If you accidentally eat contaminated food or have a food allergy, in addition to seeking medical attention immediately, some Chinese medicine methods can help with first aid and relieve discomfort.
We often see food poisoning incidents in the news. In November this year, E. coli poisoning broke out in McDonald’s in many places in the United States. It was suspected that onions were contaminated, causing more than 100 people to be infected, at least 34 people were hospitalized, and one elderly person died. At least 39 people were poisoned by eating organic carrots contaminated with E. coli , of which 15 were hospitalized and 1 died.
Common symptoms of E. coli infection are stomach cramps, diarrhea and vomiting, and a few people may develop hemolytic uremic syndrome.
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Common food safety issues include bacteria and parasites in raw meat or seafood, food from the previous meal being contaminated by bacteria, food becoming moldy due to improper storage, and allergies caused by eating seafood and nuts.
The severity of food poisoning symptoms depends mainly on the patient’s age, personal health, the cause of poisoning and the amount of toxins ingested. If the individual’s resistance is poor, the symptoms may be more severe. Symptoms usually appear 1 to 36 hours after eating, with vomiting and diarrhea being the most common. Other symptoms include nausea, fever, headache, weakness, bloody stools and purulent stools.
Common symptoms of allergies include redness and swelling of the body, respiratory symptoms such as nasal congestion and wheezing, and gastrointestinal discomfort, and sometimes dizziness and irritability. Severe symptoms include difficulty breathing, palpitations, shock and dizziness.
What to do if you get food poisoning
If you suspect you or a loved one has food poisoning, here are some things you should do.
●Seek medical attention and save food samples
If you have symptoms of suspected food poisoning, you should seek medical attention immediately. In the meantime, save any uneaten food, seal it and refrigerate it at low temperatures, but do not freeze it, for testing. The hospital will notify the relevant health authorities.
● Use vinegar to revive the patient
If the patient is unconscious, you can cover his nose with a gauze cloth dipped in vinegar. The smell of vinegar is pungent and will stimulate the patient to wake up.
Induce vomiting
If the food has not been eaten for a long time, within 1 to 2 hours, and the poison is still in the stomach, you can try to vomit it out to reduce the absorption of toxins. You can stimulate the root of the tongue with your fingers, spoon handles, chopsticks, etc., or quickly drink cold salt water (20 grams of salt, add 200 ml of warm water and cool it before use) or ginger juice to induce vomiting.
●Use antidiarrheal drugs with caution
After food poisoning, you may have diarrhea. Appropriate diarrhea will accelerate the excretion of toxins. At this time, it is not advisable to take antidiarrheal drugs on your own. Unless you have diarrhea more than ten times a day and are about to collapse, you will need to take antidiarrheal drugs.
● Get plenty of rest and drink plenty of water
After food poisoning, you should rest more and drink plenty of water. Try to eat small and frequent meals, and the diet should be light to give your stomach and intestines a rest. If you can’t eat, you can eat less, but you must stay hydrated.
Self-help diet
For less severe cases of food poisoning or allergies, there are some ingredients you can find in your kitchen that can help relieve your symptoms.
Ginger
If you accidentally eat stale food, eating ginger immediately can prevent diarrhea or allergies. Mashing ginger into juice or taking it in decoction can relieve fish and crab poisoning.
Ancient people discovered that ginger can detoxify, and modern research has also confirmed that ginger contains a variety of antibacterial ingredients that have a broad-spectrum inhibitory effect on microorganisms in food.
Aloe vera
Aloe vera contains a variety of plant active ingredients and amino acids, vitamins, polysaccharides and minerals, which can gently stimulate intestinal peristalsis and excrete toxins. Traditional Chinese medicine believes that aloe vera has a cold nature and can relieve acute inflammation.
●Parsley
The special aroma of coriander can paralyze intestinal parasites and expel them. It can also stimulate the stomach nerves, help digestion and increase appetite. Animal experiments have confirmed that adding coriander to pig feed can resist parasites. Studies have also found that coriander essential oil can inhibit the growth of bacteria and fungi on bread.
●Mung Bean
Mung bean is a nutritionally balanced food. Studies have found that mung bean contains a variety of phytochemical components such as flavonoids and phenolic acids, which have antibacterial, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory effects, and can also reduce the absorption of toxic substances.
Mung bean is a very effective universal detoxifier. When encountering organophosphorus pesticide poisoning, lead poisoning, taking the wrong medicine, etc., you can drink a bowl of mung bean soup for emergency treatment before going to the hospital for rescue. Adding a little licorice when cooking mung bean soup will have a better effect. In addition, mung bean soup also has the effect of sobering up.
Mung beans are suitable for cooking porridge with rice. They are very comfortable to eat when you have dry mouth in the summer, and they also have a detoxifying effect.
Mung Bean Porridge
Ingredients: 150 grams of mung beans (soak in cold water in the refrigerator overnight), 30 grams of japonica rice (soak in cold water for half an hour), and appropriate amount of rock sugar.
Cooking method: Put mung beans into boiling water, bring to a boil over high heat, stir for 3 minutes, cover and cook for half an hour. Add rice, stir clockwise for 3 minutes, cover and cook over low heat for 30 minutes until the soup becomes cloudy.
●Strong tea
Drinking a cup of strong tea can relieve food poisoning. Studies have found that tea catechins and other ingredients can destroy bacterial cell membranes and have an inhibitory effect on common bacteria that contaminate food, such as Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Salmonella. Green tea is more effective than black tea and oolong tea.
●Perilla
Perilla can effectively relieve seafood poisoning and allergies. A patient had skin allergies after eating seafood, like hives. I took 1 tael (30 grams) of dried perilla and asked the patient to go home and boil it into 1000cc of water. After the patient drank perilla tea for one day, the symptoms were basically relieved. He drank it again the next day, and all the symptoms disappeared without taking antihistamines.
Perilla tea
Ingredients: 30g dried basil leaves
Method: Boil the dried basil leaves with 1000cc of water, then cook for no more than 10 minutes before drinking.
Relieve gastrointestinal discomfort by pressing four acupoints
For gastrointestinal discomfort caused by food poisoning, pressing 4 acupoints can help relieve it.
● Zusanli acupoint
Location: About 4 finger widths below the knee and 1 finger width away from the shin.
Efficacy: It can enhance immunity, regulate the spleen and stomach, etc.
● Zhongwan acupoint
Location: 4 inches above the umbilicus on the midline of the upper abdomen (1 inch is equivalent to the width of the thumb knuckle), the midpoint of the line connecting the xiphoid bone (sternocostal junction) and the umbilicus.
Efficacy: It can enhance gastric motility and treat digestive system diseases such as abdominal distension, diarrhea, abdominal pain, etc.
●Neiguan acupoint
Location: From the inner side of the wrist, three fingers wide (index finger, middle finger, ring finger) toward the elbow, between the two tendons.
Efficacy: It can treat heart, chest, and stomach diseases and relieve nausea and vomiting.
●Yongquan Point
Location: The depression in the middle of the sole of the foot, the front third of the sole.
Efficacy: An important acupuncture point for nourishing the kidneys. It has the effect of reducing vomiting, diarrhea, etc. in the gastrointestinal tract.
Pressing four acupoints can relieve itching caused by food allergies
There are also four acupoints that can relieve skin itching caused by food allergies.
●Blood Sea Point
Open your hands and cover your knees, at the tips of your thumbs.
●Sanyinjiao
Located four finger widths above the medial ankle protrusion.
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●Hegu acupoint
Located at the muscle bulge where the index and thumb are placed together.
●Quchi acupoint
Located at the outermost part of the elbow crease.
Tips for preventing food poisoning
To prevent eating contaminated food, pay attention to the following when preparing food.
● Pay attention to food texture and taste
Use your senses to observe the texture and taste of food. If the food changes color, becomes soft or sticky, or has an unusual smell, do not eat it.
● Separate raw and cooked food
When handling food, keep the cutting boards and knives used for raw and cooked food separate to avoid cross contamination.
● Seafood should be cooked thoroughly
There are often some myths about eating seafood. For example, when cooking hot pot, people often say that you can eat the shells when they are cooked open. In fact, it is recommended to cook them for a dozen seconds longer to ensure that they are fully cooked. Some people also think that rinsing seafood with salt water can kill bacteria, but in fact, Vibrio enteritidis, which is common in seafood, likes salty environments. Using salt water will only cater to its needs and will not achieve a sterilization effect. As for mustard and lemon juice used to dip sashimi, they cannot kill parasites. The best way to prevent food poisoning is to fully heat and cook the fish.
● Be careful of food temperature danger zones
7℃～60℃ is a dangerous temperature zone where bacteria multiply rapidly. Generally speaking, food heating temperature must exceed 70℃ to kill bacteria. However, heating cannot remove all toxins, for example, Staphylococcus aureus can produce heat-resistant toxins.
Many people think that hot dishes need to be cooled before being put into the refrigerator, but a large number of bacteria may grow during the cooling process. It is recommended not to leave them at room temperature for more than 2 hours, and not more than 1 hour in summer.
Common viruses and bacteria in food
According to statistics from the Food and Drug Administration , there are five common sources of food poisoning that require more attention.
Norovirus
Common sources include leafy green vegetables, fresh fruit, shellfish or contaminated water.
Staphylococcus aureus
Common sources include meat, dairy products, puddings, pastries, sandwiches, etc.
● Bacillus cactus
Common sources include leftover rice or sausages, soups, sauces, jams, salads, pudding desserts and dairy products. This bacterium is heat-resistant, so reheating leftover rice is the most common route of infection.
Salmonella
Common sources include raw or undercooked chicken, eggs, unpasteurized milk and juice, and unprocessed fruits and vegetables.
Vibrio enteritidis
Common sources include raw or undercooked, contaminated seafood, especially oysters.