Food Poisoning: What to Do

The food you eat may look good and taste delicious, but its appearance and flavor may be deceiving at times. The symptoms of food poisoning can be immediate or gradual, depending on the type of contaminant present in the food. The common signs of food poisoning are vomiting, severe headache, loose bowel movement, weakness, and stomach discomfort. Immediate attention should be given to people suffering from these symptoms.

Call medical help.

Ingestion of contaminated food could lead to serious health conditions, so, once a person suffers from diarrhea or vomiting after eating, suspect that he has been food poisoned. Appropriate medical attention should be given, so, the affected person should be taken to the hospital immediately for proper treatment. Antibiotics are usually given, and they may have to be taken for a few days.

Get adequate rest.

One of the simple food poisoning remedies is complete rest. A person needs rest to recover properly. The immune system of the body will need energy to deal with the disease. While your body recovers from the disease, you will have to stay in bed. Usually, many people are severely affected by the condition that they have no choice but to stay in bed.

Replenish lost fluids and electrolytes.

One of the effects of food poisoning is that the affected person will quickly run out of liquids in their body due to frequent vomiting and LBM, which will make them suffer from dehydration. Increasing fluid intake, therefore, is necessary. In severe cases of fluid loss, if the patient becomes unconscious, fluids may have to be replenished intravenously, meaning, injected into the patient's body. Oral rehydration solution can be given for mild cases. This solution consists of water and some salt and sugar to replenish the lost ions in the body.

You can drink clear soda or soup. Avoid caffeine-laden drinks, which will only make dehydration worse. Drink more than 8 glasses of water a day to keep yourself hydrated. You will know when you are well hydrated by looking at the color of your urine. Clear urine indicates good hydration.

Take ONLY the medications prescribed by your doctor.

Vomiting can be harmful to your esophagus, because the esophageal lining is not designed to withstand stomach acid. The passage of stomach contents through the esophagus may cause esophageal irritation. Stomach acid also erodes the teeth enamel. There are OTC medications that can coat the throat and esophagus to protect them from the stomach acid. In many cases, your condition will improve on its own as long as you keep yourself well hydrated.

Allow your body to get rid of the toxins or bacteria that caused poisoning. You may be tempted to buy anti-diarrhea medications, like Loperamide, but you are discouraged to take these medicines. Their action is to slow down bowel movement, which will inhibit release of digestive tract irritants.

However, you must be responsible and only take the medications that are prescribed by your doctor. No one understands your condition better than your doctor does.

Do not eat too much.

Toxins disrupt the function of your digestive system. Any food you ingest will not be digested properly as you are not completely healed, so, it may only worsen your condition. The less work your stomach has to do, the faster it will recover. You should not eat anything within a few hours after symptoms appear. This will allow your digestive area to settle.

Start eating soft foods, which are easy to digest. Examples are soup, porridge, banana, crackers, or gelatin. Stop eating if you feel like vomiting again or if you feel nauseous.