Preksha Dhyana Human Body Part 2

Author(s): Jethalal S Zaveri
Publisher: Jain Vishva Bharati

Page 66

Food-poisoning
Food-poisoning is the result of eating foods or drinking water contaminated with bacteria or their toxins or with other poisons. The contamination may be introduced by the foodhandlers who might carry the germs in their nose, hands, nails etc. This illness is characterized by various combinations of nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps, diarrhea, fever and prostration and usually lasts for 12 to 24 hours. High standard of sanitation, particularly after excretion, proper cooking, adequate covering and refrigeration of foodstuffs prevent most bacteria-caused food-poisoning.
Constipation
The failure to have a regular bowel movement every day is viewed with alarm and quickly dosed with laxatives which when taken habitually can decrease the tone of the large intestine and set up a vicious cycle producing constipation. A frequent cause of the disorder is the habit of failing to respond to an urge to defecate, putting the action off until a more convenient time. The excessive resorption of water from the feces that occurs during constipation produces large, hard fecal masses that are difficult to pass. The straining that is necessary to eleminate them may give rise to haemorrhoids and anal fissures, which in turn cause pain and bleeding in later defecations promoting further constipation. Fruits, vegetables and whole grain cereals which contain a consdierable amount of indigestible fibre, have a stimulating effect on the bowel. Fats may also stimulate bowel function; undigested fats have a lubricating effect, while partially digested fats are mildly irritating to the intestinal walls and stimulate peristalsis.
Diarrhea
Diarrhea is an excessive elimination of semi-fluid feces. It may be the result of an infection in the gastro-intestinal tract or of excessive parasympathetic stimulation of large intestine. When infected, the irritability of the inflammed
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