Myths and Facts

Many people believe that they know how to protect yourself and your family from such unpleasant phenomena as food poisoning. But about half of them do not know how to cook and store food. What does this mean? The fact that we know little about first aid for food poisoning and prevention, and what we know, often do not correspond to reality. Thus, the most common myths about food poisoning and the exposure.

Myth: boiled or fried eggs can be eaten without fear.

Fact:   eggs can be eaten without fear of salmonellosis, if you fry eggs on one side, then turn over the other (yolk down) and also roasted. If you fry an egg on one side only, the salmonella bacteria Salmonella: unknown facts   They do not die. According to doctors, eggs necessarily have to roast thoroughly on both sides to the yolk too hard. Only in this case you can be sure that you do not become infected with salmonellosis Salmonellosis - features of the disease .

Myth:   if you wash your hands before eating, and in the process of cooking, about food poisoning can not worry.

Fact:   Hands should be washed, regardless of whether you are cooking a meal or not. Always wash your hands before and after preparing food, after using the toilet, after contact with animals, and after changing diapers for children. Ideally, your hands should be washed with warm soapy water for 20 minutes, thoroughly scrub them with a brush, then wipe dry with a clean towel. Wipe should not only the palm and wrist.

Myth:   refrigerated foods can not go wrong, as stored at a suitable temperature.

Fact:   foods must be kept at a temperature below 4 ° C or above 60 ° C. If the food is stored at a higher or lower temperature, it becomes a breeding ground for bacteria. Periodically measure the temperature in the refrigerator to find out if the desired temperature in the refrigerator. Normal temperature, preventing the reproduction and growth of bacteria - 4, 44 ºC (fridge) and -17, 7 ºC (freezer).

Myth: about whether the food is spoiled or not, you can always learn from its appearance and flavor.

Fact:   this is true only in part. Approximately 30% of cases, this method has no effect. Bacteria are invisible to the eye, so we can not see how they mutate and multiply on the surface of products. If you have even the slightest suspicion that the food is spoiled, throw it out.

Myth: of cooked meat can be judged by its appearance.

Fact: It is false and very damaging idea! The only way to determine that the meat and make sure that all contained the bacteria died - use cooking thermometer. Never throw cook meat, not bringing it to ready to come back to this lesson and finish! This only contributes to the growth of bacteria and leads to the fact that the cooked meat spoils faster.

Myth:   when handling aerosol products in the supermarket all the bacteria are killed.

Fact:   aerosol treatment has nothing to do with cleaning or washing of fruits and vegetables. Houses bought fruits and vegetables should always be washed thoroughly under cold running water. Greens can be put into a container with cold water to remove dried mud and then again rinsed under running water.

Food poisoning: Treatment

If an episode of food poisoning lasts less than 24 hours, it does not require medical intervention. In this case it is possible to treat food poisoning yourself. It is recommended to perform the following steps:

• Place the patient in the bed. Place the next container of excrement and vomit. Before draining into the sewer it is desirable to handle bleach (1 part of stool and 2 parts of a 10% bleach).
• If the patient has a fever, cover it with a warm blanket and put his feet in the water bottle.
• The patient should be allocated a separate dish, and if possible, a separate room.
• Children, the elderly and people with weakened immune systems, it is desirable to protect from contact with the patient, and everything else in order to avoid the spread of infection should be carefully observe good personal hygiene.
• It should be rinsed patient stomach let him drink 1-1, 5 liters of water, and then cause vomiting.
• After gastric lavage can be applied to the feet and a hot water bottle to drink hot tea. Shown with food poisoning reception sulfonamides (ftalazol, sulgin and others) or antibiotics (levomitsitin and others).
• Always give the patient a warm drink, such as weak tea with sugar. Restore lost fluids and salts in the sweltering vomiting and diarrhea can help solution rehydron Regidron - will help restore the water-salt balance   (1 sachet of powder to 1 liter of boiling water).
• To display the germs and toxins from the body, give the patient any enterosorbent, for example, smectite and Polyphepanum.
• Severe pain in the abdomen Abdominal pain: Types and Symptoms   It delivers no-spa. However, before the arrival of the doctor pain medicine is best not to take it distorts the picture of the disease, and the doctor can make a mistake in diagnosis.
• A good remedy for food poisoning is ginger tea. Pour cup of boiling water one teaspoon of ground ginger, infuse for 20 minutes, every half hour and take one tablespoon.
• Get rid of toxins and help pharmacy tincture of Siberian Ginseng, Astragalus and marine microalgae in powder or tablets.

Even if the patient got better, he has to follow a diet. He did not hurt: rice porridge on the water, sweet tea, grated apples, dairy products. Products that enhance the fermentation in the gut (whole milk, black bread, beans, beets, cucumbers, cabbage), as well as alcoholic, sugary and caffeinated beverages are contraindicated.

If the self is not observed rapid improvement, you must consult your doctor immediately. Advanced cases, especially in children, with frequent diarrhea, vomiting, severe deterioration of general condition, can have serious consequences, accompanied by a hit of microbes in the blood, dehydration, so do not delay seeking medical help.

Treatment of food poisoning in the hospital

Treatment of food poisoning in the hospital is the replacement fluid into the body by intravenous infusion of medications and fluid intake. The duration of hospitalization depends on the severity of the patient, the degree of dehydration and response to therapy. Children subject to compulsory hospitalization. Assign patient antiemetic and antidiarrheal agents.

Antibiotics help only under certain pathogens intestinal infections, such as traveler's diarrhea (caused by bacteria shingelly), but the infection usually goes away without medical intervention.

With mushroom poisoning or pesticides prescribed intravenous drugs and intensive care treatment if there is a threat to the life of the patient. In this case the patient is also given an antidote, such as activated charcoal Activated carbon - old but indispensable . These types of food poisoning is very dangerous and require long-term inpatient treatment.

What to do after the treatment food poisoning

After normalization of the patient is recommended to visit an infectious disease. It is possible, for example, that the cause of poor health after being poisoned - worms Worms - how dangerous they are? And the patient will need to consult a doctor-parasitologist. It is also recommended to continue to consume a lot of fluids to complete disappearance of symptoms. For complete recovery of food poisoning (after the disappearance of symptoms) may need a week.