Food poisoning - a digestive disorder caused by bacterial, viral infections, parasites or toxins. If you use stale product, non-compliance with hygiene regulations in the use of vegetables with excessive amount of nitrates in humans may be a violation of well-being, accompanied by nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and sometimes more severe manifestations. The most common causative agents of food poisoning is Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli E. coli.

Causes of food poisoning and risk factors

The victims of food poisoning can be both individuals and entire groups. Food poisoning - a frequent consequence of picnics, birthday celebrations, food eatery, school canteens or restaurants.

Bacteria enter the food in different ways:

• contamination of meat or poultry occurs when they get killed bacteria from the gut of an animal or bird.
• water used in the cultivation of vegetables can be contaminated by manure or human feces containing the bacteria.
• infection also occurs as a result of violation of hygiene when preparing food in shops, restaurants or at home.

Food poisoning occurs in the following cases:

• when consuming food prepared with violation of sanitary standards;
• when consuming food prepared with dirty (contaminated by bacteria), utensils, cutting boards and other kitchen appliances;
• by eating dairy and other products, which stood for a long time at room temperature;
• by eating improperly thawed or heated products;
• by eating raw fish and shellfish, such as oysters;
• by eating messy fruits and vegetables;
• by eating fresh fruit or vegetable juices and raw milk;
• by eating poorly cooked (raw) eggs and meat.

Intestinal infection can be caused by the following reasons:

• botulism (Clostridium botulinum);
• campylobacteriosis;
• cholera;
• intoxication sticks E. Coli;
• fish poisoning;
• listeriosis;
• different viruses;
• Staphylococcus aureus (Staphylococcus aureus);
• salmonellosis;
• shigellosis;
• yersiniosis.

Intestinal infection affects all people, regardless of age, often including young children and the elderly. Also at increased risk of intestinal infection are subject to the following categories:

• people suffering from a serious disease, such as diabetes;
• People with weakened immune systems;
• people often traveling to exotic countries where poorly enforced sanitary norms.

Pregnant and lactating women should pay special attention to the protection of intestinal infections, as they pose a threat to the health and life of a child.

Symptoms of food poisoning

Symptoms of food poisoning in most cases occurs 2-6 hours after consumption of contaminated food.

In acute poisoning after 1-2 hours:

• there is severe vomiting;
• diarrhea;
• greatly quickens the pulse, sometimes intermittent;
• whitens skin of the face;
• increased body temperature;
• change the color of the lips;
• general weakness (in botulism Botulism - beware of canned   may lead to respiratory arrest).

If after eating people felt the state of discomfort, it is necessary to analyze what the food taken and what might cause this condition. For example, even if the diet were quite benign fungi and appeared vomiting, it may indicate the presence of stones in the liver. Therefore, you should see a doctor and do an ultrasound.

Diagnosis of food poisoning

For the diagnosis of food poisoning conducted a general examination of the patient (palpation of the abdomen), and perform the following tests:

• CBC, which allows us to understand whether the patient inflammation or acute surgical diseases;
• urinalysis to rule out pyelonephritis Pyelonephritis - kidney disease ;
• fecal scatology - coprogram (done in order to check how the food is digested, whether fecal blood, mucus). Date of completion of this analysis - from three to seven days.

In some cases, a doctor may prescribe an additional analysis of feces How to pass a stool, so as not to spoil it   bacterial seeding (if there is suspicion of an intestinal infection), analysis on a dysbacteriosis The analysis on a dysbacteriosis - crucial for the purposes of treatment , Blood chemistry (to prevent hepatitis) and abdominal ultrasound.

But even these tests are not always can detect food poisoning. In rare cases, also perform the following diagnostic procedures:

• sigmoidoscopy (administered into the colon thin tube to check whether gaps or injuries);
• electromyography (study of the neuromuscular system by registering the bioelectric potentials of muscles) when tested for botulism;
• lumbar puncture (spinal fluid intake) for damage of the nervous system.

That was in 1831. Professor Touery in the presence of his colleagues from the French Academy of Medicine drank a lethal dose of strychnine and, to their great surprise, survived. He mixed a deadly poison with activated charcoal. Activated carbon is a powerful tool for the emergency purification of the gastrointestinal tract, perhaps, the most effective substance known today. You can use almost any case of poisoning by toxic substances. Activated charcoal reduces the absorption of toxic substances up to 60%.

The composition of activated carbon and chemical properties

Activated carbon - is a porous substance that is extracted from a variety of carbon-containing fabrics, natural origin. Obtained activated carbon at high temperatures (up 1000˚ C), it consists mainly of carbon and superficially similar to graphite. It is produced by acting with an acid and a couple on the carbonaceous materials such as wood, nut shells and bones of some fruits. The specific area of ​​a unit dose of activated charcoal (50 g) is equal to the surface area of ​​10 football fields.

The chemical properties of activated carbon depend on the presence on its surface active double bond.

How does the activated carbon

Action of activated carbon on the human body manifests itself when ingested. It removes all types of impurities (including toxins) from the liquid by sedimentation of the particle at its surface - adsorption. Absorption occurs when a substance penetrates into the fabric, as the water in the sponge. Activated carbon can not be removed from the body tissue material, which has already absorbed, but it absorbs substances that are still in the stomach and intestine and does not give them absorbed into the bloodstream.

In addition, it is able to attract to its composition of positively charged activated oxygen ions are negatively charged pollutant (catalytic reduction process).

Thus, the action in the liquid medium consists of activated carbon in removing the organic compounds by adsorption, and the residual disinfectants (e.g., chlorine and chloramines) - by catalytic reduction. These properties allow the activated carbon is widely used in medicine.

Why the need for activated carbon

Activated carbon is an excellent tool for emergency cleansing of the gastrointestinal tract, it can be used in virtually any poisoning by toxic substances. Activated carbon is more than half reduces their absorption in the intestine.

In addition, activated carbon is often used in the home as multifunctional antidote, namely a drug that neutralizes the harmful effect of a large amount of fatty food, alcohol and so on. But in recent years it found that activated carbon and the alcohol can give the opposite effect - enhancement of intoxication. Well toxins at activated carbon hangover, but his reception should be combined with high fluid intake.

Finally, the activated carbon has a positive effect with diarrhea, including infectious origin, since their outputs intestinal pathogens and their toxins. Sometimes, activated carbon is prescribed for chronic courses, including allergic diseases - it displays the body, preventing absorbed into the blood, various toxic substances and substances which can cause allergic reactions Allergic reactions: how to understand why you tickle in the throat .

Dangerous activated charcoal? In the activated carbon has a negative properties. It should not take long courses due to the fact that it removes from the bowel nutrients from food, primarily vitamins, micro and macro elements. Excreted from the body and medicines taken together with activated charcoal.

Activated carbon - instructions to a drug

The drug activated carbon is produced by the following dosage forms: granules for suspension for oral administration, tablets, capsules, pastes for suspension for oral administration, powder for oral suspension, powder for oral administration. Different pharmaceutical companies manufacture it under the title: karbaktin, belosorb-n carbo meditsinalis, karbolong, karbomiks, mikrosorb II, activated carbon, ultra-adsorption, and other enterosorbent.

Activated charcoal has detoxication, absorbent and antidiarrheal (ability to stop the diarrhea) properties. It is also well adsorbed on their surface the gases, removes substances which may cause allergic (allergy activated charcoal is often included in the combined treatment). Thus it weakly adsorb acid and alkali, including iron salts, cyanides, malathion, methanol, ethylene glycol. It does not irritate the mucous membranes.

Indications

• Poisoning by various chemicals, drugs, heavy metal salts, alkaloids
• Food poisoning
• Metabolic disease
• Intoxication caused by chemotherapy Chemotherapy - it always falls the hair?   or radiotherapy
• Flatulence
• The processes of decay
• Hepatitis: chronic and acute viral
• Withdrawal symptoms (usually used in alcoholism and drug abuse when not)

Contraindications

• Activated charcoal can not be given when intestinal obstruction or the person who swallows corroding agent, such as a strong acid or alkali.
• Stomach ulcer or duodenal ulcer
• Ulcerative colitis
• Bleeding from the gastrointestinal tract
• Co-administration of antidotes (as activated carbon can adsorb the antidote)

Side effects

Side effects of activated carbon are: constipation, diarrhea (with the simultaneous use of laxatives) vitamin deficiencies, indigestion, low blood pressure, hypothermia, hypoglycemia, hypocalcemia, and Hypoglycemia - eat little but often .