BajaNomad - KILLING BACTERIA ?

KILLING BACTERIA ?

BAJA.DESERT.RAT - 2-24-2010 at 05:49 PM

HOLA, got this email today with a whole string of receivers and senders. this was the best topic i could find. no, i didn't snopes it...

ONIONS -- Who Would've Thought?

In 1919 when the flu killed 40 million people, there was a doctor who visited many farmers to see if he could help them combat the flu. Many of the farmers and their family had contracted it, and many died.

The doctor came upon one farmer, and to his surprise, everyone in the household was very healthy. When the doctor asked what the farmer was doing that was different, the wife replied that she had placed an unpeeled onion in a dish in the rooms of the home (probably only two rooms back then). The doctor couldn't believe it and asked if he could have one of the onions and place it under the microscope. She gave him one, and when he did this, he did find the flu virus in the onion. It obviously absorbed the bacteria, therefore, keeping the family healthy.

Now, I heard this story from my hairdresser in AZ. She said that several years ago many of her employees were coming down with the flu and so were many of her customers. The next year she placed several bowls with onions around in her shop. To her surprise, none of her staff got sick. It must work... (And no, she is not in the onion business.)

The moral of the story is, buy some onions and place them in bowls around your home. If you work at a desk, place one or two in your office or under your desk or even on top somewhere. Try it and see what happens. We did it last year, and we never got the flu.

If this helps you and your loved ones from getting sick, all the better. If you do get the flu, it just might be a mild case....Whatever, what have you to lose? Just a few bucks on onions!

Now there is a P.S. to this, for I sent it to a friend in Oregon who regularly contributes material to me on health issues.. She replied with this most interesting experience about onions: Thanks for the reminder. I don't know about the farmer's story...but I do know that I contracted pneumonia, and needless to say I was very ill. I came across an article that said to cut both ends off an onion. Put one end on a fork, and then place the forked end into an empty jar...placing the jar next to the sick patient at night. It said the onion would be black in the morning from the germs. Sure enough, it happened just like that...the onion was a mess, and I began to feel better.

Another thing I read in the article was that onions and garlic placed around the room saved many from the black plague years ago. They have powerful antibacterial, antiseptic properties.

This is the other note: LEFTOVER ONIONS ARE POISONOUS! I have used an onion which has been left in the fridge. Sometimes I don't use a whole one at one time, so I save the other half for later. Now with this info, I have changed my mind. I will buy smaller onions in the future.

I had the wonderful privilege of touring Mullins Food Products, makers of mayonnaise. Mullins is huge, and is owned by 11 brothers and sisters in the Mullins family. My friend, Jeanne, is the CEO. Questions about food poisoning came up, and I wanted to share what I learned from a chemist. The guy who gave us our tour is named Ed. He's one of the brothers. Ed is a chemistry expert and is involved in developing most of the sauce formula. He's even developed sauce formula for McDonald's. Keep in mind that Ed is a food chemistry whiz.

During the tour, someone asked if we really needed to worry about mayonnaise. People are always worried that mayonnaise will spoil. Ed's answer will surprise you. Ed said that all commercially-made mayo is completely safe. "It doesn't even have to be refrigerated. No harm in refrigerating it, but it's not really necessary." He explained that the pH in mayonnaise is set at a point that bacteria could not survive in that environment. He then talked about the quintessential picnic, with the bowl of potato salad sitting on the table and how everyone blames the mayonnaise when someone gets sick.

Ed says that when food poisoning is reported, the first thing the officials look for is when the 'victim' last ate ONIONS and where those onions came from (in the potato salad?). Ed says it's not the mayonnaise (as long as it's not homemade mayo) that spoils in the outdoors. It's probably the onions, and if not the onions, it's the POTATOES.

He explained, onions are a huge magnet for bacteria, especially uncooked onions.. You should never plan to keep a portion of a sliced onion. He says it's not even safe if you put it in a zip-lock bag and put it in your refrigerator.

It's already contaminated enough just by being cut open and out for a bit, that it can be a danger to you (and doubly watch out for those onions you put on your hotdogs at the baseball park!)

Ed says if you take the leftover onion and cook it like crazy you'll probably be okay, but if you slice that leftover onion and put it on your sandwich, you're asking for trouble. Both the onions and the moist potato in a potato salad will attract and grow bacteria faster than any commercial mayonnaise will even begin to break down.

So, how's that for news? Take it for what you will. I (the author) am going to be very careful about my onions from now on. For some reason, I see a lot of credibility coming from a chemist and a company that produces millions of pounds of mayonnaise every year.

Also, dogs should never eat onions. Their stomachs cannot metabolize onions.

Please remember it is dangerous to cut onions and try to use it to cook the next day. It becomes highly poisonous for even a single night and creates toxic bacteria which may cause adverse stomach infections because of excess bile secretions and even food poisoning.

Please pass this on to all you love and care about..

worth a try ?

BIEN SALUD, DA RAT

irenemm - 2-24-2010 at 06:01 PM

Wow
thank you very much
i will do as the chemist says and put the cut onion out to catch the bacteria
again thank you

mtgoat666 - 2-24-2010 at 06:29 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by BAJA.DESERT.RAT
ONIONS -- Who Would've Thought?

total BS. what is point of posting such nonsense? :?:

DanO - 2-24-2010 at 06:38 PM

Snopes sez . . . FALSE. Wash your hands.

http://www.snopes.com/medical/swineflu/onion.asp

Skipjack Joe - 2-24-2010 at 06:41 PM

Unbelievable! It's as though the last 150 years never happened.

very interesting

desertcpl - 2-24-2010 at 06:50 PM

got my eyes opened

let talk about the mayonnaise

a number of years ago,, we became very good friends with Captain Bill,, he was a sailing Captain and traveled all over the world in his small sail boat,, he brought up one night about mayonnaise as he didnt have refrigeration on his boat,, he told us Mayo would keep for along time with out it,, but what would make it go bad was introducing bacteria into it,, like when you would use it with a knife or spoon and not cleaning it before going back into the jar

mulegemichael - 2-24-2010 at 06:53 PM

O MY GAWD...how did this post git through the filters????

shari - 2-24-2010 at 07:03 PM

I always wondered about not refridgerating mayo...mexicanos just leave it out...hmmm...makes sense though about the onions...they sure stink after chopped ones sit around for a bit.

Bob and Susan - 2-24-2010 at 07:44 PM

shari...its NOT true

look at dano's link...

mulegemichael - 2-24-2010 at 08:04 PM

thanks, bob/susan..you got it

old Folk Remedies

Mulegena - 2-24-2010 at 10:07 PM

(not to be confused with old folks' remedies or old wives' tales/tails)

This reminds me of a childhood memory told to me by an older friend: He remembers being deeply scratched by a nail when he was a youngster. His father, who was born and bred in backwoods Arkansas before the turn of the 20th century, took the nail, put salve on it (not on the boy's wound) and placed it prominently on the mantle of the fireplace and declared the child would now get well because they had "treated" the offending object. In due course the potentially deadly scratch did heal without complications.

This must be an example of the power of positive thinking (and picking up the damn nail so it wouldn't hurt anybody again).

durrelllrobert - 2-25-2010 at 10:41 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by irenemm
Wow
thank you very much
i will do as the chemist says and put the cut onion out to catch the bacteria
again thank you

cut half of onion is great for cleaning/ killing bacteria on BBQ grill :coolup:

BAJA.DESERT.RAT - 2-25-2010 at 12:20 PM

Hola,

mulegemichael, sorry that it didn't get filtered out by ME ! i received this from a very ( i thought ) source and didn't check it out.

at least, there were some other items of interest discussed.

is there a good recipe for cooking and eating crow ?

BIEN SALUD, DA RAT

DanO - 2-25-2010 at 12:23 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by durrelllrobert

Quote:

Originally posted by irenemm
Wow
thank you very much
i will do as the chemist says and put the cut onion out to catch the bacteria
again thank you

cut half of onion is great for cleaning/ killing bacteria on BBQ grill :coolup:

Not sure about killing bacteria (fire usually does that), but I do use an onion half to get the fine particles my grill brush misses (after heating the grill first).

elizabeth - 2-25-2010 at 12:30 PM

yeah, and garlic gets rid of vampires....

marv sherrill - 2-25-2010 at 04:57 PM

Original post - Anyone notice that you cannot see viruses through a microscope unless it is an electronmicroscope - not many of those on the farm in 1919......

k-rico - 2-25-2010 at 05:19 PM

I use Cipro to kill bacteria, works great and is available over the counter in Mex. All Mex first aid kits should have some.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ciprofloxacin

ELINVESTIG8R - 2-25-2010 at 05:22 PM

What, the onion thingy is not true? I have onions all over my house now and the strench is running my animals to the door to get out! Geeesh time to throw them all out!

Bajahowodd - 2-25-2010 at 05:35 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by ELINVESTIG8R
What, the onion thingy is not true? I have onions all over my house now and the strench is running my animals to the door to get out! Geeesh time to throw them all out!

Was thinking the same thing while reading the posts. Onions are not exactly scent-neutral. Gotta wonder if there's an appropriate tradeoff.

Bajahowodd - 2-25-2010 at 05:37 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by k-rico
I use Cipro to kill bacteria, works great and is available over the counter in Mex. All Mex first aid kits should have some.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ciprofloxacin

So, do you open the capsules and sprinkle the contents on your onions? :lol:

DENNIS - 2-25-2010 at 05:40 PM

Mexicorn knows all about infection and other things. Where is he?

LOSARIPES - 2-25-2010 at 05:42 PM

My neighbor uses a Cambray Onion collar.... she may not look very cute or smell very sexy but she never sneezes.... healthy lady!!

grmpb - 2-25-2010 at 09:25 PM

so ah if i buy an onion at the store and it has been there 2 or 3 days it has picked up all the germs from everyone that has been in the store? :?:

Skipjack Joe - 2-26-2010 at 12:06 AM

... not to mention the ones it got from all the critters in the dirt before being harvested.

irenemm - 2-26-2010 at 01:09 AM

well at least i can use it to clean the grill
thanks

Sharksbaja - 2-26-2010 at 01:40 AM

I always wondered why so many restaurants fail.

It's been the f*cking onions the whole gawddamn time!!!

vandenberg - 2-26-2010 at 09:26 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by grmpb
so ah if i buy an onion at the store and it has been there 2 or 3 days it has picked up all the germs from everyone that has been in the store? :?:

Wrong!!

The attraction doen't happen till you take the skin off. :lol:

I do remember as a kid, you could make yourself sick by holding a cut onion in your armpit. A way to skip school, although not too bright a one.

bajajudy - 2-26-2010 at 09:35 AM

Didnt anyone read the Snopes article?
This onion thing is pure BS :wow:

Sharksbaja - 2-26-2010 at 02:21 PM

Shhhhhh............ :biggrin:

elizabeth - 2-26-2010 at 04:03 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by bajajudy
Didnt anyone read the Snopes article?
This onion thing is pure BS :wow:

Snopes is correct about onions, but they haven't proved to me that garlic doesn't repel vampires...I have proof. For as long as I've kept garlic in the house, there hasn't been a single vampire. Works for chupacabras, too.

wessongroup - 2-26-2010 at 04:25 PM

Thanks elizabeth... always a pleasure... and humor too..

maybe this time..

[Edited on 2-26-2010 by wessongroup]

WTF?

Dave - 2-27-2010 at 05:04 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by BAJA.DESERT.RAT
He explained, onions are a huge magnet for bacteria, especially uncooked onions.. You should never plan to keep a portion of a sliced onion. He says it's not even safe if you put it in a zip-lock bag and put it in your refrigerator.

I've kept cut into onions refrigerated for up to 2 weeks. Done it forever.

I'm still here.

schwlind - 2-27-2010 at 05:43 PM

This is what a friend of mine had to say about this...

This scientist can tell you that a country doc could not see a virus through his microscope. I cannot see them thru mine. Only electron microscopes are powerful enough, super expensive and huge. It is very true about mayonnaise. The vinegar in it acts as a preservative. I wouldn't store it at room temp though, because the oil in it will oxidize and loose it's good flavor. I don't buy any of the onion/garlic story though. Sounds like internet legend. Onions aren't poisonous. I eat old ones from the frig all the time.

Did you know that white vinegar mixed with bleach (greatly diluted with water) is a powerful germ killer? It works on viruses and bacteria.

roadhog - 2-27-2010 at 08:34 PM

Many complaint on mexican vegtables. Contracted flu following first Mx vegtables I ate.
I am using isopropyl alcohol on all vegtables eaten raw. Iso, wipe/rubout with paper towel, rinse with clean water.
No essentail bacteria and maybe less or no shipping wax.
Also, iso the knife handle-blade juncture where bacteria colonize. Brush that out. If the 'runs' or 'water tummy ' were experienced on the road or camping, the knife handle colony is suspect.