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Common
illnesses and accidents
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Back pain causes 13 million working days to
be lost in Britain each year. The spine, being made up of 24
fragile bones and associated cartilage and tendons, supports the
whole weight of the upper body, and therefore it is
understandable that it sometimes goes wrong. Because of the
complex nature of the spine it is advisable to consult your
doctor if back pain persists for more than a few days. If, as is
usual, the pain has been caused by abuse, i.e. lifting too heavy
weights etc., be sensible and take things easy. Take care to sit
as upright as possible with a support for the small of the back.
Take aspirin or paracetamol, which will not only relieve the
pain, but will help to relieve inflammation. Your doctor may well
prescribe stronger drugs, heat treatment, gentle exercise or
physiotherapy.
Apply large quantities of cold water to the
affected area as soon as possible and maintain this until the
pain subsides. This may take as long as 15 minutes! If the skin
is unbroken but blistered, apply a loose, dry dressing. If the
burn is larger than 4 or 5 inches in diameter, or if the skin is
broken, consult your doctor as soon as possible.
On the first day a rash appears as small
red patches about 3-4mm across. Within a few hours of these
developing, small blisters appear in the centre of these patches.
During the next 3 or 4 days further patches will appear, and the
earlier ones will turn "crusty" and fall off. Oily
calamine lotion may be applied to soothe the often severe
itching. Cool baths may also help. The most infectious period is
from 2 or 3 days before the rash appears and up to 5 days after
this date. Children may return to school as soon as the last
"crusts" have dropped off.
Even in this day an age there is still no
magic cure for the common cold. Go to bed, take plenty of drinks.
If you have a headache or are feverish, take aspirin or
paracetamol. Do not bother to take any antibiotics you may have
in the house - these will have no effect!
The main treatment aim here is to prevent
dehydration by drinking plenty of clear fluids. Vomiting usually
settles within a few hours, if it persists beyond 24 hours
consult your doctor. In adults and older children, Kaolin mixture
will help reduce the diarrhoea after the worst is over. Diarrhoea
in very young children and babies needs careful attention. Most
babies have loose bowel action during their first 6 months due to
their predominantly liquid diet. Sudden bouts of unusually watery
diarrhoea should be treated by taking the baby off solids and
feeding cooled boiled water. If the symptoms persist for more than 24
hours or are accompanied by vomiting or weakness, consult your
doctor.
Influenza is another virus infection. It causes
fever, aching, shivering and coughing. Usually it subsides in a
few days, but it may leave the sufferer feeling washed out for a
while. Treatment of symptoms with paracetamol and a cough linctus
is usually all that is possible. If you are concerned consult
your doctor, as complications are possible, particularly in the
elderly or infirm. For these groups of people a yearly
vaccination is advisable.
The rash appears during the first day and
usually covers the body, arms and legs in small pink patches
about 2-4mm and doesn't itch. No other symptoms are usually
present, apart from occasional aching joints. It is infectious
from 2 days before the rash appears, until the rash disappears in
about 4 or 5 days from that date. The only danger is to unborn
babies, and therefore it is important that all contacts are
informed in order that anyone who may be pregnant can contact
their doctor.
These creatures, contrary to popular belief,
prefer clean hair and are, therefore, not a sign of poor personal
hygiene. For advice, take your child to the health visitor at
Tweedmouth Clinic at 9.00am or 3.30pm Medicated
head lotion can be obtained from Tweedmouth Clinic free of charge
or from the chemist without prescription.
Antihistamine tablets can be obtained from the
chemist without prescription and will usually relieve most
symptoms. Note: Bee stings should be scraped away rather than
"plucked" in order to avoid squeezing the contents of
the venom sac into the wound.
This usually causes high temperature, cough
and sore eyes, before the typical rash appears. The rash is red,
blotchy and occurs on the face and trunk. It is contagious until
10 days after the rash began. Severe illness is unusual, but
complications can occur, so consult your doctor. It is strongly
recommended that every child is immunised by the MMR vaccine.
Symptoms are swelling of the glands in front
of one or other ear often followed, after a couple of days, be
swelling in front of the other ear. It is infectious from 2 or 3
days before the swelling appears until 8 or 10 days after that
day. If the pain is severe you should consult your doctor.
Wash the wound thoroughly with water and a
little soap. To stop bleeding, apply a clean handkerchief or
dressing firmly to the wound for about 5 minutes. Cover with a
clean dry dressing.
Sit in a chair (leaning forward with your
mouth open) and pinch your nose just below the bone for
approximately 10 minutes, by which time the bleeding should have
stopped. Avoid hot drinks or hot food for 24 hours. If symptoms
persist, consult your doctor.
Sore throats invariably get better within
a few days whatever treatment is given. Mostly they are caused by
viruses which do not respond to antibiotics. Take paracetamol and suck lozenges
for relief of symptoms.
Most attacks are not serious and are usually caused by
indigestion or wind. A hot water bottle will often relieve the symptoms and, in
the case of indigestion, a teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda in half a glass of
water will help. If the pain lasts for longer than 8 hours or increases in
intensity you should consult your doctor.
Treat as for other burns with cold water to
remove the heat. Calamine lotion will relieve the irritation,
whilst paracetamol will also help. Children are particularly
susceptible to sunburn and great care should be taken to avoid
over-exposure to the harmful effects of the sun.
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19 March 2006 |
