Some think you’d have to be “nuts” not to worry about Salmonella, which has been found in a wide variety of food products — most recently peanut butter and pistachio nuts, but also vegetables, cantaloupe and assorted other good-for-you foods. It’s not limited to foodstuff however.
Protect yourself from Salmonella more easily
There are plenty of other ways you can pick up this nasty bacteria — including swimming in unchlorinated pools, drinking well water and even playing with animals. While it can be helpful to understand the many sources of possible exposure, what’s even more important to know is that fortifying your immune system — specifically in the digestive tract — goes far toward protecting yourself from the ill effects of Salmonella and other such illnesses. I spoke recently with several experts to learn what they advise regarding Salmonella exposure and protection.
SALMONELLA IS VERY COMMON
Though there are about 40,000 cases of salmonellosis illness reported yearly, the actual number of people who get sick from the bacteria may be as much as 30 times greater, I learned from Mark Sotir, PhD, a staff epidemiologist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Division of Foodborne, Bacterial and Mycotic Diseases. Some of the 2,300-plus serotypes of Salmonella bacteria are less virulent than others, which is one reason why many cases may go unreported.
Many people who are strong and healthy are able to fight off Salmonellanaturally, unaware that they even ingested it. In others, particularly those who are more vulnerable, an infection develops that usually causes diarrhea, abdominal cramps, vomiting and fever within eight to 72 hours after contact.
STRENGTHEN YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM TO FIGHT IT OFF
Andrew L. Rubman, ND, Daily Health News contributing editor, emphasized that as frightening and arbitrary as news reports may make it sound,Salmonella provides yet another example of how the most powerful way to protect yourself is by following all the health advice you are supposed to follow anyway. “Healthy people are more likely to have a stronger host resistance, which means they may never even know they were exposed, particularly if it is a less virulent strain of the bacteria,” he said. Eating healthy foods, including plenty of fresh ripe fruits and vegetables (well-washed, of course) and high-quality protein sources… chewing foods thoroughly to activate digestive enzymes… and avoiding acid suppression medication (which reduces the body’s ability to use its own natural defenses against such bacteria) are all strategies that help avoid illness, even with exposure to Salmonella, Dr. Rubman said. He also suggested that some specific nutrients may be helpful, including carotenoids (orange fruits and vegetables, such as apricots, carrots and sweet potatoes)… omega-3 fatty acids (fish, walnuts)… and zinc (crab, oysters and red meat and poultry — all properly cooked, it goes without saying). And don’t take antibiotics unless you absolutely must, as these weaken your reserves of good bacteria that naturally help fight off bad ones, like Salmonella.
OTHER PREVENTIVE STRATEGIES
Most of us are numbingly familiar with the advice on thorough cooking of meats and the importance of washing foods, hands, preparation utensils and so forth so I won’t bore you with all that. You may be less aware thatSalmonella risks are even greater in restaurants than in food you eat at home, though it’s unclear why that’s so. Tim Jones, MD, state epidemiologist with the Tennessee Department of Health, therefore advises being “picky” about where you eat, ordering food that is well-cooked and, in the event it isn’t and you need to send it back (a not uncommon experience, in my book), asking that it be served on a clean plate.
NOT JUST FOOD…
Be careful about other sources of exposure as well, as a new USDA-sponsored study reports that non-food risks are comparable in magnitude. The researchers found a strong association between recreational water exposure and intestinal infections, including Salmonella. They also found contamination of private well water and septic systems on residential properties.
Exposure to animals has also caused recent outbreaks. Dr. Sotir told me that reptiles naturally carry Salmonella bacteria in their intestinal tracts so touching them or their habitat can be a source of infection. Birds (chicks and ducks) and rodents (hamsters, mice and rats) also may carrySalmonella.
We worry about many things in our “age of anxiety” and, as often turns out to be the case, this is not one we need to be paranoid about. Taking care to live a healthy lifestyle and supporting your immune system with proper foods will go far for most people in providing protection against Salmonella, no matter where it may lurk.
Source(s):
Mark Sotir, PhD, staff epidemiologist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Division of Foodborne, Bacterial and Mycotic Diseases, Atlanta, Georgia.
Tim Jones, MD, state epidemiologist, Tennessee Department of Health, Nashville, Tennessee.
Andrew L. Rubman, ND, medical director, Southbury Clinic for Traditional Medicines, Southbury, Connecticut. www.naturopath.org.
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Reprinted with the permission of:
Bottom Line Publications/Daily Health News
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