By Minh Nguyen, Candidate for Doctorate of Osteopathy 2016 and Courtney Mizuhara-Cheng, D.O.
It was Friday night. You’d had a long week. There was a new restaurant you had been wanting to try. Why not? You deserved it. Everything was spectacular; until you got home and started to feel ill. You threw up, everything you just had and paid for. Nature called you to the toilet multiple times. It was good that you had the weekend to recover.
Most likely, you got food poisoning, which according to the CDC, 48 million cases happen each year. Fortunately, it is mostly self-limited and preventable. This article hopes to provide you with the information regarding causes, treatments, and what you can do to prevent it from happening.
CONNECT WITH FOOD POISONING
What is food poisoning?
Food poisoning is an illness that occurs when you consume food that is contaminated with bacteria, viruses, and parasites. Norovirus is the most common causes. Other common causes include the bacteria Salmonella and E.Coli. A list of food-borne pathogens can be found here.
What are the symptoms?
The symptoms vary in severity and onset, but they most commonly include nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, watery or bloody diarrhea, and fever.
However, some bacteria can cause atypical symptoms.
Botulism can cause descending paralysis.
Hepatitis A or Listeria can cause meningitis and spontaneous abortion.
HARMONIZE WITH YOUR STOMACH
How does food get contaminated?
There are different ways that your food can get contaminated:
Food-handlers who are sick do not wash their hands when preparing the dishes.
The germs in the food grow because food was cleaned, washed, or cooked enough.
Cross-contamination between different food groups during preparation: for example, using the same knife to cut meat and vegetables without washing in between.
What are the treatments for food poisoning?
Most often times, food poisoning goes away on its own; therefore, treatment is supportive.
Both vomiting and diarrhea can lead to serious dehydration. It is very important that you drink plenty of water to keep yourself well hydrated. It is also beneficial to replenish your electrolytes, which can be found in sports drinks, fresh squeezed fruit juices, pure coconut water, or Emergen-C.
You can eat small low-fat meals to provide your body energy to heal, as well as allowing the digestive tract to rest and digest.
If you feel tired or fatigue, be sure to give yourself plenty of rest. Catch up on reading that book, or just simply sleep.
Antibiotics are not always recommended. However, a 5-day course of ciprofloxacin or Bactrim is commonly used for traveler’s diarrhea or dysentery.
INTEGRATE YOUR HEALTHY OPTIONS
When to see the doctor?
While food poisoning is self-limited, in some cases, it can persist or worsen. Visit your primary care physician if you experience any of these symptoms:
Severe abdominal pain
Unable to eat or drink
Blood in your vomit or stool
Fever of 100.4 F or more
Certain age groups are more susceptible to food poisoning, such as the elderly and children. Should they experience the above symptoms, it is important that they receive medical care as soon as possible.
What are some ways to prevent food poisoning?
Often times, contamination occurs during food handling. Therefore, hand washing is crucial and the reason why all restaurants demand that their employees wash their hands after using the bathroom. If you have a young child, wash your hands after changing the diaper. If you have allergies, wash your hand after you blow your nose.
Wash your hands anytime you handle any “germy” objects.
When you are sick with food poisoning, stay home and rest. Not only will you recuperate, but you will also decrease the chance of contaminating someone else.
Food safety can also greatly help in prevention, such as:
Do not leave food out for more than 2 hours (1 hour if the temperature is above 90F)
Do not consumed unpasteurized milk or dairy products
Wash fruits and vegetables before consuming them
Cook meat and seafood until well done
Use different knives for different food groups, or if using the same knife, wash it between uses
A more comprehensive list of tips for food safety can be found here.
If you would like to learn more details about food poisoning, you can find it here.