Imagine a seductive array of chicken with cream sauce, buttery steamed clams, roasted pork with carrots and potatoes, and your mom's delicious cream pie to top it all off. Some may think of this feast as heaven on earth, but after a few hours on the picnic table, this feast may very well be Hell's menu of the day. After gorging yourself with the meal that you thought was a little bit sour, you feel dizzy and you feel like vomiting, chances are you were a victim of food poisoning. If you don't know how to treat food poisoning, then you should really read through.
There are lots of reasons why the food that we love can be tainted with a type or another of toxic bacteria, causing what we often call as food poisoning. It can be that the food was prepared with hands that are unclean that transferred staphylococcus bacteria, or it could be that the food wasn't cooked enough to kill salmonella contaminants; it could also be that the food was left sitting for far too long in an open area on where the conditions are just about perfect for bacteria to multiply faster. There could be tons of reasons. But, in any case, once the bacteria infiltrates your intestines, you'll feel like a total wreck for a day or so while your body tries to fight them off. Here are a few food poisoning treatments and tips to help you deal with the food flu.
How To Treat Food Poisoning
The first question that comes to mind if someone has, indeed, been a victim of food poisoning is "how long does food poisoning last?" Well, in normal cases, food poisoning signs like dizziness, diarrhea, vomiting, nausea and cramps will disappear in a day or two. But when very young children, the elderly, or a person suffering from a chronic condition is affected, then things can get a bit rough. People who belong to these groups should contact a doctor immediately. There are also cases on where the common symptoms, accompanied by changes in vision, muscle weakness, difficulty in breathing, swallowing or speaking especially after eating mushrooms or shellfish; high fever, severe vomiting and bloody diarrhea; extreme thirst, dry mouth and localized abdominal pain, should be brought to the attention of a physician immediately.
If you deem that the person or your condition is rather just a case of ordinary food poisoning, then here are a couple of things you should remember:
1. You should always remember to fill up on liquids. The bacteria in your intestinal tract act as irritants and causes fluid loss. This is the reason why filling yourself up with liquids is essential to prevent dehydration. Water is still the best. After filling yourself up with water, you can take up clear liquids such as apple juice and broth. Soda can also be taken, though you have to defizz it first as the carbon in the soda can irritate the stomach.
2. Ingesting too much at once can trigger more vomiting. Try to take in things slowly.
3. All the vomiting and diarrhea strips essential potassium, sodium and glucose off of your body. You can replace these by taking electrolyte products such as Gatorade, or you can prepare a rehydration drink by mixing fruit juice with 翻 tbsp. of honey and a pinch of salt.
4. Antacids reduce the acids in your stomach. Taking these will not help your condition as it can weaken your defense against bacteria. The bacteria can multiply faster if you take one. To add, taking antidiarrheal products like Imodium can interfere with the body's natural course of flushing out bacteria. A good advice to take is to let nature take its course.
5. Most people tend to induce vomiting when they hear "food poisoning". They stick down their finger down their throats with the hope that the spoilt food will just come out. This is not the case though. Once the bacteria enter the system, there's no way that it can be taken out in an instant. Thus, there really is no need to induce vomiting.
6. After the diarrhea and vomiting have subsided, it is advisable to take in easily digestible food as your stomach is still weak and irritated. Cereal, pudding and crackers are good choices. Avoid high-fiber, spicy, acidic, greasy, sugary and dairy foods that could further irritate your stomach.
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