Your Complete Guide On Food Poisoning
Food poisoning happens when you consume food which is contaminated by bacteria, viruses, parasites and other toxic organisms. Food poisoning is common in people who eat unhygienically prepared food or food cooked with expired ingredients.
Symptoms of Food Poisoning
The common symptoms of food poisoning are as follows:
• Diarrhoea
• Cramps in the abdomen
• Poor appetite or loss of appetite
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Headaches
• Fever
• Feeling of weakness and fatigue.
Visit the nearest hospital’s emergency room without any delay if you encounter the below-mentioned symptoms:
• High fever
• Diarrhoea for more than two-three days
• Dry mouth
• Little or no urine
• Blood in the urine (hematuria)
• Blood in the stool
• Severe vomiting.
Diagnosis for Food Poisoning
The first question any medical professional would ask is about the food you consumed during for the last two to three days. However, certain diagnostic tests will be prescribed by the doctor to find the root cause of your food poisoning. They are mentioned as follows:
1. Blood test
2. Urine test
3. Stool test.
Treatment for Food Poisoning
Usually, food poisoning does not require any specific treatment as they resolve on their own in due course of time by following some measures and listening to the doctor’s medical advice. The doctor might prescribe you the following things for treating your food poisoning:
• Medications to deal with the symptoms of food poisoning
• To follow a soft and nutritious diet
• To consume light meals
• To drink Oral Rehydration Solution (ORS) frequently
• To consume other healthy fluids, like homemade fruit juices, vegetable soups, and pulses water or dal ka pani
• To avoid fried, spicy, and fatty foods
• To avoid outside and junk food
• To avoid milk and consumption of its products
• To get sufficient rest and sleep.
For a severe case of food poisoning, the medical practitioner will tell you to get hospitalized immediately. During your hospitalization, the treatment would involve keeping you hydrated at times by giving saline injections and the discharge time depends on your condition.
Prevention for Food Poisoning
Prevention is always better than anything else. Many cases of food poisoning occur due to sheer negligence from our part. Thankfully, there are ways to avoid food poisoning and they have been mentioned as follows:
• Consume well-cooked eggs, fish, chicken, and red meat.
• Purchase fresh eggs and meat to avoid illness and infections.
• Check the manufacturing and expiry date of your groceries, like spices, oils, and other food items.
• Do not drink unpasteurized milk and its products.
• Always wash your fruits and vegetable twice with warm water to get rid of germs and infections.
• Do not eat stale or spoiled food.
• Wash your hands with soap before cooking meals or if someone else cooks your meals, tell that person to practice the same.
• Eat your meals with recently washed hands
• Avoid eating outside food or unhygienically prepared food.
Whenever you’re having doubts about your health conditions, visit the best hospital in Varanasi for expert medical help.