The first signs of poisoning: what to do. The reasons that most often provoke this disease. What types are there

The body's reaction to these microorganisms is different for all people - in some people poisoning actually occurs, in others there is no reaction.

The biggest danger of food poisoning is death, which most often occurs after poisoning with mushrooms or missing fish.

There are several types of food poisoning:

— foodborne diseases– provoke missing products (with expired expiration dates), as well as products that were improperly stored or prepared in violation of sanitary standards;

— toxic poisoning (non-infectious)– caused by the ingestion of natural or chemical toxins into the body along with food (poison of inedible mushrooms and plants, as well as chemicals).

If you suspect toxic poisoning caused by poisonous mushrooms, berries or chemicals that have entered the body along with food, consult a doctor immediately! This type of poisoning is very dangerous, so you should not treat it yourself!!!

Symptoms of food poisoning

The first signs of food poisoning appear within 2-6 hours after eating.

Symptoms of food poisoning include:

Diagnosis of food poisoning

To make a diagnosis, the doctor collects a detailed medical history:

- interviews the patient;
- measures body temperature and pulse;
- conducts a general examination for the presence and palpation of the abdomen.

Tests are also prescribed:

— laboratory examination of feces;
— .

In rare cases, the following diagnostic procedures may be prescribed:

— fibroesophagogastroduodenoscopy;
- colonoscopy;
- sigmoidoscopy;
- fluoroscopy.

In case of mass food poisoning, the Sanitary and Epidemiological Service (SES) conducts an investigation of the products that could cause the poisoning.

Treatment of food poisoning includes taking first aid for food poisoning, restoring the body, as well as following certain nutritional rules (diet) after all the measures taken.

First aid for food poisoning

1. Gastric lavage

When the first symptoms of food poisoning appear, it is necessary to urgently rinse the stomach. This is done to remove any remaining junk food.

A weak solution of potassium permanganate or soda is excellent for washing. To prepare the product: pour literally a few grains of potassium permanganate (until light pink) or 1 tbsp into 2 liters of water at room temperature. spoon of soda.

Drink this solution and call by pressing 2 fingers on the root of the tongue. Repeat the procedure until clear water comes out.

Important! If the victim of poisoning is a child under 2 years old, a person after or in a very weakened or delirious state, a person unconscious, then inducing vomiting at home is strictly prohibited! Such patients may choke on vomit. In this case, only health workers under their supervision can induce vomiting!!!

2. Removing toxins from the body

After gastric lavage, sorbents are taken to remove toxins from the body.

The most popular sorbent is carbon, which we often recognize under the names: “Activated carbon” or “White carbon”.

These drugs reduce the absorption of harmful substances in the gastrointestinal tract and promote the removal from it not only of toxins, but also salts of heavy metals, alkaloids and other harmful substances.

When taking activated carbon, proceed from the calculation: 1 tablet per 10 kg of body weight. “White coal” is taken 2-4 tablets, depending on the severity of the poisoning.

3. Replenishment of fluid lost by the body

After gastric lavage and taking the sorbent, drinking plenty of fluids is necessary to replenish fluid loss in the body (after vomiting and diarrhea).

Drink 2–3 liters of boiled liquid per day. Alternate saline solution (add 1 teaspoon of table salt to 1 liter of boiled water), sweet, weak tea and chamomile decoction.

Drinking plenty of fluids not only restores water balance, but also helps a person warm up and also reduces pain.

4. Other events

Warming

Often, when food is poisoned, a person develops. In this case, it must be warmed up. To keep warm, cover the patient with a blanket and apply a heating pad to the legs.

Diet

After first aid and treatment of poisoning, a gentle diet is prescribed, which helps to quickly restore the functionality of the digestive organs. We will look at diet a little later in this article.

5. Medicines for food poisoning:

To restore water balance. They are used after gastric lavage to prevent dehydration of the body: "", "Oralit", "Chlorazol", "Litrozol" and others.

To restore intestinal microflora. Used after gastric lavage: “Hilak Forte”, “Linex”, “Mezim”, etc.;

Antipyretics. Apply if body temperature is above 37.5 degrees: “”, “”, etc.

Antibiotics are used only in severe cases of poisoning and are prescribed only by the attending physician.

See your doctor immediately if:

— symptoms of poisoning persist for 3 or more days;
- the course of poisoning becomes more severe;
- pain in the kidneys, liver or other internal organs, as well as prolonged abdominal cramps are observed;
- holds;
- there is increased sweating and a feeling of suffocation;
- a child or an elderly person has been poisoned;
- there is a suspicion of poisoning with poisonous mushrooms, berries or fish.

After food poisoning (Diet for food poisoning)

An integral part of the treatment of food poisoning is diet.

In the first days after poisoning, it is necessary to give up fatty, spicy and heavy foods, milk and dairy products, alcohol and other bad habits.

Eat small meals. Steam or boil dishes. Drink a lot and gradually return to your diet.

To fully restore the body after food poisoning, follow some nutritional rules:

- the first day, when the symptoms of poisoning have disappeared, stick to bed rest and only drink - boiled water, weak green tea, decoction, tea from (warm, you can sweeten it a little);

- on the second day, food should be light, boiled and chopped as much as possible. Start eating with cereals and broths - oatmeal, rice porridge (with water). Prepare vegetable or chicken broths. Don't forget to drink plenty of fluids;

- on the third and fourth days you can eat mashed potatoes, rice, lean fish fillet (steamed).

Folk remedies for food poisoning

Treatment of food poisoning with folk remedies is permissible only for mild cases and only after consultation and permission from a doctor.

Dill. Pour 1 teaspoon of dill seeds into 1.5 cups of boiling water and let them brew for about 5 minutes. Now boil the infusion for a couple of minutes, strain, let it cool slightly, and when the product is warm, add 1 teaspoon of honey to it. Take the resulting product instead of tea throughout the day. The daily norm is 1 liter.

Cinnamon. Pour ½ teaspoon of ground cinnamon into 1 cup of boiling water and mix thoroughly. Let the product sit for 15-20 minutes, then strain. Drink this decoction in small sips throughout the day. The daily norm is 1.5 l.

Wormwood and yarrow. Pour 500 ml of boiling water, 1 teaspoon dried and 1 teaspoon. Let them sit for about 20 minutes, then strain. Divide the resulting product into 5 servings to drink throughout the day.

Marshmallow root. Pour 1 teaspoon of crushed marshmallow roots into ½ cup of boiling water. Let the product sit for about 30 minutes, strain and add to it (to taste). Drink the resulting infusion 4 times a day, 1 tbsp. spoon.

Marshmallow flowers and leaves. 2 tbsp. Pour 2 cups of boiling water over spoons of marshmallow flowers and leaves. Leave to brew for 3-4 hours, then drink instead of tea 3 times a day.

To prevent, or at least minimize the risk of food poisoning, adhere to the following preventive rules:

Try to purchase and consume less frozen semi-finished products - pizza, cutlets, fish sticks, etc.

Avoid purchasing or eating fish that look wrinkled or have white gills.

If you have allergies to certain foods, be aware of them.

In the summer, when it is hot outside, do not purchase or eat sweets with cream or milk filling - cakes, straws, eclairs, etc.

Do not drink alcohol “from under the counter”, as well as cheap wines, low-alcohol drinks, energy drinks, etc. Better yet, don’t drink alcoholic beverages in any form at all, because... this drink does not benefit humans, except for medicinal purposes, for example, red wine to increase hemoglobin levels, etc.

Change your washcloth and kitchen towel more often, and keep your kitchen clean.

Which doctor should you contact if you are poisoned?

Food poisoning. Video

Low-quality and stale products contain bacteria and toxins. If they enter the stomach, heaviness in the stomach and nausea appear. The painful condition is dangerous, so first aid for food poisoning is very important. You need to act immediately, otherwise the poisons will have time to penetrate the blood and begin to destroy organs and tissues.

Main symptoms

Food poisoning in adults occurs for various reasons. Most often, the culprits of the trouble are ordinary carelessness and insufficient quality control of products. You can get poisoned at a picnic, in a catering canteen, in a cafe, and even at home if the food was stored in violation of sanitary standards. It is especially dangerous if aggressive chemicals - acids or alkalis - have entered the body and for some reason came into contact with food or utensils.

Symptoms of food poisoning in adults appear quickly. The speed at which the disease develops depends on what product caused it.

Spoiled food provokes nausea and vomiting 2-4 hours after consumption.
Poisonous plants that enter the stomach manifest themselves as colic and diarrhea after 4-12 hours.
Pathogenic microorganisms spread instantly. The infection becomes noticeable within 24 hours.

Food poisoning reveals itself with violent signs. If measures are not taken immediately, the intoxication of the body intensifies and begins to threaten human life. Characteristic symptoms of poisoning:

abdominal cramps;
intestinal colic;
nausea, vomiting;
diarrhea;
headache, weakness.

When, in addition to these signs, the temperature rises, chills, rapid pulse, excessive salivation, and central nervous system disorders are disturbing, this is a signal that acute intoxication has begun. Urgent assistance from an experienced doctor is required.

Products may contain dangerous bacteria that cause salmonellosis or botulism. Then even fresh-looking food provokes inflammation. Toxins penetrate the blood and disrupt the functioning of the heart and lungs. If a patient complains of blurred vision and has difficulty breathing, it means the nervous system is suffering. It is urgent to cleanse the body and neutralize toxins, otherwise the consequences may be unpredictable.

Do not forget that treatment of food poisoning at home is possible only at the initial stage, when the disease is mild. If the patient’s condition worsens or a child suffers from poisoning, immediately call an ambulance.

First aid

If you experience signs of food poisoning, consider what might be causing it. Eating mushrooms, any canned food, cream cakes or fish the day before is a reason to suspect a severe form of poisoning. The problem can also be caused by seemingly harmless vegetables and fruits that have been treated with herbicides and other pesticides.

Be sure to call the hospital. While waiting for a medical team, assistance is required. It is the same as for mild poisoning with stale food.

First aid for food poisoning includes drinking plenty of fluids and gastric lavage.

You will need to prepare a weak solution of regular salt. A small amount should be mixed in warm, clean water.
Pour a full glass of liquid and drink it in slow sips. This will trigger the gag reflex.
If it is not observed, help yourself by pressing on the root of the tongue with your fingers.
After vomiting, rest, calm down and repeat the procedure again.
Usually, to cleanse the stomach of harmful contents, you need to drink at least 4-5 glasses.
When the vomit comes out without any food or mucus, you can stop the process, wash and rinse your mouth.

First aid for food poisoning is not over yet. Most likely, toxic substances have managed to be partially absorbed into the blood, so it is necessary to reduce intoxication with the adsorbent.

An affordable natural remedy is activated carbon. Take it at the rate of 1 tablet per 10 kg of weight.
Sometimes medications provoke a new urge to vomit. Try to suppress it for at least half an hour. During this time, the coal will have time to do the work and adsorb toxins.
If you cannot control vomiting, wait until your stomach calms down, take charcoal tablets again and lie down to rest.

It is advisable to place a cool cloth soaked in a solution of salt water on your forehead. It will reduce pain in the temples, help remove toxins from the body and calm you down.

In some cases, food poisoning is not accompanied by nausea, so it is difficult to induce vomiting. This happens when spoiled food quickly leaves the stomach and lingers in the intestines. You should not provoke excessive vomiting, it will no longer help.

What to do next

Do not try to cope with diarrhea with medications and folk remedies. With its help, the intestines are cleansed of decay processes and toxins. Despite the discomfort, vomiting and diarrhea have a positive effect on the patient. The body is protected from intoxication and cleansed. Diarrhea can be stopped only with the permission of the attending physician.

But along with feces, a person loses water, the reserves of which must be replenished. Dehydration is a dangerous trend caused by food poisoning. Its symptoms are dyspepsia (dry mouth), lethargy, pallor, decreased amount of urine. First aid consists of fluid replacement. Doctors recommend that after each trip to the toilet, drink a glass of purified cool water without gas in small sips, slowly.

What should an adult do in case of food poisoning when first aid measures have ended?

Drinking plenty of fluids is necessary. You need to drink at least 3 liters of liquid per day.
If you feel heaviness in your stomach, continue to feel sick, and feel like your stomach is full of food, drink only clean water.
When the condition has improved, you can brew chamomile or other medicinal herbs.
For taste, you can add a small spoon of honey. Drink as much as possible and stay in bed.

Acute food poisoning means that after first aid you will not be able to eat for 24 hours. Stick to this rule even if you feel hungry.

When the patient’s condition worsens, he develops chills and confusion, there is no need to take risks and look for a way to treat food poisoning with fever. The symptom means that severe intoxication has begun. The person requires hospitalization and special therapy.

Toxins should be neutralized within 24 hours, so you can include light, mucous membrane-enveloping food without spices or salt in your diet.

For the entire duration of treatment, it is prohibited to consume fatty, spicy foods, smoked meats, milk, and sour cream. These products lead to exacerbation and aggravate inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract.

In the case of food poisoning in an adult, if the symptoms and treatment are quickly controlled, the problem will not lead to serious complications as long as you maintain a healthy diet. From the second day, vegetable broth and enveloping oatmeal jelly are allowed. Little by little, this menu can be expanded:

boiled rice, buckwheat porridge;
potatoes in water without oil;
boiled vegetables;
dried whole grain pieces of bread;
baked apples, bananas.

In order for treatment for food poisoning at home to help, meals must be divided and have a calming effect. Eat small portions every 3-4 hours. Don't forget to drink plenty of fluids, and gradually the gastrointestinal tract will begin to function as normal.

When the poisoning is mild, improvement occurs on the 3rd day, but the diet should be followed much longer to restore health.

Prevention

In the case of food poisoning, symptoms and treatment are interrelated. But the problem will not appear if proper prevention of the disease is carried out.

Be sure to wash your hands after coming in from outside and before eating.
Buy quality products, paying attention to expiration date and appearance.
Completely avoid canned and smoked foods.
Prepare food according to technology and try to eat it right away.
When storing, do not allow boiled and fresh food to come into contact.
Maintain sterile cleanliness in the kitchen. Wash fruits in several waters, even if they are collected from your garden.

Traditional methods of treatment

Treatment at home using traditional recipes will help quickly neutralize food poisoning. Always consult your doctor before using such products.

Enveloping decoctions help relieve inflammation of the gastric mucosa.

Take a large spoon of flaxseed, add a liter of clean water and put on fire.
Bring to a boil, simmer for 10 minutes and turn off.
Cool, strain the broth through a sieve and drink one glass before meals.

What to do in case of poisoning to relieve stomach pain? Take advantage of healing cinnamon tea.

Measure out a teaspoon of ground seasoning, mix it in an enamel pan with a glass of water and boil.
Let sit for 5 minutes, filter and drink one portion at a time.
If after three hours there is no improvement, brew a new decoction and repeat the dose.

Manifestations of intoxication can be eliminated with herbal teas.

Mix together half a teaspoon of dried mint, grated ginger and ground cinnamon.
Pour 250 ml of boiling water over the collection, cover with a lid and wait 10-15 minutes.
Then put a slice of lemon in a cup and drink it hot in small sips.
It is useful to prepare this tea several times a day and consume it between meals.

Millet quickly soothes intestinal upset. Grind it into powder and take one teaspoon every hour throughout the day with water.

Don't forget: the problem of poisoning is easier to prevent than to treat. Be healthy and careful when purchasing groceries!

It’s quite easy to get poisoned by low-quality food. The streets of big cities are full of tempting fast food cafeterias, stalls with pies, grilled chicken, and shawarma. Notice boards in the elevators of some buildings are decorated with leaflets with bright photographs of fast food and telephone numbers where all this can be ordered. It's hard not to be tempted to buy something ready-made instead of standing at the stove all evening. Meanwhile, it is easiest to get poisoned with such food.

Food poisoning is most often caused by microorganisms contained in food. That is, food can be contaminated with bacteria (for example, streptococci, staphylococci, E. coli, botulism bacteria, etc.), viruses (enteroviruses), and fungi. During their life, pathogenic microorganisms release toxins that poison our body.

The speed at which symptoms occur and their severity depends on which microorganism caused the intoxication. In some cases, a person becomes unwell after 2-5 hours, in others, signs of poisoning appear after 12 hours.

Symptoms:

Nausea and vomiting;
Diarrhea (with frequent urge);
Stomach ache;
Fever (37-38 °C);
Weakness, low blood pressure, rapid pulse.

With intoxication caused by botulism bacteria, weakness is observed in all muscles, speech, vision and swallowing are impaired, dry mouth and vomiting appear. A special feature of botulism is muscle paralysis (starts from the top).

In especially severe cases, loss of consciousness is observed.

What to do:

Call an ambulance if:
1. A child, a pregnant woman, an elderly person or a patient with a chronic disease (diabetes mellitus, hepatitis, cirrhosis, oncology, AIDS, etc.) was poisoned.
2. Bloody stool.
3. Gastric lavage and other measures did not improve the condition.
4. Diarrhea and vomiting do not stop for 2 days.
5. Severe symptoms with loss of consciousness and signs of botulism, suspected mushroom poisoning.
Find out what the person was poisoned with: a chemical (medicine), mushrooms or a poor-quality product. Botulism bacteria are most often found in home canned foods. Sometimes it helps to find out the cause of poisoning by the victim’s memory of the product he consumed (the very idea of this product causes nausea, vomiting, stomach pain or diarrhea)
Perform gastric lavage. It is necessary to give the patient at least 1 liter of water, preferably 1.5. Induce vomiting “restaurant style” (press on the root of the tongue). You should not hesitate to induce vomiting between drinking water, because if it is absorbed, the patient will become worse. It is necessary to rinse the stomach until the vomit becomes absolutely clean (with just water).
If the victim is unconscious, gastric lavage cannot be carried out independently; this will be done by an ambulance worker using a probe. Before the team arrives, it is necessary to turn the patient on his side so that he does not choke on vomit.
Instead of water, you can use a slightly pink solution of potassium permanganate. This substance has an antiseptic effect. Preparation rules: monitor the color of the solution - it should be strictly light pink. If the solution is insufficiently dissolved or the concentration is excessive, a severe burn to the gastric mucosa may occur. It’s safer to thoroughly dilute the potassium permanganate in a glass, then pour 3/4 of it into a 2 liter jar of water (watch the color!).
Give the patient an adsorbent substance. Most often, charcoal is taken for this (up to 20 g, washed down with half a glass of water).
Restore water-salt balance. To do this, you need to give the patient to drink little by little, but often: still mineral water or a special drug from the pharmacy (for example, rehydron). You need to drink at least 2 liters of liquid per day.
In case of food poisoning, the anti-diarrhea drug Imodium (loperamide) should not be used under any circumstances. Can lead to the absorption of toxins into the blood and serious consequences.

To avoid the consequences of eating poor quality food, you must:

Avoid prepared foods (especially from suspicious people in unverified places), and do not look at tempting fast food signs. Memories of time spent in the restroom after poisoning help develop “immunity” against buying prepared foods in such places.
Check expiration dates, appearance and smell of the product before use.
Subject meat, fish, eggs and other products to long-term heat treatment.
Wash vegetables and fruits thoroughly.

Symptoms of food poisoning Almost anyone can diagnose, even those who do not have deep medical knowledge.

There is every chance of getting a similar digestive system disorder at any time, but in the hot summer months, the likelihood of food poisoning increases significantly.

If you have eaten low-quality foods, then the time interval after which alarming symptoms begin to manifest themselves ranges from one hour to several days.

Clear signs of digestive problems include:

gagging
nausea
constipation
diarrhea
pain in the abdominal area
high body temperature

Classification of food poisoning

There are fundamentally two main types of such a problem; let’s look at each of them in more detail.

1. Mild form - does not require the mandatory use of medications, since toxic bacterial substances that have entered the body destabilize the process of intestinal absorption. Taking pills will increase irritation of the mucous membrane of the stomach and intestines.

The occurrence of vomiting can be perceived as a clear signal from the body about its independent fight against toxins that have penetrated inside along with low-quality products. In such a situation, it would be very appropriate to perform a gastric lavage procedure.

To carry out such an event, it is necessary to use a solution of table salt, soda, potassium permanganate (take a tablespoon for one liter of water). An alternative option for rinsing is to drink a large amount of boiled water, approximately two liters, with further artificial induction of vomiting by pressing a finger on the root of the tongue.

All of the above actions are recommended to be carried out during the first six hours, from the moment the primary symptoms of food poisoning appear. During this time interval, at least three repetitions of the stomach cleansing procedure should be performed.

At the same time, if the only symptom that bothers you is diarrhea, then washing may not be carried out.

It happens that the urge to vomit does not stop after rinsing does not help. There are no catastrophic reasons for panic in this situation; do not be overly nervous. You need to try to relax and calm down. The best thing to do is lie down on the bed and hold an ice cube of frozen mint tea in your mouth. Of course, it is advisable that in such a situation, a loved one would assist you.

Making such mint tea is not at all difficult, and most importantly, it can be done quite quickly.

Dry mint, quantity (2 tsp), is combined with boiling water (200 ml), allowed to brew for five minutes, and then filtered.

In addition, administering an enema (0.5 l) with mint decoction at room temperature can have a very positive effect on your well-being. Perhaps this step will not bring the desired relief, then drink 100 ml of mint tea every hour, at a slow pace, until the discomfort completely disappears and the nausea stops.

2. A much more serious danger to the health of the human body is the acute form, in which the key symptoms are constant diarrhea and severe, incessant vomiting. In order to more quickly “cleanse” the body of toxic substances abundantly present in spoiled foods, one should, of course, within reason, consume a large amount of liquid.

By the word liquid, I mean warm, boiled water - regularly every hour, at least 200 ml. To avoid excessive sodium losses, it is permissible to dissolve a teaspoon of salt.

Separately, I would like to say about pharmaceutical drugs against diarrhea, which you will be “gladly” offered to purchase at the nearest pharmacy kiosk.

Without consulting your doctor, rushing to take them is strongly discouraged. They only briefly normalize the situation, paralyzing the smooth muscles of the intestines. Abdominal pain disappears, diarrhea stops causing inconvenience.

However, the key cause of food poisoning remains; microbes and toxins that enter the body with poor-quality products do not disappear. After a while they make themselves felt again, again vomiting, again diarrhea.

Prevention of food poisoning

To protect your body as much as possible from encountering hostile bacteria, you should follow some simple food safety rules.

Cooked rice should not be left warm for a long time, since this creates excellent conditions for the emergence of the Echinocereus bacillus. Literally sixty minutes after consuming such a product, a person is vomiting, and then be sure to wait for diarrhea, it is not far off. Poisoning will not occur, provided that the rice is quickly cooled; the refrigerator will be its further storage location.
Next on the list of dangerous bacteria is clostridia, which exhibits maximum activity in minced meat of any kind, meat gravy, if they are left for a long period of time in a warm place. Characteristic signs in this case are: cramps localized in the lower abdomen, active diarrhea, constant headache. High temperatures can last for a long time, up to several days.
Similar symptoms are observed in poisoning caused by E. coli. The most favorable habitat for it is an incompletely fried meat dish, but, however, it can find its way into almost any low-quality meat product. This form of poisoning is extremely dangerous and poses a serious threat to the health of the entire body. The therapeutic process is best carried out in a hospital setting.
Next on the list is listeria, whose favorite place to “reside” is considered to be soft cheeses. Unfortunately, it has the ability to multiply even when stored in the refrigerator. Symptoms of poisoning are very similar to those, since high fever, prolonged headaches, muscle weakness, and vomiting are observed. The risk group is “headed” by elderly people and young children.
Another extremely common bacterial nuisance is salmonella. The sources of its penetration into the body are: raw chicken eggs, unscrupulously cooked poultry, and finally, just any ready-made dish that was left in a warm room for several hours.
The list of the most “popular” bacteria ends with staphylococcus, which enters the body through contaminated food. Ham, sausage, poultry, and confectionery products filled with cream can become carriers.
The symptoms of food poisoning for the last two bacteria are identical: pain in the lower abdomen, constant feeling of weakness, chills, severe diarrhea, vomit.

There is a fairly extensive list of products, the consumption of which, in hot weather, increases the likelihood of food poisoning to the maximum.

The first group consists of numerous confectionery products: cakes, pastries, whipped cream, custard
Curd products, especially purchased from unauthorized street stalls: raw milk, loose cottage cheese, sour cream, cheese curds.
Scrambled eggs undercooked, soft-boiled eggs, eggnog.
Boiled, liver sausages, aspic, jellies, pates.
Berries, fruits, vegetables that look spoiled or have expired.
Cut watermelon, store-bought salads, vinaigrettes.

I would like to dwell on mushrooms in more detail. If basic cooking rules are not followed, digestive problems after eating them are a very common phenomenon. Most often, mushroom poisoning manifests itself approximately five hours after consumption. The symptoms are quite characteristic:

dizziness
diarrhea
rare pulse
nausea
“dagger” pain in the abdominal area
very

In such a situation, there is only one way out - immediate, speedy transportation of the patient to the nearest medical facility. If a similar situation occurs at a summer cottage, before doctors arrive, it is permissible to perform gastric lavage. Make an enema based on chamomile infusion (300 ml of water per tablespoon of inflorescences). Then, after giving the patient a proven laxative, try to persuade him to drink strong tea.

The leading positions in the risk group are occupied by:

pickled, salted mushrooms, packed in jars, tightly closed with lids
almost any type of homemade caviar, for example, eggplant, squash
mixed types of home canning, for example vegetables with mushrooms

Primary signs of poisoning indicate visual problems: double vision is observed, objects around are as if in a fog. In addition, the victim’s pupils are dilated, the muscles of the tongue may experience spasms, and the throat may feel dry. In fact, the disease manifests itself ten hours later, after eating spoiled mushrooms. Sometimes, this time interval can reach several days.

It is necessary to immediately, urgently call doctors; delay is absolutely unacceptable, since there is a significant probability of death due to respiratory paralysis.

While you are waiting for doctors, it is permissible to rinse the patient’s stomach with a soda solution (2%) and give the victim a laxative.

Nutrition after poisoning

The issue of nutrition after food poisoning is quite sensitive, so try to adhere to the following simple recommendations:

It is necessary to try to refrain from eating after acute poisoning, preferably for a day. The test is serious, and the best medicine in such a situation is complete peace.
After the expiration of the above time period, it is allowed to start eating in extremely small portions, every 180 minutes. The first day's diet should consist of: liquid porridge cooked in water, for example oatmeal, rice, kefir with white bread, which should first be slightly dried. Next, you can gradually switch to milk porridge and omelet. Then the menu can be diversified with boiled meat, fish, along with mashed potatoes or carrots.
The lack of potassium can be compensated by taking carrot and potato broth. It’s easy to prepare: take several medium-sized fruits and chop them on a coarse grater. After this, pour the resulting mass with cold water (400 ml) and cook for a quarter of an hour. After filtering, let it cool and add a little salt to taste.
Compote, without added sugar, which is prepared on the basis of dried apricots, raisins, bananas, that is, products with a high potassium content, is very useful. I note that the fruit itself should not be consumed.
After stool normalization, the ban on raw vegetables and fruits must be maintained for several days. Consuming sour juices, such as grapefruit and orange, will be very helpful.
Milk is another product that requires extremely high attention. The “milk sugar” it contains is difficult for an adult to digest. Milk should be added to the diet gradually, in small portions.

How to distinguish poisoning from an attack of appendicitis

Initially, both problems are similar in their symptoms - dull pain in the upper abdomen. However, there are several distinct signals, the presence of which makes it possible to distinguish ordinary poisoning from an attack of appendicitis.

Gastric problems, in the overwhelming majority, last several hours, while an acute attack is characterized by constant pain. Not only does it not stop over time, but on the contrary, its intensity is rapidly gaining momentum.

Systematic vomiting and diarrhea accompanying poisoning last a long time, it seems there is no end in sight. On the contrary, during an attack, it happens transiently.

In case of a possible attack, instinctively, a person tries to turn on his right side, while pressing his legs to his stomach. As a small test, you can press lightly with two fingers below the navel, and then quickly remove your hand. If the pain makes itself felt with greater force, then your assumption is correct - most likely an attack of appendicitis.

There is only one solution - immediately call an ambulance. There are three prohibitions that you should try to comply with before the doctors arrive:

Placing a heating pad on the stomach is excluded, since the thermal effect can provoke an acceleration of appendicitis.
For an accurate diagnosis, the use of painkillers and other medications is excluded.
Try to protect the patient from taking liquids and food.

Traditional treatment of poisoning

1. Medicinal infusions prepared on the basis of St. John’s wort and oak bark do a good job of “fixing”. Pour the raw material (tbsp) with very hot water and simmer for a third of an hour on low heat. After filtering, take 100 ml, three times a day.

2. A medicinal infusion, the main components of which are lemon balm, oregano, and chamomile, has proven itself well for a similar stomach problem. To prepare, mix the ingredients in equal parts. After which the collection (tsp) is poured with very hot water and left for half an hour. Take 200 ml three times a day.

3. A decoction of pomegranate peels and green walnuts has excellent results in the treatment of poisoning.

4. Black pepper (10 peas), swallow whole, wash down with water.

5. Drink a few pinches of black leaf tea, wash down with water (100 ml).

6. Willow water relieves stomach stress well. After chopping willow bark (2 tbsp), pour boiling water (800 ml) and boil for ten minutes. Use 2 times 200 ml.

When manifested food poisoning symptoms, it is recommended to refrain from excessive self-medication, it is better to seek qualified medical help.

Take an interest in your health in a timely manner, goodbye.

Food poisoning is an acute digestive disorder caused by consuming low-quality or toxic foods and drinks.

Foodborne illnesses(PTI). Occur due to consumption of food contaminated with pathogenic microorganisms. For example, stale food. Failure to comply with sanitary and hygienic standards can also provoke PTI.
Toxic (non-infectious) poisoning They occur when natural or chemical toxins enter the body with food. For example, poison from inedible mushrooms and plants, as well as chemicals.

The last type of poisoning is the most dangerous. You shouldn't fight them on your own. If you suspect a non-infectious nature of poisoning, you should consult a doctor immediately.

Also, regardless of the type of poisoning, qualified medical care is necessary for pregnant and lactating women, children and the elderly.

But usually people encounter toxic infections that can be treated at home. Next, we will talk about what steps to take to cope with PTI on your own.

Symptoms and pathogenesis

The course of food poisoning depends on the age and general condition of the person, as well as the type of pathogenic bacteria. But the general picture is this:

obsessive nausea;
repeated vomiting;
weakness, malaise;
changed complexion;
diarrhea;
chills;
elevated body temperature.

PTI is characterized by a short incubation period. The first signs appear 2–6 hours after eating and progress quickly without treatment.

Treatment

Step 1. Gastric lavage

When the first symptoms appear, the remaining toxic food must be removed from the body. To do this, wash the stomach. The actions are the same as when providing first aid.

Prepare a weak solution of potassium permanganate (potassium permanganate) or baking soda (1 tablespoon of soda per 1.5–2 liters of water at room temperature).
Drink some of the solution.
Induce vomiting (press the root of the tongue with two fingers).
Repeat the procedure several times until the vomit is clear.

Step 2. Taking sorbents

Sorbents are drugs that help remove toxins from the body. The most famous of them is activated carbon.

Activated carbon reduces the absorption of toxins, heavy metal salts, alkaloids and other harmful substances into the gastrointestinal tract, and also promotes their removal from the body.

Dosage for poisoning: one tablet for every 10 kg of body weight.

In other words, if you weigh 70 kg, then you will need at least seven tablets. In severe cases, the dosage should be increased.

In case of poisoning, it is better to take coal in the form of an aqueous suspension. To do this, crush the tablets and mix with 100 ml of boiled water at room temperature. This mixture tastes quite nasty, but it effectively fights poisoning.

You can also use white charcoal instead of regular charcoal. It is believed that this is a selective, concentrated sorbent. It not only removes toxins, but also retains nutrients. In this case, the dosage is halved: for an adult, 2–4 tablets, depending on the degree of poisoning.

Instead of coal, you can use other sorbents (according to the instructions). For example, “Smecta”, “Lactofiltrum”, “Enterosgel” and others.

Step 3: Drink plenty of fluids

Vomiting and diarrhea severely dehydrate the body - you need to replenish fluid losses and maintain water balance.

Drink at least 2–3 liters of boiled water per day.

You can also take special rehydration products: “Rehydron”, “Oralit” and others. These are powders and solutions containing mineral salts and glucose and preventing dehydration.

Other medicines

As for taking other medications for toxic infections, there are several general rules:

When active vomiting stops, you can use drugs that restore the intestinal microflora (Hilak Forte, Linex, Mezim and others).
If the temperature rises above 37.5 degrees, it must be brought down with antipyretics (paracetamol, ibuprofen and others).
Taking painkillers is not recommended: they can complicate diagnosis in case of complications.
Antimicrobial drugs (mostly antibiotics) are used in severe cases of toxic infection and are prescribed exclusively by a doctor.

Step 4. Routine and diet

With a food infection, the patient feels severe weakness. You should adhere to bed rest and refuse to eat for the first day (if your appetite is impaired and your body rejects food).

On the second or third day, you can indulge in jelly, crackers (without poppy seeds, raisins, vanilla or any other additives), as well as liquid mashed potatoes or oatmeal porridge cooked in water.

With active treatment, symptoms subside - improvement should occur within a few hours. The body finally returns to normal, usually within three days. But abdominal pain, weakness, and flatulence may persist for several more days.

If the main symptoms (diarrhea, vomiting, fever) do not decrease and do not go away more than six hours after starting treatment, consult a doctor.

Step 5. Prevention

No one is immune from foodborne infections. But everyone has the power to reduce their risk to a minimum.

Wash your hands before eating.
Keep the kitchen clean and follow cooking techniques.
Be demanding about the quality of products when purchasing. For example, do not buy fish with an ammonia smell and a “rusty” coating. (All recommendations for choosing fish.)
Do not eat at questionable gastronomic establishments, and do not drink tap water.

Follow these and other precautions and stay healthy!