Wednesday, March 23, 2011
A SLICE OF LEMON...
I often rant on my blogs etc, but this time I decided to pass on something that concerns an issue that was unheard of to me, until today. Coincidence or not I decided to pass this on because I find this a HUGE risk factor.
Let me start by, today my family and I went out for a celebration at a restaurant and upon having water brought in to our table my mother noticed a simple slice of lemon already IN the water. That is when she told me, please ask the server to bring me another glass and with a fresh cut lemon in front of us.
I asked why...since that seemed strange to me and I knew to drink my water that way almost every time.
That is when instead of thinking that was another one of my mother's antics she then informed me of a VERY sad occurrence.
She told me a story related to that which made me RETHINK the way I will handle lemon and lime from now on in my life.
Not too long after that, we got home...and then while going through my e-mails my FATHER who is currently bed ridden and quadriplegic due to a very SUDDEN happening last year (mind you this happened within a matter of 3 days when he was perfectly healthy and all of a sudden ended up in the ICU for 94 days in a coma and upon waking he was quadriplegic and now recovering) either way back to the email he sent me that related the following:
" Please read this and pass it on to whoever you may know, considering I have fallen ill and until this day it is not known to us the true reason why I have initially fallen ill this serves as an alert that may save lives as I would not wish upon anyone to be in my situation or to end up dead in the worst case scenario"
Coincidentally the e-mail related to me the very same story my mother told me earlier today. But before I get to the story I asked her how she knew about this...she then told me she had learned about the story a while back while she was away through a friend. That being, she could not have possibly received the same e-mail my father forwarded me today.
Here is the story, specially if you are at the bars every night or have your drink often outside of your home...even IN your home and even your water with a hint of that lemon!
Please pay close attention and pass this blog message to WHOEVER you know who might find this useful.
" Lemon in your cup, alert your brothers, sisters, children, parents and friends...everyone. DO NOT keep sliced lemon around anywhere, including in the fridge.
Michelle Martins C. Muniz Physical Therapist Dermato Functional Dr. (<--- The person who wrote the e-mail)
I come through this e-mail to inform you of a disaster that unfortunately took place within my family.
I traveled with my brother last New Year's Eve (2010/2011). On Saturday 01/04/11 we went to a bar called IBIZA where a lot of beautiful young people were having fun and the environment was amazing.
Sunday morning my brother woke up with strong abdominal pain, high fever and muscular spasms. Immediately I knew that wasn't normal so I took him to the local hospital (H.S.I) since we were vacationing, a lot of exams, 4 days admitted to the hospital, I thought the Doctor's already knew what had affected him but were just speculating further therefore they were not yet telling me.
They brought up the suspicion of Salmonella, which I immediately knew couldn't have been since we had only had food at the vacation home and I was aware of the preparation.
On 01/08/11 unfortunately my brother passed away.
Since the Doctor's hadn't yet given us the full diagnosis I then got on the phone and contacted my attorney, who then called the hospital.
Then quite quickly we were able to have a meeting with the Hospital's Director.
To our surprise, this was the case: many bars and restaurants will serve their beverages from water, to soda, to beer specially the long neck types... and drinks with sliced lemons for that "special touch".
It was then that I decided to begin researching on my own as to what it could have been other than Salmonella.
Since I have a close friend who is also a biologist at the University that helped get to the bottom of my research faster.
Although breweries and beer labels and companies do not tell you or publish this type of research, the problem lies within the lemon slices that are not utilized as soon as they are cut.
Sometimes, in most cases they are sliced before the bars or restaurants even OPEN in the afternoon or morning and lasting through the days and nights...
The citric acid when in contact with the preservatives and stabilizers of the beer are basically a "paradise" of breeding grounds for the micro organisms already existing in the beer ( Sacarovictus Coccus Cevabacillus ativus) becoming then a lethal poison of the "draft" type.
The result is the production of an organism completely toxic to our body.
And my only suggestion is that you kindly ask your bartender or server to please slice the lemon in front of you and possibly wash the lemon prior to slicing. As long as you may watch the lemon being sliced and freshly in front of you.
This is meant to do nothing more than alert the population and prevent further intoxications and possibly death.
Help me save other lives since I was not able to help save my own brother's and pass this information on."
And that was the end of the e-mail.
Besides sadness that comes with the e-mail I am now aware of something that I can help others, specially my booze loving friends and family prevent in the near future. Do the same and please pass this on.
Give them the link to this blog entry of mine and alert whoever you may find needs to hear this.
Now I will get going...and never keeping sliced lemons in the fridge along with asking for freshly sliced lemons in front of me next time.
<3
