You had a nice dinner out, but a few hours later you are curled up in a ball suffering from abdominal cramps. You may also feel nauseous and have diarrhea, fever, chills, and a headache, all of which can lead to dehydration and exhaustion. Food poisoning is usually caused by eating organisms or toxins in contaminated food, often including common bacteria such as staphylococcus or E. Coli. Here’s how to feel better fast!
REMEDIES THAT GIVE RELIEF
Take ume concentrate or umeboshi plum paste. Made of a pickled fruit (Prunus mume) it’s both alkalinizing and antimicrobial. Find it in Asian markets or health food stores. Stir about 1/8 teaspoon of the concentrate or one teaspoon (5 g) of the paste into a cup (235 ml) of warm water up to three times daily.
Thrifty Cures!
To ease nausea, slowly sip peppermint or ginger tea, which is rich in carminative essential oils. This soothes the tummy and eases gas. You can also drink 2 teaspoons (10 ml) each of apple cider vinegar (13 ml) and honey in a warm water.
The acupressure point for nausea is the fleshy area between the thumb and forefinger. Hold firmly for several minutes. You can also rub the tendons on the tops of your feet between the second and third toes.
Skip This!
Eat small, easy to digest meals. Don’t eat oily and sweet foods. Avoid being around smoke and don’t drink alcohol.
You can also take 2 charcoal capsules. Charcoal absorbs toxins, thus preventing your body from absorbing them.
Homeopathic Nux vomica helps digestive distress caused by overindulgence. If the food poisoning results in both vomiting and diarrhea, give homeopathic Arsenicum album every 2 hours, up to 3 doses.
REMEDIES THAT SPEED RECOVERY
Taking the herb echinacea (1 capsule two times daily) and vitamin C (500 mg daily) for a few days while you recover can protect you from pathogens by activating the immune system to destroy invaders. Echinacea also increases levels of properdin, which helps your body resist infection. A study in the medical journal, Alternative Medicine Review showed that echinacea raised properdin levels by 21 percent.
Thrifty Cure!
Taping a copper penny to one’s navel is a folk remedy for motion sickness.
Traveling at night will minimize motion sickness. Acupressure wristbands can also be helpful.
Garlic, which has anti-bacterial properties, can help kill pathogens acquired from eating tainted food and can prevent their proliferation too. It is used to treat and prevent infections in the digestive tract. It is best raw but can be taken in capsule or tablet form too. You can even blend a few cloves with a tablespoon (20 g) of honey. One dose should do the trick in most cases.
Acidophilus, a probiotic, can help recolonize the digestive tract with healthy bacteria. Take one probiotic capsule three times daily before meals so it doesn’t compete with the food in the digestive system (or get killed off by heat, such as from soup).
Keeping hydrated is important. Drink whenever you feel thirsty.
BEST FOODS FOR FOOD POISONING
Chances are you won’t feel like eating much when you have food poisoning, as your body might need a rest, but when you do, eat only small amounts at a time. Focus on easy to digest, soothing foods such as miso soup broth, applesauce, baked sweet potatoes, winter squash, or yogurt. Do your best to remember what food caused the food poisoning and remove its availability to others. It is wise to notify any restaurant involved.
GOOD TO KNOW!
Sometimes throwing up gets rid of what was bothering you and you feel better. But to ease a severe case of vomiting, warm half a cup (120 ml) of apple cider vinegar, soak a cloth in it, wring it out, and apply it to the bare stomach. Applying a hot water bottle over it makes this even more effective.
BEST PRACTICES TO AVOID FOOD POISONING
To prevent food poisoning, use clean cutting boards. Wood is the best choice as it is actually the least hospitable to bacteria.
Keep meat products refrigerated and once cooked, do not allow them to come to room temperature again. Avoid eating meat that still has pink in it and cook fish long enough so that it flakes (10 minutes per inch).
Reheating deli food makes it safer to eat in case it sat out longer than it should. Keep in mind that microwaving food can cause food to heat unevenly. Avoid cans that bulge at either or both ends and foods that smell and taste off. When home canning foods, make sure they are boiled at least 10 minutes. And when in doubt, throw it out!
Thrifty Cure!
Chances are you have apple cider vinegar and honey in your pantry. If you do, just mix a tablespoon (15 ml of vinegar and 20 g of honey) each in warm water and sip it. This effective cure can help deter the replication of unfriendly micro-organisms as well as replenish the body with depleted minerals.
This Food Poisoning Remedies article is taken from :
The Country Almanac of Home Remedies - Brigitte Mars
