(also referred to as...) Botulism, E. Coli Poisoning, Salmonella Poisoning,
Staphylococcal Poisoning, Traveler's Diarrhea
Description Food poisoning can be a short-lived, yet extremely uncomfortable, experience resulting from the consumption of bacteria-laden, or otherwise "spoiled", foods.
Symptoms and Signs: Symptoms appear two to forty eight hours after exposure and include abdominal cramps, diarrhea, and vomiting. A fever, itching, and sweating may also occur. Symptoms range from mild to severe, depending on the type of food poisoning, your pre-existing health, and the quantity of infectious organism ingested.
Causes: Food poisoning is caused by foreign, infectious, bacteria, fungi, or parasites present in food or drink. The organism either aggravates your intestinal lining or produces a toxin that leads to various symptoms that can affect your entire body. Escherichia coli (E. coli) 0157:H7, Salmonella, and Staphylococcal (Staphylococcus aureus), and Clostridium botulinum are common culprits. E. coli occurs naturally in the digestive tract of cattle. When improperly slaughtered, cattle feces comes into contact with raw meat, causing contamination. Ground meat results in the bacteria being incorporated throughout the food. As a result, hamburgers are another common source of E. coli. Salmonella is found in raw chicken, raw meat, and eggs. Sufficient cooking typically destroys salmonella. The bacteria thrives in livestock that have been fed antibiotics and at least 1/3 of all chickens are infected with Salmonella. Salmonellosis is the primary cause of deaths due to food poisoning in the United States. Staphylococcal contamination occurs when food handlers with skin infections improperly handle food at room temperature. The bacteria emits an enterotoxin that specifically targets intestine cells. Staphylococcal is responsible for 25% of all food poisoning cases. Clostridium botulinum is found in the soil in the form of harmless spores. However, when introduced to your body, it produces a toxin that attacks your central nervous system and blocks muscle nerve impulses, paralyzing the muscle. This form of poisoning is referred to as botulism. Improperly canned foods are the most common sources of botulism. Bulging lids and cans likely harbour this bacterium. Custards, cream-filled pastry, milk, processed meat, and fish are common foods that harbour suspect bacteria. Refrigerated foods left at room temperature also develop bacteria. A weakened immune system also makes you more susceptible to the effects of infectious organisms. However, pre-existing health may also be irrelevant, as some organisms will cause discomfort regardless of the condition of your immune system.
What to Expect: As previously mentioned, abdominal cramps, diarrhea, and vomiting typically accompany food poisoning as your body eliminates the poison(s) causing the problem. You may also experience a fever and excess sweating. Symptoms last from two to forty eight hours after ingestion, depending on the type and severity of poisoning. The situation is rarely comfortable, but is relatively short in duration. Once your immune system deals with the invader and your body expels the foreign organism(s), you will feel remarkably better.
Remedies Food poisoning will generally pass in twenty four hours and you should feel completely better within one day or two. However, if you are experiencing bloody diarrhea, high fever, increasing abdominal cramps, or symptoms that do not improve within one day or two, seek medical attention from your naturopath or other health practitioner.
Foods Drink plenty of water to restore lost fluids during elimination. Start by sipping water and increase intake as you are able to keep it down. Fluids containing natural sugars, such as clear fruit juices, are better absorbed by the body. You may have to wait several hours if you still experience vomiting. Sports drinks will restore expelled electrolytes that are necessary for proper bodily function. They also contain glucose for energy. Most athletic drinks contain potassium, sodium, or other mineral salts added to the beverage. You may dilute sports drinks with 50% water, as re-hydration is more important than restoring electrolytes. You can prepare your own electrolyte cocktail by mixing fruit juice (for potassium) with a dash of sea salt (for sodium) and 1/2 teaspoon honey (for glucose).
Herbs Take one full dropper of alcohol-free goldenseal at the first sign of food poisoning to destroy harmful bacteria in the colon. You may repeat every four hours for one day. NOTE: Do not take goldenseal for more than one week as it will eliminate beneficial bacteria form your digestive tract. Do not use if pregnant or have a ragweed allergy.
Homeopathy Certain remedies can be used in acute situations if your symptoms fit the symptom picture of the remedy. For dosages, see the dedicated section on Homeopathy. Consult your homeopath or naturopath to determine your constitutional remedy: the remedy that best fits you as a whole person. Your homeopath or naturopath will take a complete case history considering all of your mental and physical ailments and match these symptoms with the symptom picture of the remedy. Arsenicum Album: Person feels anxious, restless, and chilly. Nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea occur simultaneously. Nux Vomica: Nux Vomica is the classic remedy for food poisoning. Nausea occurs in the morning after eating and the person feels as if a stone is in the stomach a few hours after eating. Person is flatulent with flatus passing with difficulties. Constipation alternates with diarrhea. Symptoms worsen with alcohol consumption and after eating. Veratrum Album: Person feels anxious, restless, and chilly. Nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea occur simultaneously. Cold sweats and cravings for ice-cold beverages.
Lifestyle Food Preparation Maintain a clean kitchen, which includes the use of natural cleaners. Viable, non-toxic, alternatives exist for all common, chemical-based, cleaners. Vinegar, baking soda and water, or diluted food-grade hydrogen peroxide clean just about anything. Check your local health food store for ready-made cleaners from Nature Clean, Simply Clean, Ecover, and other companies. Fruits and vegetables should be thoroughly rinsed. The leaves of lettuce, chard, kale, spinach, and other leafy vegetables should be washed individually. If you are peeling fruits or vegetables, you should still wash them first. Your knife can spread bacteria further into the fruit/ vegetable during preparation. Follow up with a rinse once peeled. To safely thaw frozen food, place either in the refrigerator the night before or in a wrapped package under cold water. Do not leave food to thaw on the counter at room temperature as bacteria grow rapidly under these conditions. Use one wood cutting board for meat and another for fruits and vegetables. If you are preparing more than one kind of meat (hamburgers and chicken), use separate cutting boards. Thoroughly wash board(s) in hot soapy water as soon as you are done. Wood cutting boards are preferred over plastic as they eliminate bacteria faster than plastic and do not leach chemicals that affect various hormonal systems of the body, as it is believed plastic products do. Constantly wash your hands to avoid cross contamination of foods. If cooking chicken, hamburger, or small cubed meat, the internal temperature should be 71.1ºC/160ºF (medium) to 76.7ºC/170ºF (well-done). Poultry should be 82.2ºC/180ºF. Bacteria do not survive at these temperatures. Meat thermometers are available at your local houseware or hardware store. In general, meat should be cooked until the pink disappears and juices run clear. Chicken, duck, and turkey should have no red joints. Fish should flake. When re-heating leftovers, ensure the warming temperature is equal to or higher than the original cooking temperature. This will kill any bacteria that may have multiplied while stored. If preparing leftovers in the microwave, use a rotating dish or rotate the food at least once to ensure even warming. There should be no "cold spots" on your food.
Food Storage There are a number of actions you can take to avoid food poisoning and these preventative measures will help you reduce and/or eliminate future bouts with this markedly unpleasant condition. Place meat, chicken, and fish on a plate when storing to prevent juices from dripping down to other foods below. To stop bacteria from multiplying under cold storage, maintain a temperature below 40ºF/4.44ºC in your fridge and below 0ºF/-17.7ºC in your freezer. Discard meat, chicken, and fish that has been in your fridge for more than four days. Use you freezer for long-term storage. Check due dates on refrigerated processed foods (milk, cheeses, condiments, spreads, et cetera) and discard on or before the printed date. If canning, boil all jars and cans for at least 20 minutes to fully pasteurize the contents. Boil for 30 minutes at 80ºC/176ºF or higher to destroy Clostridium botulinum toxin and prevent botulism. Ensure all lids have "popped-down" when cooled and/or pour hot wax into the top of the container before sealing. Discard bulging cans that may harbour bacteria that cause botulism. Throw out cracked eggs.
General The most bacteria-rich item in your house is the kitchen sponge. Either replace it frequently, or clean by placing it in the dishwasher or boiling water. Kitchen towels and J-cloths come next. Wash these items regularly in hot water. If food smells or looks like it has gone bad -- even slightly -- throw it out.
Minerals Potassium can help restore lost electrolytes from elimination. Take 99mg daily.
Miscellaneous Activated charcoal is highly effective when dealing with episodes of food poisoning. Take 3 to 6 capsules at the first sign of poisoning. Consumer another 3 to 6 capsules six hours later. The carbon will attach to foreign molecules and aid in their elimination from the body. Consume a large quantity of water, if possible, to aid in elimination. Post-Poisoning When you begin to feel better, gently ease yourself back into a regular diet. Start with simple, bland foods that are easy to digest. This includes rice, plain cereal, toast, soda crackers, broth, applesauce, and bananas or a popular "BRAT" diet of bananas, rice, applesauce, and toast. Avoid alcohol, candy, condiments, dairy, fried/ salty/ smoked food, pastries, preservatives, raw vegetables, and spices until you are feeling 110%. After a couple of days, you should be able to handle a wider-ranging diet.
Actions and Remedy Listings
| Activated Charcoal | Arsenicum Album | Bland/BRAT Diet (Rice, Plain Cereal, Toast, Soda Crackers, Broth, Applesauce, Bananas) | | Discard Leftover Meat/ Chicken/ Fish After 4 Days | Discard Processed Foods Before Due Date | Do Not Thaw Frozen Food on Counter | | Electrolyte Cocktail | Fruit Juices (Clear) | Fully Pasteurize During Canning | | Goldenseal | Maintain Clean Kitchen Counters | Maintain Fridge Temperature of 40ºF/4.44ºC or Colder | | Maintain Freezer Temperature of 0ºF/-17.7ºC or Colder | Nux Vomica | Place Meat/ Chicken/ Fish on Plate in Fridge | | Potassium | Replace Sponges and J-Cloths | Rotate Food Heated in Microwave | | Sports Drinks | Thaw Frozen Food in Fridge or Under Cold Water | Thoroughly Reheat Leftovers | | Throw Out Cracked Eggs | Use Separate Cutting Boards | Veratrum Album | | Wash Fruits and Vegetables | Wash Fruits and Vegetables Before and After Peeling | Wash Hands | | Wash Kitchen Towels and J-Cloths | Water | |
For More Information ...
Poison Information Centre Toll-Free: 1.800.268.9017
TTY: 1.877.750.2233
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All information contained on this website is for reference purposes only and all content should be treated as a resource. It is highly recommended that you consult with your naturopath or other health practitioner when undertaking self-treatment. For serious conditions, always seek the advice of your naturopath or other health practitioner. People taking medication should
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