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See also Giardia
Food Poisoning
Symptoms Cause
Treatment Prevention
Food poisoning effects most everyone at some time in their
life and to varying degrees. Many people do not even realize that they had it
because it was a mild case and they mistook it for another ailment such as the
flu. This ailment is not something to be taken lightly and especially for a particular
group of people to whom the consequences could be worse. On the trail or in
a survival situation the effects of having food poisoning could be disastrous
and it goes without saying that avoiding it would be best but if it does happen
to hit, then you should know what to expect and how to deal with it.
Symptoms:
Food poisoning will normally first show up as stabbing cramps low down in the
digestive tract. As it progresses the cramps become more severe to the
point that the affected person may become double up from pain. There may
be a tingling sensation felt at the tips of the fingers and possibly the
toes. Nausea will be accompanied by diarrhea. See treatment
below. The symptoms will occur somewhere from 1 hour to several hours
after eating depending on the strain of bacteria and how contaminated the food
was. With E.coli the onset is slower and a feeling of ill heath will come
over the affected person and if not treated professionally and can lead to
severe kidney and blod problems. The symptoms can last in some cases only for a
couple of hours to days or weeks and even ultimately death. After the poisons
have worked there way out of the system the victim will feel weak dehydrated and
drained. Note: If the pain is in the lower right-hand side
of your abdomen and hurts when you cough or walk, it may not be food poisoning
but Appendicitis. Get medical help immediately. In the
most severe of cases Salmonella may linger for weeks and require
hospitalization, and Botulism creates a neurotoxins and paralyze and even cause
death. E.coli in most cases causes a feeling of being ill while the affected
person is still able to function, that is up to a certain point. Secondary
ailments such as arthritis, Gullian-Barree syndrome, heart disease,
jaundice, meningitis and even premature aging can be triggered by food poisoning
and may not show up right away. At
risk Group: Food poisoning can be exceeding harmful to the frail,
aged, infants, pregnant women and unborn children.
Cause:
The onset of food poisoning develops from eating contaminated food. It is not always
possible to tell when food may be contaminated because it does not need to smell
or look unhealthy to still be contaminated.
What is it in the food that cause the poisoning?
Primarily the largest cause of poisoning is from bacteria ( salmonella, E.
coli, campylobacter, Listeria monocytogenes, or Toxoplasma gondii) and viruses.
The actual symptoms are most often caused by the toxins these nasty critters
create as a waste product as they themselves consume the same food you ate. Some
of the toxins have been shown to cause crosslinking and cell mutation which in
turn can cause other other slow to show problems.
So how does food become contaminated?
Meat and poultry if not handled properly during in the slaughter houses can
become contaminate with intestinal fluids or fecal matter. All digestive tracts
contain harmful bacteria and toxins. Occasionally but not often, the food can
become contaminated in transport or storage but this is closely monitored and
when suspected and entire lot will be disposed of. It is estimated that
about 80% of poultry is contaminated with campylobacter, which is the reason
that you are encouraged to thaw a frozen bird in the refrigerator and then cook
it thoroughly.
Fruit and vegetables are not
excluded as a cause of food poisoning but quite the contrary. Many of our vegetative
food source are grown out of doors and close to the ground. Many harmful
organisms are commonly found in dirt, dust, and water, including the bacteria Clostridium
botulinum and Clostridium perfringens and the parasite Cryptosporidium
parvum. Farms might irrigate with water that may have originally been run
off from a nearby cattle operation. Fertilizer can contain elements that
encourage growth of pathogens. So you now you thinking ORGANIC right? Wrong.
Organically grown foods are still fertilized but without the benefit of chemical
fertilizers or pesticides, but they are still fed with fertilizers or compost
derived from decayed vegetation or even human waste.
The handling of food during
the preparation process is probably one of the largest contributor to food poisoning.
There we said it. That's right, most contaminations come from countertops
and cutting boards that were wiped down but not sterilized. (A little bleach
works wonders toward keeping you healthy). Naturally persons who are already
infected should not be handling food. (remember "Typhoid
Mary"). Failing to wash hands after using the restroom can
spread E.coli and other nasty pathogens. Storage:
The second greatest consumer caused poisoning is from improper storage or
failing to keep it properly refrigerated up until cooking time. Your
refrigerator must be kept at or below 40 ºF or 4ºC, Even at the correct
temperature food such as pre-cut salad and deli-cut meats have a shelf life of
only 3 days even though they may still look or smell OK.
Treatment - in it's basic
primitive form - See Legal
If you fall into any of the following categories seek medical
attention: the frail, aged, infants, pregnant
women and unborn children.
The following are some suggestions that may help.
If you have Cilantro (a herb that is used in many Latin American
Dishes) eat some, a lot, if you have it. Sure It is bitter eating it raw and not
with anything else but it has been proven that Cilantro is more effective
against food poisoning that anything man has developed thus far. It will require
copious amounts to be effective as only a tiny compound called dodecenal is the
effective ingredient.
For the cramps, do not tense with the
cramp and they will be less severe. Sure you will feel like you can't help it
but take a lessen from women who have taken natural child birth classes and
apply the relaxation and short puffs of breath. When the cramp begins don't
fight it, but do the opposite that your body tells you to do and relax the
region and you will feel the severity lessen. Do not take "Pepto Bismol"
or similar anti diarrhea medicine as you want to flush this out of your system
as quickly as possible.
Without medical attention some Botulism infections
can be deadly. Generally food poisoning is not fatal and the vomiting and
diarrhea should clear most of it out. Vomiting should not be held back and in
fact you should make an effort to expel as much with each episode as possible.
Rinse you mouth with water and drink a water to rinse your esophagus to
help flush out the toxins and bacteria. A bowel movement is encouraged even if
diarrhea hasn't occurred. If possible, seek medical
attention if the severe symptoms do not dissipate after you have expelled
everything you can get out. You will not like be able to drive yourself to get
medical attention if you are have severe cramp. As soon as you have expelled all
that you can then drink liquids that contain electrolytes. like sports drinks (Gatorade)
and decaffeinated Coca Cola. Avoid anything with caffeine for the first few
hours after an attack, as caffeine is a diuretic and will cause you to urinate
when you need to be increasing your fluid retention to stave off dehydration. Prevention: How
do I prevent this from happening to me?
The moral of this story is cleanliness.
Always wash a fruit and vegetables thoroughly and keep your working surface
clean. Use a tablespoon of bleach in a cup of water (2 ounces per quart)
as a spray or wash down solution.
Do not consume any food that is suspect because it has been left out to
long, the source did not appear to be sanitary, or if it is discolored or
putrid smelling.
Storage must be in a container, preferably air tight, and unless always
refrigerated after opening. You are probably thinking that you never refrigerate
peanut butter. Even that can become rancid if not consumed soon enough.
Refrigeration must be kept around 40 degrees and your freezer at 0 degrees. Eat
safe, stay healthy and visit our
activities section. | 
