Tag Archive | "infection"

Self-care and Natural Remedy for Yeast Infections

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Yeast infections can rebound and are unpleasant to start with so if you are dealing with one it is not hard to understand why you would want to know how to best rid yourself of it in a way that will minimize any side effects. Over the counter medications may give you unpleasant side effects such as: allergies, discoloration, drying of the skin, peeling, and redness. Many people are turning to self-help and natural remedies to treat their yeast infection.

Self-care tips:

There are some foods that actually encourage yeast growth so knowing what to avoid is the first step in preventing a rebound situation. Here are some to avoid:

Processed and junk foods

Sugar

Items that contain wheat or white flour

Margarine

Dairy products including milk

Beverages and foods that contain caffeine

Alcohol

Foods that will help you to combat the recurrence of yeast infections are: flax seeds, fruits and vegetables, nuts, poultry and fish, and whole grains.

Personal Hygiene:

Do not share bathing areas, pools, baths or any public place where you immerse your body.

Use a condom during sexual contact but avoid using those that use nonoxynol-9 lubricant.

Stay away from scented products such as sanitary napkins, body sprays and tampons.

Do not wear tight clothing including undergarments. Cotton clothing is best.

Natural Yeast Infection Remedies:

Garlic, Yogurt, and Tea Tree Oil have all shown to be helpful natural remedies for yeast infections.

Garlic – has been used as an antifungal and yeast killer for ages. To prepare – wrap the garlic in a piece of cheesecloth. If you do not have cheesecloth a piece of first aid gauze will do. Tie up the ends with dental floss so it is easier to remove in the morning. Place the wrapped garlic into the infected vagina overnight. This may take a few applications. Be really careful that you are not allergic to garlic because if you are allergic, do not do this remedy.

Many women have used yogurt for ages as a healthy snack and to get rid of yeast. It contains lactobacillus acidophilus, which produces hydrogen peroxide and that is an antibacterial. You must use the plain, non-sugared kind of yogurt and spread some on the infected vulva and vagina as you would a topical medication. Eating the yogurt helps too.

You can drink cranberry juice to lower your pH of your urine which in turn the acidity inhibits the yeast infection from spreading. Many women swear by vinegar douches.

Before inserting a tampon immerse it in tea tree oil mixed with olive oil or KY



How to Treat Cuts and Scrapes

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Scrapes and cuts happen to everyone, especially to little kids. (You should see my nieces and nephews. They are, collectively, one big scrape.) Usually, you don’t have to take someone to the ER to take care of a scrape from tripping over s tree root, but it’s still important to take care of the problem to avoid scarring and infection. Here are some good basic steps to follow:

A small scrape should stop bleeding on its own, but some light pressure with a clean washcloth will help with a cut that isn’t stopping easily. Make sure to hold the cloth down continuously for 20-30 minutes. If you check, you can pull out the clots that are preventing the bleeding. Wait until the bleeding has really stopped. Blood spurts or continued bleeding after the pressure are good signs that you need additional medical attention. Clean the cut or scrape thoroughly. Try not to get soap in the cut itself – if there are still bits of gravel in it after you rinse it with clean water, sterilize a pair of tweezers and pull out any pieces of gravel. Clean the area around the open sore with soap and water. You shouldn’t need any iodine or hydrogen peroxide to clean it thoroughly. Antibiotic ointments like Neosporin strength antibiotic ointment can help to keep out infection and cut down on the risk of scarring, so apply a thin layer of something like it immediately after cleaning and drying the cut. Use a bandage. This will keep out infection and will also help you to avoid breaking the cut open again. However, don’t keep it covered for more than a couple of days. Once the scrape starts to heal, let it have some air. It will heal faster. Change your bandage often – whenever it gets wet or dirty, or daily if it doesn’t. Gauze and paper tape will work if you are allergic to adhesive. Watch for infection. Make sure that you talk to a doctor if you see excessive redness, swelling, warmth or drainage. Get stitches for any cuts that are more that 1/4″ deep, are gaping, have jagged edges or have fat coming out. Anything that can’t be easily closed and taped should be stitched for quick healing and reduced infection. If the cut is deep or very dirty and it’s been more than 5 years since your last tetanus shot, get a booster.

Wound Care Of The Elderly – How To Administer First Aid To A Senior Citizen

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It is extremely hard work to maintain the health of an elderly member of the family. Often it is an uphill task and one feels frustrated with the lack of response in terms of the health of the aged member. Even with sheer hard work and dedication, if you manage to turn around the situation, there is always some setback with rise of a new health problem. Most of the elders due to their delicate physical conditions and especially those with mental or physical disabilities are susceptible to minor injuries. It is therefore, very essential for a caregiver to have basic knowledge of treatment for wounds and small injuries to deal with such situations.

The most common injuries are minor cuts and scrapes which may be the results of small accidents. These cuts and bruises may look harmless and at times, the elders may not even realize their existence. Such minor injuries may become quite serious in case of the elderly, if they are not treated in time. All such minor injuries should be cleaned, disinfected and dressed immediately upon happening. These wound should not be left unattended as infection may set in. It may sound ridiculous; after all, it is only a minor cut or scrape we are talking about. However neglecting to treat the wounds, may cause serious problems later on because, the infection takes place faster in case of older people.

Therefore, a caregiver must be extra vigilant and provide first aid to the elders as soon as possible.

The caregiver must attend a basic first aid course in the initial stages. The community colleges offer basic first aid courses that cover the relevant aspects of wound care for the elderly. Some of the course content is usually common sense, but it helps to be imparted practical training by an instructor, so that you can remember it when the need arises. Even if you have taken a first aid course earlier, it is advisable to take a refresher course that is more specific to elder care. These courses will also include training in wound care.

Another important aspect of wound care is ensuring that the individual has been given the preventive shots on schedule. The Tetanus shot is especially important, as tetanus is the most serious infection that can be contracted. A small open wound will help the infection to spread via the bloodstream. Thus, the most important aspect of wound care is prevention of infection.

Wound care is simple enough to learn for any caregiver, and it can be easily managed with a little practice. It is important to be aware of this aspect of elder care, because neglecting it will create problems which may become unmanageable in the future. Timely care of small injuries in the elderly will ensure great dividends in terms of their general well being and health.



Appendicitis In Kids – Tips To Deal With It

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Many kids get their vermiform appendix which is removed even before they reach the age of 14. The hazard begins to high-season when they become older. Majority of kids who undergo a surgery in the abdominal region is due to appendicitis, which is really the inflammation of appendix and because of this a finger-like tube is formed on the bottom right part of the large intestine. Vermiform appendix is situated at the blocked end of the large intestine, called the cecum, and qualifies too few inches. Although physicians tell that the vermiform appendix expels antibodies made by lymphatic tissues and isn’t a good deal to the body.

Appendicitis is marked by pain in the mid part of the abdomen, somewhere higher then the belly button. The spot will then swell after a couple of hours and it will cause terrible pain while touching on the stomach’s right side. The person may vomit and will get sickness. There will be a slight fever and problems like gas trouble and in stool passage. A few people, on seeing these symptoms, may take laxatives or clysters, misidentifying appendicitis for constipation. Self medication like this should be avoided, as in cases like these, these medications will steadily increase the hazard of the vermiform appendix bursting. Therefore it is recommended that a doctor is consulted before trying any medicinal drug, even pain killers. Not only do they increase the hazard, they also screen the symptoms and causes diagnosis more difficult. Whenever the symptoms shown by the kid are a similar to it, the kid must be taken to the physician for additional diagnosis immediately. The doctor studies the child’s history of digestive sickness first. Also, he must catch up with information around the symptoms, timing, movements and its absolute frequency, that is divulged. The stool is also checked for mucous secretion or blood. Kids, who can communicate might point out the position of painfulness in the stomach. Toddlers who have not started to talk or who pause to talk will lift their knees near to their chest, hips will get flexed and the stomach gets tender.

The real reason of this abnormal increase of the appendix remains unknown, and they can result in a blockage of sorts or infection of the intestines. The blockage may be made due to dense mucus development inside the appendix. A little of the stool may also get in. Due to mucous secretion, the stool gets inside, causing the swelling of appendix and if it is a contagion, then it should be cured immediately, as it may explode and there’s a risk of the infection passing around to different parts of the human body through the bloodstream which is why regular blood tests are made, so as to find out whether the infection gets propagated or not. The urinal test is made to rule out troubles in the urinal tract. The trouble is then confirmed along with the aid of a CT or an ultrasound. Some times children with pneumonia get the same symptoms and to clear things fair, even X-ray photography of the chest region is done. Medical aid is essential to be anticipated within 48 hours of the beginning of the abdominal muscle pain. Occasionally, abdomen gets mild inflammation, a long time before the infection is diagnosed.

Later on, on diagnosis, appendicitis is discovered and appendicectomy is done on the infected patient. The physician must at once order the consumption of antibiotic drugs before the operation is executed. Just in case of detained appendicitis, it can entirely be covered by antibiotics and operation will not be needed. This is because of mild inflammation and the organic structure itself conflicts with the infection. All the same as a precaution measure, such patients should be kept for observation until their shape gets stabilized. Whenever the appendix ruptures then appendicle gets perforated. Therein, a drain is tucked into the skin through the abscess on the aid of a CT scan or ultrasonography which passes the accurate location. Few people acquire complications afterwards like specified wound, infection and collection of puss within the vermiform appendix.



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