Food Poisoning – Or Stomach Bug?

This brings up a good question, and ultimately the answer becomes more about “can I get it” than it is about the difference between the two.  So, what is the difference between a stomach bug and food poisoning?  Without going into the details of what you can read in the literature, lets just go from what we know.

Food poisoning, would be food that is tainted with some micro-organism that is a toxin to your body.  One that your body recognizes as a toxic substance, so it attempts to remove it from your gut in the most violent fashion.

Stomach Bug, is simple a micro-organism that your body identifies as toxic, and thus attempts to remove it in the most violent fashion.  So interestingly enough, the two are pretty much the same thing.  A small little creature that occupies your gut, and you toss him out, up, and onward.  Evicted.

So why does it matter so much between the two?  Virulence.  How infectious the organism is, or how likely you re to get it.  According to WebMD –

More than 250 different diseases can cause food poisoning. Some of the most common diseases are infections caused by bacteria, such as Campylobacter, Salmonella, Shigella, E. coli O157:H7, Listeria, and botulism.

Seems to be worthy of some knowledge with 250 known versions of food poisoning out there. In addition, the first one on the list has this to be said about it:

What Is Campylobacter Infection?

Campylobacter is a bacterium that causes acute diarrhea. Transmission usually occurs through ingestion of contaminated food, water, or unpasteurized milk, or through contact with infected infants, pets, or wild animals.

Symptoms of campylobacter include:

• Diarrhea (sometimes bloody)
• Nausea and vomiting
• Abdominal pain and/or cramping
• Malaise (general uneasiness)
• Fever

Is Campylobacter Infection a Serious Health Concern?

Campylobacter infection can be serious, especially in those with weakened immune systems. In rare cases, campylobacter infection can cause additional problems such as arthritis or brain and nerve problems. Occasionally, these problems occur after the diarrhea has stopped.

So the question I want to ask/answer, is how serious is it to you and I?  And how do we know? Well, it all starts with your personal immune health, which is a function of nervous system health, as well as dietary choice.  The healthy human gut should contain close to 1 quadrillion probiotic bacteria.  This is more than an imagination can fathom.

1 Quadrillion pennies stacked behind the Empire state building, Washington monument, football field, etc.  This should shock you.  That you could have 1 quadrillion bacteria in your gut.  But at that level, you will have covered every micron of intestine with a layer of bacteria.  And these bacteria help you digest food, fuel your colon, and protect you from foreign invasion.  Actually how they do all of it, we don’t know.  But we do know a lot.

The waste products of most probiotics is somehow tied to both function of your cells, and/or death to bad bacteria.  Staph and strep cannot live in the presence of the waste of good bacteria (at high enough concentrations), thus what an awesome protection.  Same goes for most of those 250 foreign bodies that might enter your gut via food.

Stomach Bugs – so what is the difference with these? Rotavirus is one of these relatively common “bugs”.  As the name suggests, it is a viral infection, and it spreads the fecal/oral route, which can move very quickly even though it sounds disgusting.  So consider this, if it is spreading from one to the next without any way to see its transmission.  Do you think you are better off spraying down everything in your environment with sanitizers and chemical killers, or are you better off dumping as much into your health as possible?  Yeah, time to think healthy.

Stomach bugs, as the same with food poisoning, can lead to days of diarrhea, which becomes the problem for many people with both their health, as well as with the increased likelihood of transmission.  As the virus is often still being “shed” in its live form, and the process from toileting to washing hands, can leave it on toilet handles, towels, sinks, door handles, floating in air… yep, pretty much anywhere and everywhere.  So stop thinking you  are ever going to somehow kill it all.  Cannot be done.

I enjoyed reading this TOP TEN LIST on the WebMD site.  It offers the SOLID advice to not try drinking while still throwing up.  As you will simply see it all again.  🙂  In addition, they also say that you are still contagious until you have solid stool.  Which is why I am sitting home from church today, writing this, and wondering if I will be at work tomorrow.  It is a risk to take with other people to head back into environments when you till have diarrhea.  One that you can control fairly well by washing hands really well, spraying down the bathroom after you use it, etc.

But, in the end, you cannot kill it all.  So wearing a mask, washing up, etc… these will not work out to well to prevent transmission to an immuno-compromised individual (any of you who do not work to increase your probiotic levels every single day).  So, I might be home tomorrow, because two days before Christmas, I don’t want to cause anyone to end up on the toilet while their kids are opening presents in the other room.

So lets give some good solid advice to help you be quick to overcome these problems – I only threw up one time… five straight minutes, but then it was over.  This is effective, and effectiveness starts with preparation.  So prepare –

1. Visit Beyond Organic as these guys make more probiotic rich foods than anybody.  I purchase their Amasai, Suero Viv, Cheese, probiotic almonds and seven seed crackers every month.  Every one of these foods is loaded with probiotics.
2. Create an account if you don’t have one, the best way to get a free preferred customer membership is to order a Suero Viv cleanse (you don’t have to consume suero as a cleanse, I drink it most every day and use it as  a hydration drink – loaded with electrolytes as well).
3. Set up an auto ship – easy, just put items in a cart, then when checking out, click the auto-ship button.  This will help you keep yourself committed to the consumption of these healthy foods.
4. Last – be sure to stick with a regular level of consumption.  I push for 200 billion a day (even today, I will get a few billion in, even though I am eating pretty much nothing).

http://healthsprout.mybeyondorganic.com/

other ways to get a free membership – https://healthsprout.mybeyondorganic.com/Enroll_FreePCPromotion.aspx

There are certain bugs that will pass through your stomach unnoticed when you have a really strong immune system.  I have adjusted over 100 of you who have had stomach bugs in this last six week period.  Finally, I have picked up something noticeable, but I have had a few hours here and there where I have had some stomach cramps, I classify those as likely times that i was killing off viruses.

So regardless if you get a chance to see me tomorrow or not, know that this is a plan of action that yields results, and they stretch way beyond being prepared for stomach bugs.  The assistance in your digestion, your cell to cell signaling (I’ll write a sprout on this one day), your protection from colon cancer, your improved function of your intestinal villi, all of these stretch beyond what you can see on a day to day basis.

Be well and Be blessed, and have yourself an incredibly Merry Christmas!  – Dr. E