Salmonellosis Can Be Treated At Home

Food or water may be contaminated with microbes (bacteria, viruses), toxins or any other chemical agents if handled under unhygienic or unsanitary conditions. If consumed in sufficient amounts, contaminated food may cause an infection. This is often accompanied by diarrhoea, abdominal cramping, sweating, and muscle weakness.

Salmonellosis – overview

Food poisoning is most commonly caused by the bacterium Salmonella. The infection caused by this bacterium is known as Salmonellosis. A toxin produced and excreted by the bacteria in the intestine is responsible for the symptoms and infection. It can occur in both adults and children. Infections such as these usually cause gastroenteritis (an infection of the intestines), and it may take several weeks for bowel functions to become normal.

Sources of Salmonella

Salmonella may be found in a variety of foods and other substances, which makes the person handling them more susceptible to infection. These include:

• raw beef, dairy products, and poultry
• unwashed vegetables and fruits
• contaminated utensils and poor sanitary habits of your food handler
• faeces of certain pets, especially if they have diarrhoea (reptiles, ducklings and small rodents)
• gut of many animals (farm animals and pets)

Symptoms Caused by Salmonella Infections

Salmonellosis causes the same unpleasant symptoms that are generally associated with food poisoning. They develop within 72 hours of consuming the contaminated food and for an infection to develop. The infection may persist for as long as a week, however people who suffer from diarrhoea recover comparatively quickly.

Common symptoms include:

• diarrhea infrequent and non-bloody or frequent and bloody)
• abdominal cramping
• fever (38°C to 39°C)
• nausea and vomiting
• headache, myalgia (muscle pain) and arthralgia (joint pain)
• Reiter’s syndrome (reactive arthritis). This disease can persist for months and even years, and can cause chronic arthritis as well.

Getting Tested and Treated

In daily practice, doctors usually diagnose Salmonellosis on the basis of clinical presentation without performing any lab tests. However, in some cases a stool sample or blood test will be done to confirm the presence of Salmonella. If you are well aware of the symptoms of Salmonellosis, you can start the treatment at home safely. The treatment is aimed at keeping the patient hydrated.

He might prescribe antibiotics or fluids intravenously to prevent dehydration.

See Also: Is It Salmonellosis Or Some Other Food Poisoning Bacteria?

Importance of diagnosis

This is extremely important to know the exact presentation of Salmonellosis. This is because most of the people tend to wrongly diagnose the infection and thus start treatment for salmonella while the actual infection remains untreated. Salmonellosis is not really a fatal disease; however, dehydration due to loss of body fluids can cause death. Starting the treatment at home as soon as the symptoms appear is really a good idea. Mild infections tend to go away easily with home remedies.

Treating Salmonellosis: Home Remedies

There are plenty of conventional methods to treat Salmonellosis at home. These include certain easy and convenient measures that may help you control the spell of food poisoning without having to visit the doctor. Home remedies to treat Salmonellosis usually include fluid replacement, modifications in the diet, and use of over-the-counter anti diarrheal medicines.

Listed below are the most effective ways to treat Salmonellosis at home safely.

Taking Plenty of Fluids

Excess loss may result in severe dehydration. Water, oral rehydration solutions, energy drinks, herbal tea, broth, and juice are all good choices. You may feel nauseous and your appetite may be wrecked, but this is the best and foremost strategy to treat a Salmonellosis infection. Your body needs to have enough energy to fight the other symptoms as well.

Fasting/Avoid Eating

If the diarrhea is very severe, it is best not to consume anything solid for at least three days, unless you are hypoglycaemic. Sipping water, tea, chamomile or oral rehydration solutions is the best way to stay energized.

Eat Bland Foods

After about three to four days, an apple regime is recommended. This consists of eating raw, grated red apples (about nine) over a course of five meals. After doing this for a day, oats and rice cereal may be consumed. Spicy or salty foods will aggravate the already agitated lining of the digestive tract, thus eating a diet that contains soft and bland foods is the next step. Eat small portions which are divided among several meals such as steamed vegetables.

The ‘BRAT’ Diet

Milk products should be avoided, and a specific diet should be followed, which consist of Bananas, Rice, Applesauce, and Toast (BRAT). This help makes stools firmer and prevents dehydration as well.

Use Oregano Oil

The active ingredients in oregano oil have been identified as having antimicrobial properties. Among them is phenol, a substance that is known to destroy the bacteria that causes salmonella poisoning.

Relief from Abdominal Cramps

Placing a heating pad or a hot water bottle on the abdominal area often does the trick. Few drops of essential mint oil applied on the abdomen followed by covering the area with a hot cloth or blanket is also an effective way to soothe abdominal cramping.

Rest and Relax

Overexerting yourself will delay the time it takes for you to recover. This is especially true if there is severe diarrhea and vomiting. Resting and avoiding stress will help your body develop sufficient energy to fight off the salmonella infection naturally.

Additional Compounds

Certain components found in garlic, onions, leeks, chives and green onions have antimicrobial properties and can help the body fight off infection.

However, don’t sweeten the tea to avoid the taste of garlic, since sugar may encourage the growth of bacteria.

Herbal Tea

This medicinal recipe has been found to be useful in reducing inflammation and microbial growth. The recipe includes:

• 1 ½ oz of shredded liquorice root
• 1 oz of chamomile
• 5 oz of yarrow (milfoil)
• 1 oz of shredded astragals root
• 1 oz of thyme

Mix all these ingredients and pour one cup of boiling water over 1 tablespoon of the mixture. Leave for about ten minutes. Drinking three cups a day helps clear the system of salmonella infection.

See Also: How to Treat Food Poisoning at Home

Activated Charcoal

Activated charcoal aids in the absorption of poisons from the gut. Charcoal is obtained from the burning of various plant materials, which have been treated to increase their surface area and to make them porous. Consuming this substance will help prevent the diarrhea and vomiting from becoming too severe.

Salmonellosis generally does not require any medication, unless the diarrhea and vomiting become very severe and IV fluids or antibiotics need to be given. By following the simple remedies above, salmonella infections can be treated and cured with a few weeks.