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Hey Peeps, this phytoplankton poisoning ain't no joke. In tropical regions, reef fish eat it and then are eaten by predator fish; fish like Tuna(Ahi)! After eating a big piece of fish at a Fourth of July barbecue, I'm not sure I will ever eat fish again. Constant diarehea for two weeks. Uggh.
Research shows that the bigger the fish is, the more poison it can carry. Ciguatera shows up as a neurotoxin in the host, and after ingestion can be stored in our fat cells for an eternity. There is no cure. Immune compromised people will be hit harder and for a longer duration (months or possibly years.) Maybe a dose of activated charcoal early on, could have nipped this in the bud but as it stands, I was a little late to that game. After a week it got worse so I did a couple of days of the charcoal which felt harsh on my system then moved to a regimen of acidophoulis before small meals, a cup of coconut water mixed with aloe vera juice (2tbsp daily) and spirulina mixed into a banana smoothie. Couldn't stomach anything at all the first week. Now all I can handle are breads and fats like cheese and butter. Weird right? Anything acidic is out, no tomato sauce and my fresh pineapple I watched grow for 6 months is now ripe and untouchable.
So prevention is the key. A friend of a friend got the illness from canned tuna. Apparently it doesn't matter how fresh or well cooked it is, even freezing doesn't affect the toxicity of the fish. I normally eat a good amount of Tuna and I think the reason I have never gotten sick before is that I always buy it fresh, myself. My rule is, if it isn't the color of rubies or garnets, don't buy it. At the party I attended, it was dark and I was half way done eating the darn thing before the chef said he had never cooked it before. Politeness got the better of me. Learning the hard way, as per usual.
