What is Food Poisoning?

Food poisoning is a condition that arises when we ingest contaminated food. The symptoms of food poisoning typically include vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, fever, dehydration, headache, and usually lasts for one to two days.

It is not really clear where the first occurrence of food-borne illness dates back to but it would probably be in ancient times. Some of the earliest recorded incidents are from ancient Egypt and Rome.

Food poisoning has been around since ancient times but it has been much more prevalent in the last century because of an increase in globalization and urbanization. It's hard to pinpoint when human-to-human contact stopped being limited to the family unit but at some point we started eating out more often and seeing more people on a daily basis.

Symptoms of Food Poisoning

Food poisoning or food borne illnesses can occur from various different types of foods. There are also two groups of symptoms that are associated with food poisoning. The first is the set of immediate symptoms, which arise within an hour or so after eating contaminated food. The second is a set of long-term symptoms, which may appear as long as a month after ingesting the contaminated food.

Symptoms:

- Diarrhea

- Fever

- Abdominal cramps

- Headache

- Nausea and vomiting

- Weakness, fatigue, and malaise

Stages of Food Poisoning

The stages of food poisoning are I, II, and III. They are also color-coded in the form of a spectrum or rainbow: red, orange, yellow, green, blue.

I: The first stage of food poisoning is when the person starts to feel sick but doesn't have any visible symptoms yet.

II: The second stage is when the person has some visible symptoms such as vomiting or diarrhea.

III: The final stage is when the person has a fever and fast heartbeat that lasts for 24 hours after they ate something contaminated.

Food Poisoning treatment

The severity of food poisoning can be reduced with the use of antibiotics. While antibiotics may not be the best option for mild cases of food poisoning, they are helpful in alleviating the symptoms.

Antibiotics have been in use since ancient times because they were effective against a number of infectious diseases and offered a cure to most people. However, there are some risks associated with antibiotics that can affect the patient’s health such as antibiotic resistance and allergic reactions to medications.

The use of antibiotics to treat food poisoning is becoming popular because it has an almost 100% success rate and only minimal side effects. The effectiveness of antibiotics depend on location and type of food, which means that it cannot be used equally across all types or regions in the world.

Treating food poisoning at home

There is no cure for food poisoning. It is usually treated by resting, drinking fluids and taking medication. However, some people do not want to go through the hassle of going to a hospital for treatment so they would prefer to stay at home and treat their own condition.

It is important that any person who has been affected by food poisoning know how to properly treat their condition at home. The first step in treatment is ensuring that the affected individual rests and consumes plenty of fluids. For children who are vomiting or having diarrhea, it is important to give them smaller meals every couple hours until symptoms stop or until they can eat normally again.

Food poisoning vs stomach flu

The difference between food poisoning vs stomach flu is that the first one is caused by something you have eaten or drunk, while the latter is caused by something you have come into contact with.

Food poisoning: It is caused by eating or drinking something contaminated with bacteria, viruses, or other substances that cause a diarrhea illness.

Stomach flu: It is caused as a result of having contact with an infected person who has the virus that causes stomach flu.

[caption id="attachment_4084" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Food Poisoning[/caption]

How to avoid food poisoning

The main reason people get food poisoning is because they do not follow the safety guidelines. For instance, if you are cooking at home, make sure that you always cook your food for the appropriate time and temperature.

When it comes to public places such as restaurants and cafeterias, it is not always possible to ensure that everything is up to code. The main reason for this is that there are so many factors involved in a restaurant’s culture--such as how busy they are--that cannot be controlled by the restaurant owner. This means that it can be difficult to know who has been sick or what foods are safe or unsafe.

In order to avoid food poisoning from public places, make sure you watch out for any symptoms of illness like vomiting and diarrhea and avoid eating anything after someone else.

A common cause of food poisoning is contaminated water. Make sure that you always use bottled water for cooking and drinking since it is more hygienic and could be the difference between life and death.

Another common cause of food poisoning is poor hygiene in the kitchen. Utensils need to be washed properly with soap before they are used again. The best way to avoid this is by using a dishwasher or at least hand-washing them carefully with soap and running water from the tap in your kitchen sink.

• Wash up. Wash your hands thoroughly with warm, soapy water before cooking and after preparing raw meat. Do not use the same utensils to prepare food that you cook food with.

• Smell test: If your food smells or appears to have been sitting at room temperature for an extended period of time, discard it.

• Speak up. If your meal is one that does not meet your expectations, please feel comfortable sending it back to the kitchen. Ask the wait staff to come back and give you a new plate of food when they are done preparing it.

• The danger zone. Keep perishable foods refrigerated within two hours or one hour if they are exposed to temperatures above 90 degrees.

• Check temperature. As with any cooking, food should always be cooked to a safe temperature to keep it away from harmful germs. The best way to do this is with a food thermometer. There are plenty online or in stores for quick and easy purchase. There are also guidelines on how long each type of meat should cook at different temperatures.

 

Please call Superior Compounding Pharmacy in Plymouth Michigan to speak with one of our licensed pharmacists today at 734-404-6065. We can help answer any medication questions that you may have.