Protect Yourself from Salmonella and E Coli Naturally

Photo credit:  AP

Are you wondering when the next massive round of food-borne illness will occur?

36 million pounds of salmonella tainted ground turkey in the United States, a new, deadly strain of E. coli in Europe that killed 49 people, the massive salmonella tainted peanut butter recall of 2009 – with an industrialized food system that can potentially spread pathogens to every corner of the globe, you never know when you’ll be exposed to toxic bacteria in your food.

Know Your Pathogens

E coli (Escherichia coli) and Salmonella bacteria are commonly found in the digestive systems of humans and animals.  E coli 157:H7 bacteria is perfectly healthy and safe, as are many other strains.  The term “Salmonella” is used to cover roughly 2,000 similar types of bacteria, which vary in degrees of potential illness.  So why do some people get sick when exposed harmful bacteria, while other do not?

“It is not the germ that causes disease but the terrain in which the germ is found.”

The Biological Terrain Theory versus the Germ Theory of disease is more fully explained at The Health Advantage, but basically it amounts to a belief that a susceptible body falls ills while a healthy body can resist illness, even when exposed to pathogens.  I have seen the effectiveness of this theory demonstrated within my own family.  We don’t get sick very often, and when we do, it’s generally fairly minor.

If you have a digestive system that is populated by healthy bacteria, it becomes inhospitable to harmful bacteria.  The article “What Are Probiotics” states:

• Probiotics reduce the levels of harmful bacteria such as E.Coli and Salmonella by producing metabolic end-products that inhibit or antagonize them. These compounds include hydrogen peroxide, lactic and acetic acids. **
• Inhibiting levels of microbial pathogens: L. Acidophilus may inhibit pathogens by lowering the pH in the intestines. The production of organic acids effectively lowers intestinal pH to a level that is beneficial to good bacteria and destructive to pathogens.
• Protecting the immune system. Some research ( see link at right) shows that L. Bulgaricus and L. Casei are the truly effective strains for this function.
• Preventing establishment of harmful fungus and parasites: L. Acidophilus and B. Bifidus aggressively attach themselves to the walls of the colon. In doing so, they may inhibit Candida albicans, bacteria and the parasite Giardia lamblia.
• Lowering levels of toxic by-products: Harmful bacteria can produce toxins, such as indole, skatole, and methane because of their metabolic reaction to certain foods. Reducing their numbers may lower toxin levels in the colon.

The meat industry is starting to take note of this, and introducing probiotics to chickens and pigs to reduce the incidence of salmonella.

Introduce Probiotics Before You Become Ill

While I always consume probiotics during illness, maximum resistance to food-borne illness results from continually consuming live culture foods. Indeed, some studies have shown that introducing certain probiotics after salmonella has already infected the body does not improve healing.

What Do I Do If I’m Already Sick?

***If you are experiencing severe pain or other complications, pleas consult your healthcare practitioner.  I am not a doctor, I am only sharing what works for me and my family.

If you have stomach flu type symptoms and are not sure if your illness is viral or bacterial in nature, you may want to consult my post:  Coping With Stomach Flu Symptoms on Living Well Moms.

If you know that you are facing a bacterial illness, the book Herbal Antibiotics recommends the following:

Herbs for E. Coli treatment – Goldenseal, garlic, eucalyptus, cryptolepsis, juniper, acacia, sage, ginger, grapefuit seed extract

Herbs for Salmonella treatment -  Garlic, eucalyptus, wormwood, juniper, goldenseal, sage, ginger, acacia, grapefruit seed extract, Terminalia spp., Punica spp.

“Honey outperforms antibiotics”

(by Alternative Medicine Digest)

Researchers attending the First World Wound Healing Congress in Melbourne, Australia, learned that honey has outperformed conventional antibiotics in treating burns and infected caesarean sections. Honey can eradicate Salmonella, E. Coli and Helicobacter Pylori and even kill antibiotic-resistant bacteria including the hospital superbug MRSA. Not all types of honey work though. The most effective ones are manuka honey from New Zealand and jelly bush honey from Australia. It is believed that these varieties release hydrogen peroxide, which is deadly to microbes. Dr. Peter Molan of the University of Waikato in New Zealand has found that swallowing a teaspoon of manuka honey on an empty stomach will eradicate the bacteria H. pylori, which causes most stomach ulcers. – New Scientist

*Note:  I recently purchased a jar of manuka honey to have on hand for medicinal purposes after effectively treating a burn on my husband’s hand with honey.  When I felt a sore throat coming on, I held about a teaspoon of the manuka honey in my mouth until it dissolved each day for two days.  The sore throat disappeared.

General Guidelines for Avoiding Salmonella

Salmonella.org gives the following USDA recommendations for avoiding salmonella:

• Wash Hands and Surfaces Often
• Wash your hands, cutting boards, dishes etc with hot soapy water before handling food.
• Separate raw meat, poultry, and seafood from other foods in your refrigerator.
• Cook to Proper Temperatures
• Refrigerate Promptly

I also prefer wood cutting boards over plastic, as they are naturally antibacterial.

For a full product list of recalled turkey products, visit CBS News.

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