It is an acute inflammatory disease of gastrointestinal tract.

Cause

It caused by the ingestion of food contaminated with either toxin producing bacteria or by their performed toxins or chemical substances or other poisonous food substance.

Clinical Feature

Clinically it is characterized by by short incubation period.

• Pain in the abdomen
• Vomiting
• Diarrhoea
• With or without fever.

Classification of food poisoning

1. Non bacterial
2. Bacterial

1.Non bacterial

• Mushroom poisoning
• Solanine poisoning
• Chemical poisoning

2.Bacterial

• Infective
• Toxins

Investigation

• Sample of suspected food
• Vomitus and stools of the patient for culture in aerobic and anaerobic media.
• Serological test of the blood of the affected person.
• Culture of the stools and urine of the food handlers and kitchen employees.
• Time of onset of symptoms
• Collection of basic data

Prevention

• Kitchen and dining hall must be clean and dry.
• Utensils should be thoroughly washed with soap and hot water.
• Eating the food while hot.
• Refrigerator of remaining food.
• Proper storage  grains.
• Maintain proper hygiene. 
• Handwash before cooking and eating.
• Protection of food from rodents,insects and bare- hand.

Homeopathic Remedies For food poisoning

1. Nux vomica
2. Arsenic
3. Veratrum
4. Ipecac
5. Calc carb

Nux vomica

It is a best remedy food poisoning.

Patient is suffering from vomiting and diarrhoea.

Best suited to the person who has sedentary lifestyle.

Putrid and Bitter taste in mouth in the morning.

Gastric upset caused by coffee, alcoholic drinks, debauchery, abuse of drugs, business, anxiety, sedentary habits, broken rest from long night watching, too high living.

Sour taste

Heartburn

Craving for fats, alcohol, beer.

Patient feels "only if I could vomit I'd feel much better." 

Frequent desire for stool,stool is offensive and watery, passes a little quality at a time with temporary satisfaction.

Urge for stool comes in the morning after rising from the bed or immediately after eating some food.

Anti - peristaltic action of bowel.

Aggravation after eating and drinking, alcohol.

Arsenic album

Diarrhoea causes eating and drinking, cold food, delayed food sausages, alcohol.

Profuse vomiting and purging.

Watery stools with intolerance offensiveness the person starts performing his task, diarrhoea disappears and the patient feels fine.

Intense abdominal pain causing the patient to twist and turn.

Stool dark black offensive.

Stool with burning in anus.

Thirst- Intense thirst but drinks little at a time.

Patient is prostrated with cold sweat and cold extremities.

Intense restlessness and fear of death.

Aggravation after eating and drinking, midnight Amelioration by warm application.

Veratrum alb

Diarrhoea causes fright, impure, drinks, tobacco.

Profuse vomiting, sweat and diarrhoea.

Cramps with cholera, cold and clammy sweat all over the body.

Profuse rice watery stool which gushes out.

Thirst- Intense and drinks large quantities of cold water.

Best suited to hippocratic face, blue and pale face with sunken cheeks and eyes.

Patient is cold as if dead excessive weakness.

Aggravation - Eating, drinking and least motion.

Ipecac

Adapted to cases where gastric symptoms predominant.

Pale face with blue rings around the eyes.

Persistent nausea which nothing relieves-not even vomiting.

Gastritis with colic  due to rich and fatty food. 

Clean tongue.

Profuse salivation.

In acute gastritis caused by rich food (pastry, pork, fruits, ice-cream) with nausea and vomiting.

Thirstlessness is marked.

Constant nausea

Vomit just after eating.

Vomiting of foods and drinks taken in followed by bile, mucus with morning sickness.

Distress in stomach.

Grass green fermented stools.

Colic of gripping character about the umbilicus.

Diarrhoea may be associated with tenesmus indicating catarrah of the lining of membrane of bowels.

Tenesmus with smarting, burning and constant nausea upon the stool.

While straining at stool the pain is so great that nausea comes on and he vomits bile.

Loss of appetite with disgust for food, cold extremities, imperceptible pulse, profuse discharge of cold and clamy sweat.

Calc carb

Best suited to fat,fair, flabby person.

Bloated abdomen

Very chilly patient

Enlarged and flabby abdomen with general emaciation

Diarrhoea after taking cold

Copious watery,whitish, sour, foetid stool with undigested food particles is a sure indication of calc carb.

The selection of homoeopathic remedies based on symptom similarities and doses according to the Susceptibility of patient.

Don't take homoeopathic medicine without any prescription / without any advise of physician.