Every year, approximately one in six Americans get food poisoning. While it is rarely a serious condition, food poisoning is accompanied by unpleasant symptoms like vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain.
IV therapy is one of the fastest and most effective ways to help you recover, as it delivers fluids and nutrients directly into your bloodstream.
Let’s take a closer look.
What Is Food Poisoning?
Food poisoning, also known as foodborne illness, occurs as the result of eating food that is contaminated or not properly cooked, such as:
- Raw or undercooked meat, fish, and eggs
- Fruit and vegetables that aren’t properly washed
- Soft or unpasteurized cheeses
- Unpasteurized dairy products and juices
- Contaminated water.
Food poisoning is a major cause of gastroenteritis, the inflammation of the lining of the gut. Although it can affect anyone, it is most common in babies, young children, pregnant women, immunocompromised people, and the elderly.
Read on to find out more about the causes of food poisoning.
What Causes Food Poisoning?
Researchers have identified more than 250 foodborne illness types caused by a variety of infectious organisms including bacteria, viruses, and parasites.
Bacteria
In most cases of food poisoning, the food or water is contaminated by some type of bacteria. Here are the most common ones.
Escherichia coli
Escherichia coli spreads through contaminated food or water, unpasteurized dairy products, as well as undercooked meat.
Listeria
Listeria is found in deli meats, hot dogs, unpasteurized milk, as well as raw fruits and vegetables. It causes listeriosis, a serious infection that can be fatal to people with weakened immune systems.
Salmonella
Salmonella is one of the most common types of bacterial food poisoning. You can get infected after eating raw or undercooked meat and eggs.
Clostridium botulinum
Clostridium botulinum spreads through improperly home-canned, preserved, or fermented foods. It may cause botulism, a potentially life-threatening condition that impacts the nervous system.
Campylobacter
Campylobacter infection is a common foodborne illness that attacks the lining of the small and large intestines. The bacteria is transmitted through undercooked poultry, contaminated water, and raw milk.
Clostridium perfringens
Clostridium perfringens food poisoning occurs when you eat meat and other foods that are improperly cooked and stored at an unsafe temperature.
Viruses
Foods most commonly associated with highly infectious foodborne viruses are shellfish, undercooked meat, and fruit and vegetables grown on grounds fertilized with animal waste.
Norovirus
Norovirus is the most common cause of acute gastroenteritis. It is transmitted through shellfish, clams, and lobster that come from infected waters, as well as raw fruits and vegetables.
Hepatitis A
Hepatitis A is the only common vaccine-preventable foodborne disease in the United States. The virus is usually found in shellfish and unpeeled or uncooked fruits and vegetables.
Sapovirus
Sapovirus is transmitted via raw or undercooked bivalves such as oysters.
Rotavirus
Rotavirus infection occurs after the ingestion of contaminated foods, in particular shellfish and raw fruits and vegetables.
Parasites
Food poisoning caused by parasites is rare in industrialized countries, but it can still lead to serious illness.
Toxoplasma gondii
Toxoplasma gondii, found in raw or partly cooked meat, can cause toxoplasmosis which is the leading cause of death from foodborne illness in the United States.
Entamoeba histolytica
Entamoeba histolytica infection, also known as amebiasis, is acquired through the ingestion of fruits and vegetables that have been washed in contaminated water.
Giardia intestinalis
Giardia intestinalis causes the diarrheal disease giardiasis. You can get infected by eating uncooked or contaminated food or swallowing contaminated water from lakes, rivers, or pools.
While the symptoms of food poisoning vary depending on the kind of bacteria, virus, or parasite you are infected with, all foodborne illnesses share some common signs.
What Are the Symptoms of Food Poisoning?
Most types of food poisoning are accompanied by one or more of the following symptoms:
- Abdominal pain
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Headache
- Diarrhea
- Mild fever
- Fatigue
- Loss of appetite
- Thirst
- Sweating
- Dehydration
- Fever and chills
- Body aches.
The signs of food poisoning generally manifest between 2 and 12 hours after eating the contaminated food, although it may take up to 10 days for symptoms to appear, depending on the cause of the infection. Symptoms typically improve within a couple of days without treatment.
No matter what caused your food poisoning, IV therapy is an effective way to ensure a quick recovery.
How Does IV Therapy Cure Food Poisoning?
IV therapy allows nutrients to bypass the digestive system and reach your bloodstream directly, ensuring a 100% absorption rate. The treatment starts to work within minutes, providing fast and effective relief from symptoms of food poisoning.
The Reset IV Food Poisoning Package contains a special blend of multivitamins C, A, B, B1, B6, D3, E, and K1, as well as Niacinamide (vitamin B3) and Dexpanthenol (vitamin B5), formulated to help settle your stomach and restore lost nutrients. In addition, the hydrating solution helps supplement your fluid intake and prevents dehydration.
Reset IV allows you to get treatment in the comfort of your home. Because fast service is essential when you are suffering from the effects of food poisoning, we can accommodate same-day appointments and will usually be at your door within an hour of booking.
You should keep in mind, however, that some symptoms of food poisoning require immediate medical attention.
When Should You Consult a Doctor about Food Poisoning?
People with compromised immune systems, pregnant women, young children, and the elderly should seek emergency care immediately if food poisoning is suspected.
In addition, you should consult a doctor if you experience any of the following symptoms:
- Extreme abdominal cramping
- Severe vomiting and nausea accompanied by a feeling of extreme weakness
- Severe diarrhea that lasts for more than three days
- Vomit or diarrhea that contain blood
- A fever higher than 102°F
- Signs of dehydration (little or no urination, excessive thirst, dry mouth, dizziness)
- Neurological symptoms (muscle weakness, tingling in the arms, blurry vision).
In severe cases, foodborne infections can lead to long-term health problems including chronic arthritis, brain and nerve damage, kidney failure, and even death.