Now that you're able to have some spinach again, you thought that it was safe to head back to the store. Forget that, dude. Now, my carrot juice obsession is going to take a significant hit because the US Food and Drug Administraton (FDA) has warned consumers to avoid carrot juice products from a certain California company due to a fourth case of botulism linked to this company.
Most people have heard of the word botulism, but really cannot describe what it is or what the symptoms are. I had to review this myself, because the only place I've seen this disease is in a textbook. As a public service announcement to you, the Doctor Anonymous reader, here are the symptoms of botulism along with a great link to the CDC with more information. Look out for those carrot juice drinkers!
The classic symptoms of botulism include double vision, blurred vision, drooping eyelids, slurred speech, difficulty swallowing, dry mouth, and muscle weakness. Infants with botulism appear lethargic, feed poorly, are constipated, and have a weak cry and poor muscle tone. These are all symptoms of the muscle paralysis caused by the bacterial toxin. If untreated, these symptoms may progress to cause paralysis of the arms, legs, trunk and respiratory muscles. In foodborne botulism, symptoms generally begin 18 to 36 hours after eating a contaminated food, but they can occur as early as 6 hours or as late as 10 days.