell unconscious and suddenly got ill.
• In serious case, the victim suffers severe cramps. He also feels weak and dizzy. At this point, the victim needs to be consulted by a doctor or be rushed immediately to an emergency room.
• In critical case, the serious symptoms are observed from a victim such as faint, any blood in the stool, paralysis, double vision, breathlessness and weakness in limb. If all of the symptoms persist longer than 48 hours, it is really alarming already.

Ways to Avoid Poisoning

• Take the medicines which are prescribed only by a doctor or physician.
• Remove any kind of medicine, chemical and liquid solution in areas which can be easily reached by the kids. It is advisable to store or keep them inside a medicine cabinet or in a safe place, instead.
• Never tell your kids that you are giving them candies like chocolates while they are taking their medicines.
• Read carefully all the instructions that are given on the label which can be seen outside the bottle or box of medicine before using it.
• Do not put any hazardous thing, liquid or chemical inside a bottle, lunch box or any container that might be eaten or drank by the kids.
• When storing any kind of food, chemical, medicine and drinks, don’t put them together in one area.

Prevention is the Best Medicine

• Taking several precautions in your own home is best way to avoid Food Poisoning or Food Contamination. Health experts say, “Mixed foods, such as potato salads, creamy coleslaws, and other foods containing dairy products, are likely to breed bacteria, especially if they are not well refrigerated or if they get warm and are later refrigerated.”
• Make sure that foods which are perishable kept cold.
• Thoroughly cook chicken, pork and beef.
• Carefully wash your hands and thoroughly wash kitchen utensils in very hot water and soap after using them to cut meat.

Reminder when storing food:

All foods are perishable under certain conditions. Even without changing the appearance and flavor of food it may spoil. Leftover cooked foods like chopped, cut-up and ground meat, vegetable-and-meat combinations, creamed dishes, soups, stews, sandwich fillings, salad materials mixed salad dressing and pastry fillings are among those foods which will spoil if these are not properly cared for. These foods should be stored in the refrigerator as soon as they have cooled off.

During hot weather or summer, the risk that these foods will spoil is even greater. Thus, it is best to immediately cool these foods in cold water and refrigerate them. Immediately dispose foods that show any signs of spoilage. The poison in spoiled food may cause a person to become dangerously ill.

Tips to help minimize the discomfort in Food Poisoning and lessen the duration of its symptoms:

• Drink a lot of water to avoid dehydration. Be aware that Food Poisoning requires acute hydration. Some health experts recommend eating gelatin and drink decaffeinated soda, decaffeinated tea with sugar or water are good against Food Poisoning.
• Abstain from eating rich or spicy foods. Avoid eating fatty or highly seasoned foods when your stomach is feeling irritated because this might lead you to rush to the toilet. Instead, if the victim or patient feels hungry, it is recommendable to stick with pure liquids, plain toast, mashed potatoes, banana or other bland foods.
• Just literally go with the flow or trust the impulses of your body, if you have been poisoned by contaminated food and your stomach is reacting by having diarrhea or vomiting. Sooner, your body may feel better if you let something in your system out and wait a while before you take anything orally if you have vomited.
• Be careful in buying and taking pain medicines. Some people make mistakes in taking prescription or over-the-counter pain medications to lessen the discomfort of their intestinal cramps. Be aware that taking a wrong prescription or medication can cause side effects to patient’s body like having an irritation to his stomach or gastrointestinal tract.
• Never take any medicine containing aspirin or ibuprofen when your stomach is irritated.
• Use a hot-water bottle. Place a hot-water bottle on the stomach to reduce cramps. But, be careful that it is not too hot to the touch.
• Give yourself a time out. Take a rest, cancel all of your appointments and take it easy.
• Substitute your potassium with a sports drink or a banana, twenty-four (24) hours after your symptoms started. Vomiting and diarrhea may lead to a deficiency in your body’s supply of potassium.
• If symptoms persist, consult a doctor or physician. Immediately report to health authorities if one or more among the group of people who ate at a restaurant or food-chain become ill, to track down if the food the persons have consumed is toxic or infected with bacteria.

Measures to Take Once Poisoned

• Drink or take a fresh egg whites, milk or pure water which is mixed with a baking powder.
• The victim or patient can also drink a concoction of some herbal medicines which may lead him to vomit.

Never force a victim to vomit if he has the following conditions:

1. If the kind of poison that the victim has swallowed is in form of gas, gasoline, diesel, lighter fluid, toilet bowl cleaner, silver cleaner, drained cleaner, acid cleaner or Clorox.
2. If the victim or patient is unconscious.
3. If the victim or patient is three (3) months pregnant.
4. Whenever the victim or patient vomits, put down his head lower than his hips so that his lungs won’t be affected.
5. If worst symptoms are observed, immediately rush the victim into a nearest hospital.

Some recommended herbal medicine to help the victim or patient to vomit:

1. Burn one (1) piece of whole garlic. 
2. Crush it and put it into a half glass of water.
3. Drink.