All About Flu Shots
The Concise Guide to Flu Shots and Vaccinations
The Flu is the more common term for “Influenza”, an infectious disease that can require hospitalization and sometimes leads to death. The flu strikes differently each year and is experienced differently by different people. Sometimes the flu is over and done with plenty of liquids and bed rest. But each year, of the millions of people who catch the flu hundreds of thousands need medical care and tens of thousands more died from the flu and related conditions.
The flu is characterized as being highly infectious and even healthy people can act as carriers. Infection is most prevalent after October and before May each year, a period of time affectionately known as “Flu Season”.
An annual flu vaccines has been found 1stchoicemed.com/flu-shots to be the best preventative measure for controlling and limiting the spread of influenza during flu season. The more people that are vaccinated the less contagion can be present within a community.
How do flu vaccines work?
The flu vaccine allows the body to develop special antibodies within two weeks of the vaccination. These antibodies will provide a targeted defense against the flu virus should it arrive in the body.
Qualified researchers will produce a list of three or possibly four of the most likely viruses to strike during the next flu season. The traditional flu vaccine, also called the “trivalent” vaccine, contains a trifecta of these three common flu viruses, influenza A virus “H1N1”, influenza A virus “H3N2” and an influenza B virus.
Today there are also “quadrivalent” vaccines and as their name implies these flu vaccines protect against the four most common viruses. The quadrivalent vaccine protects against the same three viruses as the trivalent and an additional influenza B virus.
What kinds of flu vaccines are available?
The vaccine and application should be properly measured to the patient and their respective age group and other particulars. There are both quadrivalent (four-component) trivalent (three-component) flu vaccines available.
Trivalent flu vaccines include:
IIV3 (Standard Dose Trivalent Shots) — You will find the carefully cultured eggs of the flu virus in the standard-dose trivalent shots. The conventional trivalent flu vaccine is generally administered into the upper arm with needle.
Jet Injectors — One option for 18 to 65 community involves a specially formulated trivalent vaccine administered with a jet injector.
Recombinant Trivalent Shot — this option contains no manufactured eggs, this is the approved option for those over 65 and pregnant women.
Adjuvant and High Dose Trivalent Shots — other trivalent vaccines include an adjuvant which will increase the efficacy by enhancing the immune reaction in a patient’s body or an increased dosage These are the approved options for those older the age of 65.
Quadrivalent flu vaccines include:
Quadrivalent flu shots — these are the most conventional option and are approved for all ages even children as young as half a year.
Intradermal Quadrivalent Flu Shot — as opposed to being injected into the muscle of the arm, this shot only needs to be administered to the skin and uses a very small and painless needle. This is an approved option for the 18 to 65 age brackets. which is injected into the skin instead of the muscle and uses a much smaller needle than the regular flu shot.
Quadrivalent flu shot with viruses from cell culture — is an injected option that can be applied to children as young as four years old.
Who Should Be Vaccinated this Year?
According to the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), the Flu Vaccine is recommendable every year for children as young as 6 months old. Vaccinations are also especially important for those with a tendency for greater complications resulting from the flu.
When should I get vaccinated?
The flu vaccine takes about two weeks to reach maximum efficacy. After you have been vaccinated the body will begin to produce antibodies against the flu, these will reach maximum protection in two weeks. The CDC recommends receiving theses vaccines at the end of October by the very latest as the flu season is in full swing by then. However, it is still effective to receive the vaccine as late as January or February if you haven’t fallen sick yet.
Children need to begin the vaccination process earlier as they will need to receive two separate doses applied four weeks from each other.
Why Do Vaccinations Need to Be Applied Each Year?
You will need to have a vaccine applied each year for two important reasons. For one, the effects of the vaccination can wear off over time and a booster is needed to keep the defenses up. The second reason is that flu viruses change from year to year and the formulation of this flu vaccine is changed and updated for maximum protection.
So, for reasons of maximum protection, everyone should have flu vaccine every 6 months.
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All About Lab Tests
Lab tests are a sort of tool commonly used by medical professionals. They can be used to identify a disease or a potentially harmful medical condition. These tests are usually applied to blood or urine taken from the patient. However, they can be applied to tissues or other organic matter removed from the patient. It depends entirely on the nature of the test and what the doctor is attempting to diagnose.
The actual testing very rarely occurs in the hospital. Instead, the sample taken from the patient is sent to a partnering laboratory for testing. What is revealed during the testing will depend on the sample, the type of testing, and what is being tested for. The test could be used for various reasons, such as:
– Identify a particular disease or medical condition.
– Gauging how well the body is responding to a particular treatment.
– Monitor changes in a disease that has existed for a period of time.
– Determine if a patient can use a particular treatment.
– Test for a health condition prior to symptoms appearing.
When the tests are sent to the laboratory, the professionals there are provided with specific instructions. They know what tests to perform and what it is they are looking for. They are often looking to see if the provided sample includes some specific substance and how much of it. That substance can determine if a person is suffering from a disease or if their body is responding to treatment as it should.
Decades of collecting data and performing medical studies have provided doctors with something called normal ranges. Ideally, a lab test should return with a value that falls within this normal range. That value relates to the quantity of the substance that exists within the sample. This process doesn’t apply to 100 percent of lab tests, but it does for many of them.
The Coombs test is a great example of this process. Blood is the sample removed from the patient to be tested and the substances being tested for are specific antibodies. While antibodies are usually a good thing, there are some diseases that cause these antibodies to attack your own red blood cells.
The Coombs test looks for those antibodies by checking the sample for antibodies that are attached to red blood cells. There isn’t exactly a “normal range” for this test. Rather, the test results from a normal individual would reveal red blood cells without antibodies. If the test reveals blood cells with antibodies attached, then it is very likely the patient is suffering from a serious health condition.
The Coombs test is only one of the many different lab tests a doctor may administer. Here are just a few more.
Cholesterol Blood Testing
Cholesterol is directly related to numerous health conditions. A cholesterol blood test can help determine the amount of the different cholesterol types that exist in your bloodstream. This will help identify your risk for suffering from related health conditions, such as stroke or cardiovascular disease. The “normal range” for this test is usually between 180 to 200 mg/dL for total cholesterol. That range can sometimes vary according to certain factors. For example, patients with existing heart conditions will have a different range.
Blood is the sample provided by the patient for this test. The substances being tested for are all cholesterol types. Some tests also screen for triglycerides as well. Most tests will clearly identify the ratio of the different cholesterol types, such as LDL, HDL, and VLDL. However, there are some that only determine the amount of total cholesterol in the blood without identifying ratios.
The first test administered by the doctor is often a total cholesterol test. It’s recommended that everyone have this test once they’ve reached the age of 35. If the total cholesterol level does not fall within the normal range, then the doctor will recommend a more comprehensive test to identify the ratio of different types of cholesterol in the blood. Follow tests are recommended every few years as well.
Complete Blood Count Testing
A complete blood count(CBC) test is an extremely common procedure that can identify a number of potential health conditions. The CBC provides doctors with information regarding the different blood cells in the body and their quantities. It can be used to determine if there has been any increase or decrease in the amount of those blood cells over time. Some of the conditions that can be diagnosed with the help of a CBC include:
– Cancer
– Anemia
– Heart disease
– Autoimmune diseases
The https://www.1stchoicemed.com/lab-test test itself isn’t a definitive diagnosis, but rather it is used in conjunction with the information the doctor has available. The test simply reveals if the counts for certain blood types are too low or too high. If they are either of these, then the doctor may order additional tests to check for specific conditions.
A CBC may be recommended by your doctor during a regular checkup. It’s not reserved specifically for when you are experiencing symptoms. It can help identify diseases before symptoms appear, which helps doctors provide the best possible treatment. The test should reveal:
– Platelet counts
– Hemoglobin amounts
– Red blood cell count
– White blood cell count
– Hematocrit percentage
These numbers can provide doctors with a general snapshot of your health. That’s why they are one of the most commonly performed lab tests in the country. Everyone should have one performed and they should be repeated on a regular basis.
Preparing For Lab Tests
Most lab tests don’t require extensive preparation. For example, the tests above require only that you wear a short sleeve shirt and be prepared to give a small amount of blood. There are some tests that will require a period of fasting or some additional steps. The doctor will discuss these requirements with you if there are any.
After the sample is removed the doctor sends it to the lab, the test is performed, and the doctor shares the results with the patient. This can take as little as a few days or as long as a few weeks depending on the test type and the location of the lab.
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All About Pink Eye
Conjunctivitis or pink eye is an inflammation of the conjunctiva (a small membrane covering the white of the eyeball and the eyelids). The tiny blood vessels in this area become visible when they are inflamed. This causes the white part of the eye to look pink or reddish in color. The condition is usually caused by a virus, bacteria or an allergic reaction. Pink eye is irritating alright. But it rarely affects your vision. Since the condition is contagious, you need to see your family doctor for early diagnosis and treatments. The right treatment will help alleviate the discomfort associated with the condition. This article provides information on the causes, symptoms, and treatments of pink eye.
There are many causes for pink eye. Some of them include:
. Viruses
. Allergies
. Bacteria
. A foreign object in the eye
. A chemical coming into contact with the eye
. A blocked tear duct in newborn babies
Viral and bacterial conjunctivitis occur together with a cold, sore throat, or other respiratory infections. Avoid wearing unclean contact lenses or other people’s lenses. It can result in bacterial conjunctivitis. Both these conditions are contagious. It can spread when someone comes https://www.1stchoicemed.com into contact with the liquid that drains from the patient’s eye. Allergic conjunctivitis is caused by pollen or any other allergic substance. Intense itching, tearing, and inflammation of the eyes are symptoms of allergic conjunctivitis.
Irritations due to a chemical splash into the eyes or a foreign object can result in irritation conjunctivitis. A mucous discharge and watery eyes are the major symptoms of such a condition. This kind of conjunctivitis will usually clear up on its own within a day or two.
Symptoms Of Pink Eye
The most common symptoms of the condition include:
. Itchiness of one or both the eyes
. Redness in one or both the eyes
. A gritty feeling in the affects eye/s
. Tearing
. Discharge in one or both the eyes.
If you think your symptoms are matching those of a pink eye, you should schedule an appointment with your doctor. The condition is contagious for more than two weeks after the symptoms occur. That is why you need to see a doctor for early diagnosis and treatment. This will prevent the condition from spreading to your family and friends. If you wear contact lenses, you should stop wearing them as soon as the symptoms appear. If the symptoms don’t recede within 12-24 hours, you should make an appointment with your doctor.
Treatments For Pink Eye
The treatments for the condition focus on relieving its symptoms. Your doctor may ask to clean the eyelids with a wet cloth and apply a cold or warm compress several times a day. He or she may recommend that you use artificial tears. If you are affected by viral conjunctivitis, you won’t need antibiotics. If your doctor diagnoses that the condition is caused by herpes simplex virus, he or she may prescribe antiviral medications. Your doctor may prescribe an eyedrop if you are suffering from allergic conjunctivitis.
The aforementioned article provides information on pink eye and its treatments.
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All About Sprains
As you are already aware, if you have ever sprained a foot or hand, not every sprain is created equal. In general sprains are classified into three separate grades – or degrees – which will depend on how severe the sprain is. The three grades for sprains range from the first-grade sprain (least severe) up to a third-grade sprain (severest). The degree or grade of sprain will suggest how seriously torn the ligaments are due to an injury. Ligaments are flexible, strong fibers that adhere your bones together within a joint. Quite often they are incorrectly identified as tendons, but those are elastic tissues that hold muscle and bone together. By definition, a sprain, in an injury to to one or several ligaments.
Ligaments are elastic-like, tough bands that connect bones together and hold joints in place. When a ligament is injured due to the its fibers being torn that is a sprain. The ligament may be torn apart completely or it may have a partial tear. Knee and ankle sprains occur the most frequently out of all sprains. Sprained ligaments frequently are painful and swell rapidly. In general, the great the swelling and pain, the more serious the sprain is. For a majority of minor sprains, most likely you can get the initial injury treatment started on your own.
A sprain is a torn or stretched ligament. Ligaments are tissues connecting bones at a joint. Getting hit, twisting or falling all may cause a sprain. Wrist and ankle sprains are quite common. Symptoms include being unable to move a joint, bruising, swelling and pain. When the injury occurs you might feel a tear or pop. A strain is a torn or stretched tendon or muscle. Tendons are tissues connecting muscle with bone. Pulling or twisting those tissues may cause a strain. Strains may develop over time or happen suddenly. Hamstring and back muscle strains are very common. Many individuals get a strain while playing sports. Symptoms may include difficulty moving the muscle, swelling, muscle spasms and pain.
The purpose of muscles is allowing the body to move. There is muscle Symptoms of Sprains attached to a bone on both sides of a joint, either via a tendon or directly. When there is contraction of a muscle, the joint moves through its entire range of motion. That muscle you feel moving under your skin is actually comprised of numerous smaller muscle fiber bundles called fascicles. In turn, those are comprised of individual cross linked muscle fibers to enable them to slide back and forth inside of the fascicle. When they slide together it causes shortening of the muscle fibers and the muscle contracts in order to move the joint. Once the muscle relaxes, it results in the muscle fibers returning to their resting positions. When the fibers elongate, the joint might return to its earlier position.
Muscle transitioning to tendon occurs gradually as the muscle fibers begin to give way over to tendon fibers prior to bony attachments occurring. Each tendon has a different anatomy and depending on where they are located in the body, the portion of tendon might be very long or very short. A strain is a kind of damage that is caused by an overstretched tendon or muscle, which causes fibers to pull apart, and result in them losing their ability to contract adequately. How severe the injury is will depend on how much tissue has been damaged. The muscle fiber might be completely torn apart, partially torn or just stretched.
Overuse is the common cause of a tendon or muscle strain, which results in tissue fibers being weakened. Joints and muscles might be forced to do movements they are not designed or prepared to do, stretching and possibly damaging the surrounding tendon or muscle. An injury might from out of one stressful incident, or it might arise gradually after numerous repetitions of one motion. There are three areas where the damage might occur: the tendon itself, the muscle tendon intersection at the place where muscle fibers are transitioned to tendon fibers, and the muscle itself.
A sprain, which is also called a stretched or torn ligament, is damage to one or several ligaments within a joint, which is frequently caused by either trauma or a joint taken that is taken past its normal range of motion. How severe a sprain is will vary from minor injuries which will be resolved within a couple of days up to a major rupture of one to several ligaments that require a surgical fixation along with immobilization for a period of time. Sprains might occur within any joint with the wrist and ankle being the most common.
When muscles are fatigue it can result in sprains. Sprains are very common when you start to exercise suddenly after leading a sedentary lifestyle. Although there is a lack of scientific studies, it is frequently believed that a common cause for athletes experiencing sprains is not warming up enough. It is believed that warming up loosens the join, makes joints more flexible and increases blood flow.
A sprain occurs when the ligament that holds the joint together is overstretched. Sprains are a common kind of in joint injury. Every day there are thousands of people looking for a remedy for a new injury. Sprains have a tendency to be quite common in sports. You might overextend yourself while playing tennis. Or while you are running you may set one of your feet wrong. Among active people these types of injuries are common. When someone starts to suddenly exercise after leading a sedentary lifestyle for a prolonged length of time, then the ligaments might not have the ability to take the stretching will cause a strain. The principle causes for daily activities are losing your footing while walking or over exertion.
When we understand our joints it can help us with comprehending sprains. Any portion of your skeleton that allows movement is a joint. Ligaments allow this movement, which are connective tissues where different bones are bound together. They are designed to take a certain amount of stretching during daily activities. People get sprains when a ligament is extended too much. Instant warning signs of sprains are swelling and soreness inside of a damaged joint. When a ligament rips in an extreme case you might hear a slight noise. Using the injured limb will also be difficult. The main diagnostic methods that are used are to check for swelling an MRI if it is suspected that a ligament is torn, but only after the swelling has decreased, and an x-ray for ruling out the possibility of a bone fracture.
Immediately following a sprain, an injured individual show immediately let the joint rest. Wait for help to arrive where you are if that is possible. Trying to get medical help on your own can do more damage than it would to just rest. It is particularly important to be very careful with knee and ankle sprains. For reducing future swelling and for pain relief, apply an ice pack or bag of ice to the sprain. However, it is possible that ice can be overused. To allow for healing, be sure to let the joint warm. Another important treatment for sprains, both long-term as well as immediately is compression with some type of wrapping. When compression is used it is necessary to begin the compression starting at the far end of an affect limb and then pressure should be applied in the direction of your heart. Losing circulation may be just as damage as an actual sprain. Some swelling can also be stopped by elevating a damaged joint.
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All About Food Posioning
Every year, millions of people receive medical treatment for food poisoning. Millions more cases go unnoticed because they are not reported or diagnosed. Basic food poisoning symptoms include diarrhea, vomiting, and abdominal pain. While most people can weather minor food poisoning without permanent harm, it poses a greater risk to groups with risk factors that can make it serious or even fatal. High-risk groups include infants, pregnant women, the elderly, and chronic disease sufferers. Individuals with compromised immune systems are particularly vulnerable. Some very serious forms of food poisoning, like botulism, can be deadly to anyone.
Food poisoning ensues after a person eats something which has been contaminated by bacteria, viruses, or parasites. It is also a risk when people eat foods that have been improperly or incompletely prepared or handled incorrectly during the preparation process. Most people can expect to experience food poisoning more than once in the course of their lives. Symptoms to watch out for include diarrhea, vomiting, and cramps. You may experience general weakness or fatigue and possibly have a fever. Food poisoning symptoms generally last for 24 to 48 hours.
Food poisoning shares its symptoms with illnesses like 24-hour stomach viruses. Food poisoning often gets mistaken for other conditions because different people respond to food-borne bacteria and other contaminants in different ways. A perfectly enjoyable restaurant meal with your family might have no ill effects on you but leave a relative in agony.
Your immune system and its capacity to fight off infection play a large role in determining how serious food poisoning is to you. It’s not a condition to take lightly; even relatively mild cases could have serious health consequences. Fortunately, this common problem is relatively easy to avoid. A few common-sense steps will go a long way toward protecting you and your family from the dangers of food poisoning.
Even though America has one of the world’s safest food supplies, the nation still sees approximately 76 million cases of food poisoning every year. This is not hard to understand when you look at the prevalence of potential causes. It’s estimated, for example, that 60 percent (or more) of the raw poultry sold in the United States has some type of potentially-dangerous bacteria. Food poisoning is a distinct possibility for anyone who consumes contaminated foodstuffs. Health conditions, age, and other factors can increase or decrease one’s susceptibility to food poisoning. Pregnant women, the elderly, children, and people with immune deficiencies are the groups of highest concern.
Food poisoning is generally brief and non-life-threatening when the sufferer is in good health. The situation is entirely different for people suffering from pre-existing health issues or those in higher risk groups. This is why food poisoning causes roughly 5,000 deaths each year. Obeying a few simple rules in buying, preparing, and handling food will make it much easier to protect your family from food poisoning.
Food Poisoning: The Causes
Bacteria
Over two-thirds of food poisoning cases can be ascribed to the presence of unwanted bacteria. The most common problem germs are Salmonella, Bacillus Cereus, and Staphylococci Clostridia. Virtually all foods, regardless of how carefully they’re prepared, contain some bacteria. The question is just how many bacteria the human immune system can handle. Heavily-contaminated foods are more likely to overwhelm the body and cause a case of food poisoning. There is no hard and fast threshold beyond which food poisoning is food poisoning abdominal pain inevitable, and individuals in higher-risk groups may succumb to food poisoning eating the exact same food as healthier individuals who experience no symptoms.
Viruses
Viruses are the simplest creatures on Earth, consisting solely of genetic material in a protective shell. Viruses have to rely on living cells to provide the environment and raw materials they need to reproduce. This means they can’t multiply in food. Viruses are capable of surviving in food and infecting people or creatures that consume it. Though viruses cannot survive the high temperatures used in ordinary cooking, they can still cause food poisoning if you consume raw food or food that comes into contact with an infected individual after being cooked.
Chemicals
There are many chemical contaminants that can cause food poisoning symptoms, including pesticides, detergents, food additives, sterilizing compounds, packaging, and paraffin. These materials typically only cause food poisoning when they are mixed into food by carelessness food preparation at home or in a restaurant or through improper industrial procedures at a food packaging facility.
Poisonous Plants
Some plants can cause food poisoning symptoms if they are accidentally mixed in with foods (particularly vegetables) intended for human consumption. Examples include hemlock, black nightshade, rhubarb leaves, undercooked red kidney beats, and toadstools (frequently mistaken for edible mushrooms). Most plant toxins are unaffected by the cooking process.
Though it is extremely common, food poisoning is an extremely distressing problem at best. In adverse cases, it can even pose a life-threatening danger. After contracting a food-borne infection, individuals can be completely free of symptoms or experience a wide range of problems including (but not limited to) intestinal discomfort, bloody diarrhea, and severe dehydration.
The cause of food poisoning is eating food that has been contaminated with harmful organisms or compounds. Germs that can cause food poisoning include bacteria, viruses, parasites, and more. The most common problem foods are chicken, fish, raw meat, and eggs, but food poisoning has been linked to every sort of food imaginable. Food left outdoors, food exposed to open air, or food that has been stored too long all present increased odds of causing food poisoning. One common vector for food poisoning is when food is handled by individuals who don’t take adequate steps to clean their hands prior to preparing it.
Most cases of food poisoning are relatively mild, with symptoms resolving themselves in a few days at most. The recovery process is largely a matter of having patience and letting your body’s natural defenses clear away the contagion. Certain forms of food poisoning are more serious and may require professional medical attention.
Diarrhea is most often the first symptom of food poisoning you’ll notice. Nausea, vomiting, and stomach cramps are also common at the onset of the condition. In certain cases, you may experience a high fever or see blood in your stool. The severity of the symptoms you experience is largely dictated by the exact nature of the contamination in the food you’ve eaten and how healthy you are overall. Many of the symptoms of food poisoning – particularly diarrhea and vomiting – force your body to lose a great deal of fluid. This makes dehydration a serious problem to watch out for.
Food poisoning strikes mainly at your stomach and intestines, i.e. your gastrointestinal tract. Diarrhea is typically the first symptom to present itself, followed by vomiting, nausea, and cramps in the abdomen. Not every case of food poisoning causes all of these symptoms, and the ones you experience may be more or less severe. Additional symptoms that may accompany food poisoning include numbness, weakness, confusion, and tingling feelings in the extremities (hands, feet, and face).
The gastrointestinal symptoms attached to food poisoning are not exclusive to this condition, and you may contract them from organisms that did not enter your body via your food. Personal contact or water contamination may also cause food poisoning symptoms. Parasitic contamination (e.g. with the organism Giardia lamblia) is also spread in this fashion. Whether the organisms affecting you came from your food or from some other source, the symptoms and problems you experience tend to follow the same course.
The onset of symptoms typically occurs hours or days after the contaminating organism gets into your body. Most organisms do not begin to cause symptoms until they reach your intestines, attach themselves to the lining, and start to reproduce. Some organisms restrict themselves to living in the intestines, while others introduce toxins to your bloodstream or attack body tissues directly. The precise nature of the symptoms you experience and their severity will depend on just what sort of infection you are suffering from.
Similar symptoms (like vomiting, diarrhea, and stomach cramps) can be caused by a very wide range of different organisms. These diverse organisms tend to cause diarrhea and vomiting because these are integral parts of the body’s defense mechanism; it is attempting to purge itself of harmful substances.
Identifying the responsible organism in a case of food poisoning is usually difficult or impossible except in cases of major outbreaks.
Food Poisoning Risk Factors
Pregnancy
Youth
Old age
Immune-system-impairing diseases like diabetes
Eating meat, poultry, eggs, fish, or shellfish (clams, scallops, mussels, oysters, etc) raw or undercooked
Eating milk, milk products (e.g. soft cheeses), juices, sprouts and other foods which have not been pasteurized
Traveling to a developing nation
Consuming food that was handled, processed, or prepared in a careless fashion
When You Need To See A Doctor:
Dehydration: Symptoms of severe dehydration includes passing little or no urine, dry mouth, sunken eyes, fast heartbeat, feelings of dizziness or lightheadedness, and confusion.
You suspect botulism after consuming canned food. Symptoms include trouble swallowing or breathing, muscular weakness, and blurred or double vision.
You experience severe diarrhea for more than two days.
You experience frequent vomiting for more than one day.
You experience sudden, severe belly pain.
You suspect toxoplasmosis exposure during pregnancy.
Any symptoms persist after a full week of home treatment.
Contact your local Poison Control Center if you think you’ve eaten contaminated food. You’ll find a suitable number along with the other emergency contacts in your telephone book.
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All About Food Posioning
Every year, millions of people receive medical treatment for food poisoning. Millions more cases go unnoticed because they are not reported or diagnosed. Basic food poisoning symptoms include diarrhea, vomiting, and abdominal pain. While most people can weather minor food poisoning without permanent harm, it poses a greater risk to groups with risk factors that can make it serious or even fatal. High-risk groups include infants, pregnant women, the elderly, and chronic disease sufferers. Individuals with compromised immune systems are particularly vulnerable. Some very serious forms of food poisoning, like botulism, can be deadly to anyone.
Food poisoning ensues after a person eats something which has been contaminated by bacteria, viruses, or parasites. It is also a risk when people eat foods that have been improperly or incompletely prepared or handled incorrectly during the preparation process. Most people can expect to experience food poisoning more than once in the course of their lives. Symptoms to watch out for include diarrhea, vomiting, and cramps. You may experience general weakness or fatigue and possibly have a fever. Food poisoning symptoms generally last for 24 to 48 hours.
Food poisoning shares its symptoms with illnesses like 24-hour stomach viruses. Food poisoning often gets mistaken for other conditions because different people respond to food-borne bacteria and other contaminants in different ways. A perfectly enjoyable restaurant meal with your family might have no ill effects on you but leave a relative in agony.
Your immune system and its capacity to fight off infection play a large role in determining how serious food poisoning is to you. It’s not a condition to take lightly; even relatively mild cases could have serious health consequences. Fortunately, this common problem is relatively easy to avoid. A few common-sense steps will go a long way toward protecting you and your family from the dangers of food poisoning.
Even though America has one of the world’s safest food supplies, the nation still sees approximately 76 million cases of food poisoning every year. This is not hard to understand when you look at the prevalence of potential causes. It’s estimated, for example, that 60 percent (or more) of the raw poultry sold in the United States has some type of potentially-dangerous bacteria. Food poisoning is a distinct possibility for anyone who consumes contaminated foodstuffs. Health conditions, age, and other factors can increase or decrease one’s susceptibility to food poisoning. Pregnant women, the elderly, children, and people with immune deficiencies are the groups of highest concern.
Food poisoning is generally brief and non-life-threatening when the sufferer is in good health. The situation is entirely different for people suffering from pre-existing health issues or those in higher risk groups. This is why food poisoning causes roughly 5,000 deaths each year. Obeying a few simple rules in buying, preparing, and handling food will make it much easier to protect your family from food poisoning.
Food Poisoning: The Causes
Bacteria
Over two-thirds of food poisoning cases can be ascribed to the presence of unwanted bacteria. The most common problem germs are Salmonella, Bacillus Cereus, and Staphylococci Clostridia. Virtually all foods, regardless of how carefully they’re prepared, contain some bacteria. The question is just how many bacteria the human immune system can handle. Heavily-contaminated foods are more likely to overwhelm the body and cause a case of food poisoning. There is no hard and fast threshold beyond which food poisoning is inevitable, and individuals in higher-risk groups may succumb to food poisoning eating the exact same food as healthier individuals who experience no symptoms.
Viruses
Viruses are the simplest creatures on Earth, consisting solely of genetic material in a protective shell. Viruses have to rely on living cells to provide the environment and raw materials they need to reproduce. This means they can’t multiply in food. Viruses are capable of surviving in food and infecting people or creatures that consume it. Though viruses cannot survive the high temperatures used in ordinary cooking, they can still cause food poisoning if you consume raw food or food that comes into contact with an infected individual after being cooked.
Chemicals
There are many chemical contaminants that can cause food poisoning symptoms, including pesticides, detergents, food additives, sterilizing compounds, packaging, and paraffin. These materials typically only cause food poisoning when they are mixed into food by carelessness food preparation at home or in a restaurant or through improper industrial procedures at a food packaging facility.
Poisonous Plants
Some plants can cause food poisoning symptoms if they are accidentally mixed in with foods (particularly vegetables) intended for human consumption. Examples include hemlock, black nightshade, rhubarb leaves, undercooked red kidney beats, and toadstools (frequently mistaken for edible mushrooms). Most plant toxins are unaffected by the cooking process.
Though it is extremely common, food poisoning is an extremely distressing problem at best. In adverse cases, it can even pose a life-threatening danger. After contracting a food-borne infection, individuals can be completely free of symptoms or experience a wide range of problems including (but not limited to) intestinal discomfort, bloody diarrhea, and severe dehydration.
The cause of food poisoning is eating food that has been contaminated with harmful organisms or compounds. Germs that can cause food poisoning include bacteria, viruses, parasites, and more. The most common problem foods are chicken, fish, raw meat, and eggs, but food poisoning has been linked to every sort of food imaginable. Food left outdoors, food exposed to open air, or food that has been stored too long all present increased odds of causing food poisoning. One common vector for food poisoning is when food is handled by individuals who don’t take adequate steps to clean their hands prior to preparing it.
Most cases of food poisoning are relatively mild, with symptoms resolving themselves in a few days at most. The recovery process is largely a matter of having patience and letting your body’s natural defenses clear away the contagion. Certain forms of food poisoning are more serious and may require professional medical attention.
Diarrhea is most often the first symptom of food poisoning you’ll notice. Nausea, vomiting, and stomach cramps are also common at the onset of the condition. In certain cases, you may experience a food poisoning abdominal pain high fever or see blood in your stool. The severity of the symptoms you experience is largely dictated by the exact nature of the contamination in the food you’ve eaten and how healthy you are overall. Many of the symptoms of food poisoning – particularly diarrhea and vomiting – force your body to lose a great deal of fluid. This makes dehydration a serious problem to watch out for.
Food poisoning strikes mainly at your stomach and intestines, i.e. your gastrointestinal tract. Diarrhea is typically the first symptom to present itself, followed by vomiting, nausea, and cramps in the abdomen. Not every case of food poisoning causes all of these symptoms, and the ones you experience may be more or less severe. Additional symptoms that may accompany food poisoning include numbness, weakness, confusion, and tingling feelings in the extremities (hands, feet, and face).
The gastrointestinal symptoms attached to food poisoning are not exclusive to this condition, and you may contract them from organisms that did not enter your body via your food. Personal contact or water contamination may also cause food poisoning symptoms. Parasitic contamination (e.g. with the organism Giardia lamblia) is also spread in this fashion. Whether the organisms affecting you came from your food or from some other source, the symptoms and problems you experience tend to follow the same course.
The onset of symptoms typically occurs hours or days after the contaminating organism gets into your body. Most organisms do not begin to cause symptoms until they reach your intestines, attach themselves to the lining, and start to reproduce. Some organisms restrict themselves to living in the intestines, while others introduce toxins to your bloodstream or attack body tissues directly. The precise nature of the symptoms you experience and their severity will depend on just what sort of infection you are suffering from.
Similar symptoms (like vomiting, diarrhea, and stomach cramps) can be caused by a very wide range of different organisms. These diverse organisms tend to cause diarrhea and vomiting because these are integral parts of the body’s defense mechanism; it is attempting to purge itself of harmful substances.
Identifying the responsible organism in a case of food poisoning is usually difficult or impossible except in cases of major outbreaks.
Food Poisoning Risk Factors
Pregnancy
Youth
Old age
Immune-system-impairing diseases like diabetes
Eating meat, poultry, eggs, fish, or shellfish (clams, scallops, mussels, oysters, etc) raw or undercooked
Eating milk, milk products (e.g. soft cheeses), juices, sprouts and other foods which have not been pasteurized
Traveling to a developing nation
Consuming food that was handled, processed, or prepared in a careless fashion
When You Need To See A Doctor:
Dehydration: Symptoms of severe dehydration includes passing little or no urine, dry mouth, sunken eyes, fast heartbeat, feelings of dizziness or lightheadedness, and confusion.
You suspect botulism after consuming canned food. Symptoms include trouble swallowing or breathing, muscular weakness, and blurred or double vision.
You experience severe diarrhea for more than two days.
You experience frequent vomiting for more than one day.
You experience sudden, severe belly pain.
You suspect toxoplasmosis exposure during pregnancy.
Any symptoms persist after a full week of home treatment.
Contact your local Poison Control Center if you think you’ve eaten contaminated food. You’ll find a suitable number along with the other emergency contacts in your telephone book.
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