Food poisoning occurs when harmful bacteria or toxins enter the body as a result of eating improperly processed or prepared food. Symptoms of food poisoning can include upset stomach, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, fever, and seizures that begin an hour or several weeks after eating poor quality food. For most people, food poisoning goes away on its own after a few days. However, babies, pregnant women and the elderly must be especially careful to avoid poisoning, as it can cause irreparable harm to the body. Knowing how to cure food poisoning can help you minimize discomfort and get back on your feet as soon as possible.
Steps
Stick to a diet
- If you have severe vomiting, immediately call an ambulance at 103 (from your mobile) or 03 (from your landline). You may be taken to the hospital for an IV fluid.
- Drink water, tea, or juice. Also, drinking broth or eating soup is a good way to restore the required amount of fluid in the body.
-
Consume rehydration solution. It is a powder that is dissolved in water and drunk to restore minerals and nutrients that your body loses through vomiting and diarrhea. Rehydration solutions are usually available from pharmacies.
Eat soft foods. After you are hungry and your nausea has subsided, eat bananas, rice, applesauce, and toast. These foods will help calm your stomach and will not induce nausea or vomiting.
Avoid dairy products for a few days. As your body fights poisoning, your digestive system will not tolerate lactose for a while. Because of this, the consumption of any dairy products (butter, milk, cheese, yogurt) will lead to further complications. Do not consume them until you have completely recovered.
Avoid caffeine and alcohol. Because of them, your condition can only get worse. Caffeine and alcohol are diuretics, which means you will need to use the bathroom more often, which can lead to dehydration. Together with frequent vomiting and diarrhea, a decrease in body fluids can lead to serious problems.
Folk remedies
-
Drink barley or rice water. It is beneficial for restoring digestion. Broths will also help maintain the required fluid levels in your body.
Consume probiotics. Yogurt is a good source of probiotics that can help restore the bacterial balance in the body. It is scientifically proven that the combined consumption of yogurt and fenugreek seeds can help get rid of nausea and vomiting.
Take some apple cider vinegar, which is anti-microbial. To do this, add two tablespoons of vinegar to a cup of hot water and drink before meals.
Some herbs have antimicrobial properties and may help relieve food poisoning symptoms. Drink basil juice or add a few drops of basil oil to water. You can eat cumin seeds or make a decoction based on them.
- Thyme, rosemary, coriander, sage, mint and dill are herbs with antibacterial properties (although this is not scientifically proven).
-
Soothe your stomach with honey and ginger. Honey has antimicrobial properties and helps control gastric acid levels, while ginger helps relieve stomach pain and restore digestion. Make yourself a tea with ginger root and honey.
Have a rest
- If you work with food and experience symptoms of food poisoning while working, notify your supervisor immediately and leave the food preparation area. Do not take food when it comes to food poisoning.
Don't go to work if you have food poisoning. Give your body enough time to recover before returning to work (usually 48 hours after symptoms resolve).
-
-
Get more rest. You will likely feel lethargic because your body is trying to flush out toxins. It is recommended that you get as much rest as possible so that your body uses energy to recover. Sleep more so you don't overwork.
- Avoid strenuous activities to avoid injury.
-
Don't overload your stomach. Avoid heavy and spicy foods for several days. Your body needs to flush out toxins, so don't eat too much for the first one to two days after you show symptoms of food poisoning. Don't overload your stomach for a couple of days.
- Drink plenty of liquids and broths, and eat soups. Wait a few hours after nausea or vomiting before eating.
-
Wash your hands often. If you have vomiting or diarrhea, wash your hands often to prevent the spread of germs. Do not share a towel or prepare food for other people.
- It is recommended to keep disposable cleaning wipes in the bathroom. Wipe down any surfaces you touch after using the bathroom.
Drink plenty of fluids. Vomiting and diarrhea lead to the rapid removal of fluid from the body, and, as a result, dehydration occurs. Drink as much fluids as possible and you will restore the amount of water in your body. If you find it difficult to drink, take many small sips.
Warnings
Article Information
wikiHow works like a wiki, which means that many of our articles are written by multiple authors. Volunteer authors worked to edit and improve this article to create this article.
A huge number of people are faced with poisoning every day and, unfortunately, nothing can be done with such horrifying statistics. This kind of problem is understandable, because the modern world is full of a wide variety of products that contain dyes, chemicals, preservatives, and sometimes poisons. Poisoning is especially relevant in the summer, when the air temperature is quite high. Treatment in this case does not require delay, so we will devote our article to this problem, namely, what is the treatment of food poisoning at home?
In order to understand how this kind of disease is treated, one should understand in what cases it occurs. Food poisoning occurs when poison enters the body with poisoned, stale, or poor-quality food. Also, as it is customary in our modern world, many unscrupulous manufacturers add prohibited substances to their products and do not indicate them on the packaging in the “product composition” column. Therefore, below we will consider in detail what food and treatment is, types, classification), and also figure out in what cases urgent medical attention is required?
Food Poisoning Symptoms
- Nausea, vomiting.
- Diarrhea.
- Headache.
- Increased body temperature.
- Abdominal pain.
- Dehydration.
- Low blood pressure.
The reasons that most often provoke this disease
- Toxins found in plants and animal meat, in particular mushrooms, as well as improperly cooked seafood - fish, shellfish.
- Infections (bacteria, viruses).
- Pesticides found in food, or the poisons with which they are processed.
Most often, these are the reasons that cause food poisoning.
What to do, symptoms and treatment at home?
The first symptoms appear within 48 hours from the time of consumption of the poisoned food.
It is very important to urgently provide first aid, because the earlier treatment begins, the faster the body will cope with intoxication.
First aid
Below we will understand what constitutes food poisoning in children, home treatment, and emergency care.
Children
If you are interested in the question of how to cure food poisoning at home in children, then you need to be extremely careful here. It should be remembered that any manifestations of poisoning in children should be a reason for contacting a doctor.
Until the doctor comes, help the baby.
"Emergency"
Cases in which medical attention is required
- The child is less than 3 years old.
- Symptoms persist for more than 2–3 days.
- The body temperature is increased.
- Poisoning is present in several other family members.
When do you need an immediate ambulance call?
- The child cannot drink water due to profuse and constant vomiting.
- If you know that the baby has been poisoned by mushrooms or seafood.
- A rash appeared on the skin.
- Swelling appeared on the joints.
- It is difficult for a child to swallow.
- The kid talks indistinctly.
- The skin and mucous membranes turned yellow.
- Blood in vomit and feces.
- No urination for more than 6 hours.
- Weakness in the muscles.
Diet after poisoning
Treating food poisoning at home should be accompanied by diet. Do not eat fatty and spicy foods. You should limit the use of dairy products. Alcohol and smoking should also be avoided for a long time. Meat, vegetables and fish should be steamed. Eat food in small portions every 2-3 hours. The diet should include cereals boiled in water, especially those that contain a large amount of fiber. Drink strong black tea, a decoction of chamomile, rose hips.
Prevention of food poisoning
Earlier, we figured out how to treat food poisoning. Symptoms and first aid are also discussed in detail. Therefore, below we will present some useful rules to help avoid this unpleasant and rather common problem.
What not to do if you have food poisoning?
- Put a heating pad on the abdomen.
- Drink fixing drugs for diarrhea.
- Give an enema to pregnant women, children, the elderly with diarrhea.
- Drink milk or sparkling water.
- Never induce vomiting if:
- unconscious person;
- there is confidence that a person has been poisoned with alkali, kerosene, gasoline or acid.
If all of the above recommendations have been followed, then the likelihood that you will quickly cure food poisoning is quite high. Do not forget that only a doctor should assess the severity of the poisoning, because timely medical assistance will help to avoid serious health problems. It should be remembered that at the first symptomatic manifestations of poisoning in children and the elderly, you should consult a doctor.
Adult food poisoning without severe symptoms or central nervous system depression can be treated at home. Tablets and other drugs for internal use are selected based on the symptoms of intoxication.
Signs of food poisoning
Food poisoning occurs due to the consumption of spoiled food, food contaminated with pathogenic microorganisms, food containing poisons. The main symptoms appear on average after 4-6 hours, but can begin earlier or in a day. The severity of intoxication is determined by the amount of food eaten, the presence of concomitant diseases, age, individual characteristics of the body. Typical signs of acute poisoning:
In case of poisoning with poisonous mushrooms, household chemicals, salts of heavy metals, signs of damage to the central nervous system are noted. Convulsions, loss of consciousness, hallucinations, coma appear.
Poisoning treatment rules
With increasing signs of intoxication and depression of the central nervous system, the patient needs professional help. Therefore, it is necessary to call an ambulance or independently deliver the victim to the hospital.
Some diseases have similar symptoms to food poisoning, but their treatment involves the use of different pharmaceuticals.
If you are still sure that the victim was poisoned by poor-quality food, then you can cure him at home:
It is not advisable to eat for the first 1-2 days after the trouble. In the future, it is necessary to follow the diet, that is, to feed the patient with easily digestible food in small portions. First, we recommend rice broth, porridge in water, then vegetable and meat broths. Bananas, bread, steam cutlets are gradually introduced. Lactic acid products - yogurt, kefir, cottage cheese can be given 5-7 days after the restoration of the digestive system.
The goals of drug therapy for poisoning
For poisoning and intestinal infections, drugs are prescribed primarily with the aim of removing toxins and poisons from the digestive system. You also need:
It is possible to distinguish intestinal infection and rotavirus from banal food poisoning by high temperature readings on the thermometer. The disease also proceeds with abdominal cramps and false desires for frequent bowel movements against the background of diarrhea. To eliminate it, additional treatment with antibacterial agents is required.
Enterosorbents for poisoning
Enterosorbent drugs bind toxins and prevent them from being absorbed into the walls of the digestive system and the subsequent spread of blood flow. Then the complexes of toxic substances are naturally excreted through the intestines. At the same time, most enterosorbents have a fixing effect, so they help prevent dehydration of the body.
Long-term use is not recommended, since the sorbent can remove useful trace elements and vitamins from the body.
Sorbents must be taken after gastric lavage. This group of drugs includes dozens of drugs.
They are taken not only in the acute stage of intoxication, but also for several more days. This drug regimen helps to completely cleanse the digestive system.
Activated carbon
The simplest and most accessible sorbent for all. The dosage is calculated on the basis of weight - 1 tablet of coal is needed for every 10 kilograms. It is crushed, diluted with half a glass of water and drunk. Frequency of use - 4 times a day in the first 2-3 days after poisoning with low-quality food. The disadvantage of the drug is the possible occurrence of constipation.
Activated charcoal can also be given to a child. The dose for children is calculated in the same way as for adults. The course of treatment is 7-10 days.
White coal
Consists of silicon dioxide and cellulose. The drug gently removes microbial toxins, food and household allergens, intestinal gases from the digestive system. Silicon dioxide improves the movement of alkaloids, salts of heavy metals, barbiturates, organophosphorus compounds, residual nitrogen, ethyl alcohol, acetone from the blood into the intestines.
White charcoal quickly reduces the load on the liver and kidneys, normalizes metabolic reactions and reduces the severity of intoxication. Unlike activated carbon, the described drug does not lead to constipation. On the contrary, under its influence, intestinal peristalsis increases, which contributes to the accelerated removal of all toxins from the body. White charcoal is not prohibited during pregnancy. The drug in case of poisoning is prescribed for adults, 3 tablets 3-4 times a day.
Polysorb
Sorbent in powder form, which should be diluted before use. Binds and removes pathogenic bacteria and their toxins, alcohol, poisons, allergenic substances from the digestive system. It is prescribed for food toxicoinfections and intestinal infections, alcohol poisoning and heavy metal salts.
In case of acute food poisoning before oral administration, it is recommended to pre-wash the stomach with Polysorb. A 0.5-1% suspension is prepared from a liter of water and powder, which the patient must drink, after which he must induce vomiting. Then Polysorb adults need to use 6-12 grams per day. This amount of powder is divided into 3-4 doses. The suspension is prepared just before taking it. It is necessary to treat acute poisoning with Polysorb from 3 to 5 days, with chronic intoxication, therapy is extended to 10 days.
Rehydrants
Everyone should know what to take at home in case of poisoning proceeding with indomitable vomiting and frequent loose stools. Such a course of food and intestinal infections quickly leads to dehydration, which in turn disrupts the water-electrolyte balance and, accordingly, adversely affects the functioning of the heart, nervous and respiratory systems, and kidneys.
Rehydrants replenish fluid loss and restore salt balance. Their group includes:
- Regidron;
- Letrozole;
- Oralite;
- Hydrovit.
Rehydrants are usually available in powder form. Before use, they are diluted in boiled water. The prepared solution should be drunk a teaspoon every 3-5 minutes and always after vomiting or diarrhea. In large quantities, solutions cannot be used, as this can provoke vomiting.
Rehydrants need to be drunk warm, this improves the absorption of nutrients.
Prevention of dehydration at home is allowed to be carried out at 1-2 degrees of dehydration. A patient with third degree dehydration needs emergency medical attention. Its development is indicated by such signs as severe dryness of the skin, retraction of the eyes, non-closing of the eyelids, lack of urine or its insignificant discharge, frequent pulse and tachycardia, drop in blood pressure.
Antiemetics
Vomiting is a natural reaction of the body, with the help of which toxic substances and toxins are removed. However, severe, indomitable vomiting not only exhausts the patient, but also causes dehydration. To stop it, you can take one of the following remedies:
Antiemetics are used briefly - in the treatment of food poisoning for 2-3 days. Once nausea and vomiting have been eliminated, they can no longer be used.
Antidiarrheal tablets
Food poisoning is often accompanied by the appearance of frequent loose stools. Prolonged diarrhea leads to weakness, dehydration, and negatively affects overall well-being. Means that help with diarrhea are selected based on their mechanism of action.
| Drug name | Mechanism of action | Dosage for adults | special instructions |
| Loperamide (Imodium) | Reduces intestinal motility and tone. | The first dose is 2 tablets, then you need to drink one tablet after each episode of loose stools. | By increasing the tone of the rectal sphincter, Imodium cannot be used for dysentery. |
| Ersefuril | Antimicrobial. The drug helps to cope with infectious diarrhea with fever and fever. | One capsule 3-4 times a day. | Not prescribed during pregnancy. |
| Phthalazole | Antimicrobial agent. It is used for diarrhea of an infectious origin. | In the first two days of acute poisoning, 6 times a day, 2 tablets, then the dosage is reduced according to the scheme. | It should be used with caution by patients with chronic kidney disease, diseases of the blood and endocrine system. |
Sorbents also have a fixing effect. Therefore, if the poisoning is manifested by not very pronounced diarrhea, then the use of enterosorbents may be sufficient to restore the intestinal function.
Antidotes for poisoning
Antidote therapy is a treatment aimed at neutralizing the toxic effects of poisons on the body. The agents used are called antidotes. The antidote is selected based on the type of substance that caused the intoxication. There are no antidotes to food. However, in theory, some types of food may contain poisons that must be immediately neutralized.
| Poisonous substance | Mechanism of action | Antidote |
| Organophosphorus compounds | They have a nerve effect. Paralysis of the respiratory center, the work of the heart can cause death of the victim within a few hours. A number of FOSs have a pronounced skin-resorptive toxicity, that is, they can penetrate into the bloodstream through the skin. | Atropine |
| Methyl alcohol | Toxicity is due to the products formed when methyl alcohol enters the body. | Ethanol |
| Heavy metal salts | May be found in seafood. Acute poisoning occurs with nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps, shortness of breath, and impaired renal function. | Unitiol |
Antidotes should be used as early as possible after poisoning. The dosage of drugs, the frequency of their administration depends on the severity of intoxication, the dose of the poisonous substance, the age of the victim.
Mercury poisoning
Mercury also belongs to heavy metal salts. Poisoning to her is possible, even if an ordinary mercury thermometer has broken. Signs:
- tremor of the limbs;
- bleeding gums;
- weakness;
- mental disorders;
- diarrhea, vomiting;
- chest pain, cough.
First aid consists in removing the victim from the room with mercury and in soldering him with salted water or a weak solution of potassium permanganate. It is imperative to clean the room. Mercury balls are collected in a jar of cold water with a syringe or syringe. The floor and all surfaces must be rinsed with water with chlorine or potassium permanganate.
Carbon monoxide poisoning
Carbon monoxide toxicity is dangerous due to ingestion of high doses of carbon monoxide. The first symptoms are headache and suffocation, then loss of consciousness. A specific antidote is oxygen.
Before providing professional assistance, the victim must be removed from the room and provided with an influx of fresh air. Rubbing the chest is carried out, you can give more water to drink. Loss of consciousness should not be allowed, therefore it is advisable to let the patient breathe over a cotton swab dipped in ammonia (ammonia).
Acetic acid poisoning
It manifests itself at first by a chemical burn of the mucous membranes of the mouth and esophagus. The patient needs to wash the stomach with 8-10 liters of cold water. But you need to enter and remove it through a probe, since vomiting aggravates the burn. To slow down the absorption of the product, the patient can be given half a glass of milk mixed with egg whites or a spoonful of vegetable oil.
When poisoning with vinegar, you can not rinse the stomach with alkali. Baking soda with acid enters into a chemical reaction that can cause deep tissue damage.
Summing up
Food and any other poisoning does not pass without a trace for the body. It is possible to reduce the severity of the consequences only by providing timely assistance to the victim. It is necessary to know exactly what can and cannot be done in case of intoxication, in which cases the patient needs the help of a doctor. After eliminating the main symptoms of poisoning, the digestive system needs to be helped to recover, so you need to take probiotics, enzymes and follow medical nutrition for 10-14 days.
People quite often prefer to be treated at home, and for any disease, if their condition is not entirely critical, and even during food poisoning, treatment at home is the norm rather than the exception.
Poisoning itself is an acute disorder in the digestive system, a malfunction of the intestines and stomach, which is caused by the ingestion of poor-quality or spoiled foods.
It is not difficult to recognize this unpleasant ailment, it is difficult to ignore it. But, quite often, especially in the summer, people confuse simple intestinal malaise with it.
Signs
Of course, the clinical picture of this unpleasant ailment can have individual characteristics, depending on the health of the toxin that has entered the body and, mainly, the age of the affected person. But the general symptoms and signs of food poisoning in children and adults are the same:
- long severe nausea, the person literally "turns out";
- muscle cramps in the stomach and intestines;
- uncontrollable vomiting;
- diarrhea or diarrhea with pain in the intestines and a specific "sick" smell;
- a rapid increase in body temperature;
- general weakness, especially in children, it can be difficult to just get out of bed;
- dizziness, sometimes discordance and fainting caused by dehydration;
- a sharp drop in pressure, this is typical mainly for the elderly;
- shaking, convulsions and other manifestations of disturbances in the functions of the nervous system caused by general destabilization in the body.
Poisoning types
Before independent actions aimed at treating food poisoning and their consequences, you need to remember that the classification of this ailment implies two types:
- Acute food toxicosis and toxicological infections.
- Toxic species poisoning.
The first type of ailment people get through the fault of low-quality or expired, spoiled food, food contaminated with various microorganisms. Often food poisoning of a microbial or bacteriological type can manifest itself in a “response” to poor hygiene and basic sanitation, such as washing hands before eating.
This is what becomes the most common cause of poisoning during snacks along the way, fast food, all kinds of burgers, shawarma and all the rest of the assortment of stalls. It is quite possible to cope with this type of ailment on your own, contacting a doctor only if necessary, if the digestive upset is extremely difficult.
Poisoning of non-microbial origin, related to the second type, occurs when poisons and toxic toxic substances enter the body, for example, when eating inedible mushrooms, berries or chemicals, the same tablets.
If there is a thought that the disorder may be precisely for such reasons, an urgent need to consult a doctor. Intoxication, which is not bacterial in nature, is not treated at home, only under the supervision of specialists in stationary conditions.
Also, if poisoning occurs during breastfeeding, both the mother and the baby, medical professional help is required. Such a situation does not allow self-medication, since they can harm both the mother and the baby.
First aid
Faced with misfortune, people are often lost and may not immediately figure out what to do and what to do with food poisoning in the first place.
The main thing for first aid for food poisoning is to rinse the victim's stomach. While the stomach is full of guilty foodstuffs, the intoxication of the human body continues and its condition, accordingly, worsens.
It is quite simple to free the body from food leftovers:
- drink from one and a half to two liters of warm water;
- wait a few minutes;
- induce vomiting;
- repeat until food stops coming out.
Instead of empty water, it makes sense to use a manganese solution; it additionally helps by disinfecting the stomach and the walls of the esophagus. It is important that the resulting mixture is light, that is, the main thing when preparing this solution is not to overdo it with the amount of potassium permanganate.
- For adults - a tablespoon for a couple of liters of warm water.
- The child has a dessert spoon or one and a half teaspoons for two liters, but at a time the baby will drink only a liter to induce vomiting.
The point in using baking soda is that it flushes mucous membrane already containing toxins from the walls of the esophagus and stomach. But, quite a few people do not tolerate soda, and if its amount in the solution is exaggerated, there is a risk of provoking the manifestation of gastritis.
Treatment
After the stomach is flushed, it is necessary to start treatment. The main treatment for food poisoning at home is the intake of sorbents.
The most famous, affordable and demanded of them is, of course, activated carbon. The composition of this unique and very ancient medicine is of completely natural origin:
- coke products;
- recycled wood;
- shells of walnuts, hazelnuts, coconuts and other nuts.
This sorbent can be given to pregnant women, women who are breastfeeding (breastfeeding), can be given to a child. But, as with any medicine, it is important to correctly calculate the dosage.
This drug is dosed in an elementary way - 1 tablet for every 10 kg of human weight, pregnant and lactating 1.5 coal washers per 10 kg.
How to treat coal poisoning is also no big deal:
- Calculate the required number of tablets, taking into account the weight and general condition of the sick person.
- Mash the charcoal, dilute the resulting powder in half a glass of warm water, a larger volume of water will provoke nausea.
- Drinking the medicine 4-6 times a day for three days, and later - depending on the patient's well-being, the longest time for the removal of toxic substances and normalization of digestion is one week.
It is not necessary to crush the tablets, but given the esophagus weakened by vomiting and difficulties in the swallowing reflex, it will be easier for the sick person to take the solution than hard washers.
Situational tasks arising in any illness sometimes require a quick solution, even if it is an eating disorder. For a quick, safe and non-bed rest solution to the problem, you can take a sorbent alternative to the usual coal - white coal.
Its dosage is for an adult from 2 to 5 tablets at a time 2-3 times a day, when taken, you need to focus on the severity of the condition.
Here's what else to take when treating at home is necessary for a faster recovery:
- lactofiltrum;
- smecta;
- enterosgel.
These drugs also have a sorbing effect, and their intake must be carried out in accordance with the instructions attached to the drugs. However, whichever drugs are chosen, you should always read the paragraphs in the annotations describing how the drugs are combined with each other.
After the first necessary aid has been provided, treatment has been determined and started, a number of other questions arise:
- When and what you can eat after poisoning.
- After how many hours the effect of the treatment appears.
- What else needs to be done to help the poisoned organism.
The answer to these questions is also simple.
As a rule, on the first day, the patient does not want and cannot eat. To maintain the body, it will be very useful to drink vegetable or cereal broths, without spices, slightly salted.
As soon as such a symptom as vomiting goes away, you need to start eating - liquid mashed potatoes, the same gruel from other vegetables, liquid porridge on water - rice or buckwheat. Food should be lean, free from oil and flavorings, easy to swallow and assimilate.
Experts do not have a consensus on how to eat on the first day after poisoning and at the beginning of the second day, but agree on the prohibitions:
- Nothing extreme is allowed - pickles or pickles will lead to severe cramps.
- All dairy food is banned - it will return diarrhea and nausea.
Gradually, as you feel better, the food should become more familiar. Usually, by the end of the week, nutrition after poisoning is no longer relevant.
What can you eat after poisoning and what is better to drink:
- Teas without sugar.
- Cereal and vegetable broths without oil and spices.
- Liquid vegetable purees and cereals.
- Decoctions of chamomile, rose hips or St. John's wort.
- Still mineral water.
- Crackers or cookies without butter, sugar, additives - better homemade.
- Blueberry or cherry kissel, preferably unsweetened.
- By the end of the third day, boiled chicken and chicken broth.
It is impossible in the first 3-4 days:
- Dairy.
- Meat.
- Eggs.
- Salted and pickled.
- Apples and other fruits.
An obligatory moment in the patient's diet is drinking, because the intoxication process leads to severe dehydration. It is very good to drink often in small quantities a decoction of rosehip berries - this is a product that helps to recover and has an independent healing effect.
Preventive measures
Prevention of food poisoning and intestinal infections becomes relevant for any person who has at least once experienced very unpleasant moments of food or drink poisoning.
The actions to be taken on a subconscious level and made a habit are simple:
- Wash hands - before eating and preparing food, while cooking, when changing products, after returning from the street or using the toilet.
- In hot seasons, it is better to use disposable paper towels in the kitchen, or change fabrics daily.
- Carefully familiarize yourself with the shelf life and storage conditions of all purchased products, for example, a lot of ketchup goes bad without a refrigerator.
- It is good to work out meat, poultry, fish and eggs - a steak with blood, of course, is beautiful, but it can be put to bed with a diagnosis, after which a completely non-romantic pastime follows.
- Do not forget to change the washing sponges without waiting for their wear and tear, but it is better to wash the dishes with brushes, which are then rinsed from food debris.
- Provide and make a habit of hygiene and sanitation not only in the kitchen, but in general in everyday life and behavior.
- Do not eat in questionable establishments or on the go, with dirty hands.
- Do not drink juices, the packaging of which is swollen.
Food poisoning and its prevention are today a hot topic for doctors, teachers in schools, educators and nannies in kindergartens and just in many families. However, it is important not only to know the preventive measures, but also to follow them in order to avoid unpleasant consequences.
Video: food poisoning.
Food infections
However, just like poisoning, symptoms of any of the following diseases may appear:
- Dysentery.
- Salmonellosis.
- Botulism.
- Ortoviruses.
- Intestinal flu.
- Enteroviruses.
- Rotaviruses.
- Typhoid fever.
These diseases require hospitalization, but their first manifestations are disguised as simple poisoning with spoiled food. You need to start worrying and call doctors when:
- vomiting that does not pass with all measures taken for more than three hours;
- diarrhea with blood;
- diarrhea lasting more than six hours;
- raising the temperature to 38 and not straying below 37 during the day;
- persistent severe pain in the intestines;
- progressive weakness and fainting.
Also, doctors should always be immediately called to babies under five years old, pregnant women and very elderly people.
Although food poisoning can be successfully treated at home, it is always best to play it safe and avoid it by following the simplest of sanitation practices and exercising normal care.
Content
Sharp pains in the abdomen, severe bouts of nausea or vomiting, loose stools - occurring after eating, these symptoms often indicate the poor quality of the food consumed, the ingestion of toxic ingredients in the dish or violation of sanitary standards during cooking. Every person has encountered such a situation at least once, and few people understand how to get out of it. How to act immediately after an attack and do folk remedies help with poisoning or are more serious medications needed?
What is poisoning
Food toxicoinfection or food intoxication (depending on the etiology) - this is what the official medicine calls poisoning that occurs as a result of eating food. The disease mainly proceeds in an acute form, arises against the background of eating food covered with pathogens and toxins secreted by them. Food poisoning is divided into:
- Microbial - caused by E. coli or botulinum, enterococci, staphylococci. These include toxicoinfections, mycotoxicosis and bacteriotoxicosis.
- Non-microbial - poisoning with plant and animal products, initially dangerous due to toxicity or accumulated toxins for certain reasons.
- Due to impurities of chemicals - arising from the use of products containing excess pesticides, nitrates, salts of heavy metals.
The clinical manifestations of food poisoning are in the nature of gastroenteritis, but in some cases the symptoms are absent or observed for only a few hours. This picture is characteristic of botulism, lead poisoning. With classical intoxication of a non-microbial nature, the onset of the disease is always sudden, and the course is short, accompanied by the following symptoms:
- malaise, weakness;
- sharp abdominal pain;
- diarrhea, frequent urge to defecate;
- gas formation, bloating;
- nausea, vomiting.
An important point is the ability of a person to distinguish food intoxication from intestinal infection, in which a general treatment regimen should be drawn up in a completely different way. An intestinal infection enters the body by airborne droplets or by contact (not through food), its incubation period is longer (from a day to a month) and it is characterized by a high temperature that lasts for several days, frequent diarrhea and dehydration.
What to do in case of poisoning
If the problem arose due to the ingress of chemicals or poisonous products into the digestive tract, it is pointless to find out what they drink in case of poisoning: immediate hospitalization of the patient is required. In the case when food spoiled or contaminated with microbes is to blame, you can cope with intoxication on your own. First aid for food poisoning, preceding the main therapy, looks like this:
- To provoke vomiting as early as possible - this will prevent toxins from entering the bloodstream, and will speed up the healing process.
- Carry out a gastric lavage: after drinking 0.5-1 liters of water (almost in one gulp) to stimulate a new attack of vomiting.
- Give an enema if more than 2 hours have passed since the consumption of potentially culpable food. Alternative: take a laxative, but only if there is no stool or constipation, since such a drug strikes the intestines.
- Prevent dehydration - drink slowly and in small sips, a single volume of liquid does not exceed half a glass.
- Neutralize toxins - use sorbing drugs. Antidiarrheals are not used at this stage, since this will block the natural cleansing of the body.
Subsequent treatment involves compulsory adherence to a diet, and the first few hours after the attack, the poisoned person is prescribed complete hunger (it is only allowed to drink in order to quickly remove toxins and prevent dehydration). For a full day, the hungry regime is not stretched, since this slows down the process of restoring the mucous membrane of the gastrointestinal tract. Treatment of poisoning in children and adults requires:
- Limit the amount of food entering the body, but ensure that you drink plenty of fluids. Doctors recommend that the patient drink every 10 minutes after an attack, especially a child. On the next day, the intervals can be increased to half an hour.
- Be sure to drink rehydrants - solutions that restore the water-salt balance.
- In the diet of the first days, use only cereals in water, puree soups, boiled crushed potatoes (do not use dairy products). For 3-4 days, you can add biscuits, crackers, lean meat, baked apples.
If a poisoned person faints, there are blood impurities in the stool or vomit, a rash appears on the skin, or the skin and eye sclera turn yellow, you cannot do home self-medication. It is required to call an ambulance and provide the victim with first aid, except for clean water, do not give anything to drink. A similar situation occurs with food intoxication of all family members.
What drink
Liquids are required by a poisoned body as a means of cleansing, maintaining water balance, and even muffling hunger for the first few hours while food is prohibited. The patient should definitely drink clean water in small sips, but at room temperature or warm, and with it:
- soda and salt solutions;
- herbal teas;
- oat and rice water.
Saline solution
During an attack of vomiting, a person loses 1.5 liters of water, so dehydration occurs quickly, especially if the vomiting is frequent and intense. It is important to drink clean water, but it is even more important to take solutions that retain fluid and replenish its loss. The simplest is saline, but it requires you to follow some rules:
- salt is contraindicated in gastric ulcer and gastrointestinal bleeding;
- after an attack of vomiting, it is required to rinse the mouth to remove vomit before drinking saline;
- the recommended volume of solution for the patient in the acute period is 5 ml / kg;
- after a decrease in the intensity of the urge to defecate and vomiting, the poisoned person is given 200 ml of solution after each attack of diarrhea, and children - 50 ml.
You can drink saline solution for 2 purposes: to induce vomiting to cleanse the stomach at an early stage of intoxication, or to prevent dehydration. The classic remedy is prepared simply: diluted with 2 tsp. salt in a glass of hot boiled water for adults and 1 tsp. - for children aged 3-12 years. Keep in mind that they drink the solution warm (to induce vomiting, cool to 30 degrees), otherwise you will provoke a gastric spasm. An alternative option for dehydration is 1 tbsp. l. sugar, 1 tsp. salt and 0.5 tsp. soda per 1 liter of water. Drink in small sips, the interval between them is 10 minutes.
Soda for poisoning
In order to normalize the condition in case of food intoxication, it is worth drinking not only saline solution - soda also cleans well, prevents vomiting attacks, helps to get rid of heartburn, since it can reduce the acidity of gastric juice. Such a solution is not prepared when:
- peptic ulcer;
- bleeding of the gastrointestinal tract;
- acid poisoning.
Unlike saline, soda is not the safest and requires caution. It is prescribed for severe diarrhea, heartburn, vomiting, fever, but it is drunk in small quantities. The concentration is always made low: 1 tsp. for 1 liter of warm boiled water. May be supplemented with the same amount of salt. Drink at intervals of 5-10 minutes. 1 tbsp. l. until the disturbing symptoms pass.
What tea to drink
In order to prevent dehydration, gastroenterologists advise a poisoned person to drink strong sweet black tea, but only after eliminating the main symptoms of the problem: diarrhea and vomiting. A slice of fresh lemon or a slice of ginger will help remove any remaining nausea. Green tea can also be drunk, but it does not provide such a fixing effect. A few more options for healthy tea:
- based on chamomile flowers - to improve the condition of the gastrointestinal tract;
- with mint leaves - to eliminate nausea;
- with salt - to normalize the water and electrolyte balance.
Medicines
A medicinal effect on an organism that has undergone poisoning is not required in all situations: mild food intoxication implies only the intake of sorbents in order to quickly get rid of the remnants of harmful substances. If the patient's condition is severe, stronger symptomatic medications may be needed, but it is advisable to select them with a doctor. Gastroenterologists use the following groups of drugs:
- Adsorbents (Enterosgel, Atoxil) - bind and remove toxins, are used to treat children and adults, but are not prescribed at temperatures. They must be carried in time with the rest of the medicines (by 1-2 hours).
- Rehydrants (Rehydron, Acesol) - restore the water-electrolyte balance, are used for any poisoning. The introduction is oral or infusion, depending on the condition of the patient.
- Painkillers (Drotaverin, Duspatalin) are antispasmodics that are drunk only with severe acute pain accompanying bouts of diarrhea.
- Antiemetics (Metoclopramide, Cerucal) - doctors call vomiting a natural defense reaction of the body, which helps to get rid of toxins, but with too intense attacks it can be blocked with drugs.
- Antidiarrheal (Kaopektat, Loperamide) - used only for frequent bouts of diarrhea, causing severe dehydration.
- Antipyretics (Ibuprofen, Paracetamol) are rarely used, mainly in young children and only when the patient knows that the temperature is not caused by an intestinal infection.
- Probiotics (Linex, Bionorm) are used at the final stages of treatment in order to restore the microflora of the gastrointestinal tract.
From poisoning and vomiting
The pharmacological group of antiemetics includes several types of drugs that affect nervous regulation. Mostly they block dopamine, serotonin, histamine receptors, reducing the excitability of the vomiting center, or they work as local anesthetics. Cerucal is considered a popular and effective antiemetic drug for poisoning: it works on metoclopramide (10.54 mg per tablet and 5.27 mg in 1 ml of solution), is used orally or intravenously. Key points:
- Pharmacological action: central blocker of dopamine (D2) receptors and serotonin, causes inhibition of the trigger zone of the vomiting center.
- Indications: hiccups, nausea, vomiting of any genesis, gastroesophageal reflux disease, stomach atony, gastric dyskinesia, stomach ulcer.
- Dosage: 1 tablet for adults before meals for half an hour, washed down with warm water, with a frequency of up to 4 times / day (with frequent bouts of vomiting). Children over 14 years old no more than 3 tablets per day. Intravenous solution is slowly injected up to 3 times / day, 10 ml at a time.
- Contraindications: bleeding in the gastrointestinal tract, intestinal obstruction, extrapyramidal disorders, age up to 2 years.
- Side effects: urticaria, stool disturbances, dry mouth, tachycardia, fluid retention, drowsiness (with frequent use).
An important advantage of Cerucal and other drugs on metoclopramide (Metamol, Metoclopramide, Raglan) is a quick effect on nausea and vomiting of any etiology, excluding vestibular - after half an hour, the state is normalized. Less commonly, doctors prescribe Sturgeon, which works on ondansetron, as an antiemetic drug. Unlike metoclopramide, this substance does not cause an increase in prolactin levels, but its mechanism of action on vomiting is not fully understood. Instructions for use:
- Indications: nausea and vomiting of postoperative genesis or caused by taking cystostatics, radiation therapy.
- Dosage: the daily dose is 8-32 mg for adults, it is advisable to take no more than 8 mg at a time.
- Contraindications: pregnancy, age up to 2 years (tablets) and up to 12 years (high dosages), lactation.
- Side effects: headache, arrhythmia, constipation.
Medicines for poisoning and diarrhea
In order to relieve diarrhea, the attacks of which occur more often than 2-3 times / day, you can use decoctions of astringent herbs or drugs with antidiarrheal properties, which are based on loperamide, attapulgite, racecadotril, smectite. Some of them are additionally sorbents. Mainly in case of poisoning, gastroenterologists advise taking medicines for attapulgite, which include Neointestopan (630 mg per 1 tablet):
Kaopektat is similar in pharmacological action to Neointestopan, since it is also on attapulgite, but 1 tablet contains 750 mg of the active substance, which makes this drug more effective (in terms of speed of action). Unlike Neointestopan, Kaopektat is also produced in the form of a suspension, where the same concentration of the active ingredient (750 mg) is achieved when taking 15 ml. The indications and contraindications are identical to those described above, you only need to pay attention to the dosage:
- Adults: 2 tbsp. l. suspensions or 2 tablets up to 6 times / day, after each bowel movement.
- Children 6-12 years old: 1 tbsp. l. suspensions or 1 tablet up to 6 times / day.
- Children under 6 years old: no more than 1 tsp. suspensions up to 6 times / day.
Pain reliever
If the acute stage of intoxication is accompanied by a severe pain syndrome that causes anguish during the urge to defecate and between them, doctors allow taking antispasmodic drugs. The most famous remedy of this type is No-shpa (analogues are Drotaverin, Spazmol). Works on drotaverine, is a myotropic antispasmodic, relaxes the intestinal muscles, it is allowed for intolerance to M-anticholinergics. Features of use:
- Indications: spasms of smooth muscles of the gastrointestinal tract and urinary tract.
- Dosage: 1-2 tablets no more than 3 times / day.
- Contraindications: hypotension, lactation, pregnancy, renal, heart and liver failure.
- Side effects: lowering blood pressure, dizziness, arrhythmia, skin reactions.
Less known are antispasmodics on mebeverin (Duspatalin, Sparex), prescribed only for abdominal pain. They also have a myotropic effect, but do not cause a drop in blood pressure, do not affect normal intestinal peristalsis. In addition to them, the anticholinergic Platyphyllin, used for spasms of smooth muscles of the abdominal cavity organs and vascular spasms, or the combined agent Spazmalgon (in the composition of sodium metamizole, pitofenone hydrochloride and fenpiverinium bromide) can be used as analgesic tablets for poisoning:
- Pharmacological action: analgesic, antispasmodic.
- Indications: gastroenteritis, colitis, unspecified abdominal pain.
- Dosage: up to 6 tablets per day, 1-2 at a time. After meals with water.
- Contraindications: diseases of the heart, liver, kidneys, pregnancy, lactation, age up to 6 years.
- Side effects: headache, tachycardia, urticaria.
Sorbents
The most important part of the treatment of poisoning is the intake of adsorbent drugs that help remove toxins from the body, but they are drunk only in the absence of intense vomiting. Other medications can be taken no earlier than 2 hours later, otherwise, in addition to toxins, useful substances will be captured. The safest and most affordable adsorbent is white or black activated carbon (and preparations based on it: Carbactin, Sorbeks), but more often gastroenterologists advise Polysorb MP, on silicon dioxide:
- Pharmacological action: sorption and detoxification, binding and elimination of exogenous and endogenous toxins, pathogenic bacteria, food allergens, heavy metal salts.
- Dosage: calculated individually, 0.1-0.2 g of powder per kg of weight with a frequency of up to 4 times / day, prepare the suspension exactly before taking it. They drink the medicine 1 hour before meals.
- Contraindications: exacerbation of peptic ulcer disease, intestinal atony, bleeding in the gastrointestinal tract.
- Side effects: allergic reactions.
The disadvantage of Polysorb is the powder format, which requires dilution (the required amount is dissolved in 50-100 ml of water). Similar actions must be performed with the drugs Smecta and Neosmectin, working on smectite and, in addition to adsorption, performing an antidiarrheal function. Paste Enterosgel (based on polymethylsiloxane polyhydrate) is more convenient from the point of view of use:
- Pharmacological action: sorbs and removes medium-molecular toxins, has a detoxifying effect.
- Indications: acute and chronic intoxication of any etiology, intestinal infections, poisoning with poisonous substances.
- Dosage: 22.5 g (1.5 tbsp. L.) With a frequency of 3 times / day. The daily dose is 67.5 g. Drink by stirring in warm water.
- Contraindications: intestinal atony.
- Side effects: nausea, constipation.
Poisoning medicine for children
Pediatricians advise using only sorbents that help to remove toxins to normalize the child's condition. It is advisable to drink antispasmodics, antiemetic and other symptomatic medications only when urgently needed and after consulting a doctor, since such drugs often have a long list of contraindications and negative aspects (in relation to health). The above-mentioned Enterosgel is one of the safest and most effective sorbents; in children it is used as follows:
- infants should drink the drug diluted in breast milk or water (0.5 tsp for 1.5 tsp of liquid) before each feeding up to 6 times / day;
- children under 5 years old are given 0.5 tbsp. l. Enterosgel (stir in 1.5 tsp of water) up to 3 times / day;
- a child aged 5 to 14 years old can drink 1 tbsp. l. (dilute with 3 tbsp. l. water) also 3 times / day;
- adolescents over the age of 14 take the adult dose.
Sorbents based on activated carbon are considered more budgets: Karbaktin, Microsorb. Among the indications for their use are acute and chronic intoxication of any etiology, intestinal infections, poisoning with poisonous substances. These drugs are safe, contraindicated only for gastric or intestinal bleeding, of the side effects only cause constipation. Presented in different dosage forms: capsules, tablets, granules for suspension preparation. Application principle:
- Carbactin: no more than 4 g at a time, diluting the powder with water (100-150 ml). Drink 1.5-2 hours before other medicines or food. The frequency of admission is 3 times / day.
- Microsorb: in case of acute poisoning, the stomach is washed with an aqueous suspension (a 20% solution is prepared), then a solution is prepared based on the calculation of 100 mg / kg. The powder is diluted with water (100 ml). Drink before meals for 2 hours, 3-4 times / day.
Folk remedies
Treatment for poisoning can be based only on recipes of alternative medicine, if the patient's condition is not severe. The goals of therapy do not change - to remove toxins, normalize the gastrointestinal tract, restore microflora, prevent dehydration and remove unpleasant symptoms. Help with this:
- decoctions of seeds of dill, parsley, cumin;
- infusions of wormwood, yarrow;
- lemon juice;
- tea with mint, ginger.
Infusion of cinnamon
Among food products that have sorbent properties, doctors isolate cinnamon - it binds well and removes toxins without harming the inflamed mucous membrane of the stomach and intestines. To prepare the infusion, mix 200 ml of hot water and 0.5 tsp. ground cinnamon powder. After 10-15 minutes. strain it through cheesecloth, drink in small sips while warm.
Ginger tea
For permanent nausea, mint or ginger tea works well. The latter is prepared simply: grind fresh ginger root, pour a teaspoon of the resulting mass with a glass of hot water (70-80 degrees). Insist the mixture for no longer than 5 minutes, then strain, add honey or do without additives at all, and drink slowly in small sips.
Lemon juice
With a low acidity of the stomach, lemon juice helps to stop the multiplication of pathogenic bacteria, which is taken the next day after an attack of intoxication. It is squeezed out of 3 fresh lemons, diluted 5: 1 with cool water, drunk in one gulp. If desired (if very sour), you can add a teaspoon of honey or sugar to it. Reception of such a drug is carried out up to 2 times / day.
Prevention
Inspection of food for the degree of freshness, appearance, color, taste and smell is the main way to protect against food intoxication. Observe the norms and terms of storage, especially for meat, fish, seafood, milk, be careful about the dates of manufacture on factory products, the integrity of the packaging. Additionally, observe the following rules:
- Remember about hygiene: make it a habit to wash your hands after going outside, using the toilet, before eating, and teach your children to do this.
- Heat all animal products, and at least boil over plant foods.
- Use different cutting boards for meat, fish, vegetables (fruits).
- Do not store ready meals even in the refrigerator for more than 3 days.
Video
Attention! The information presented in the article is for informational purposes only. The materials of the article do not call for self-treatment. Only a qualified doctor can diagnose and give recommendations for treatment, based on the individual characteristics of a particular patient.
Found a mistake in the text? Select it, press Ctrl + Enter and we'll fix it!Discuss
What do they drink in case of poisoning - medicines, teas, decoctions and infusions with recipes
