eczema vs. you

We all want to have a healthy skin. It doesn't necessarily need to be young looking or as soft as the baby's skin but at least it must be a skin that is free from any rashes, redness, scales, and lumps. Unfortunately, getting a glowing skin is quite difficult to achieve since there are numerous skin problems that exist. Among the most common is the ECZEMA.

Eczema or medically known as atopic dermatitis is a CHRONIC SKIN DISORDER which means that once you have it, you will have it forever. It is common  in people with asthma, allergies and those with family history. The category of eczema usually relies on its clinical characterisics. However, the most common type is the ATOPIC ECZEMA.

The characteristic of a skin with eczema is moderate to severe itchiness, swelling, redness, dry and scaly. In children, Eczema appearsmost often on the face, scalp, buttocks, thighs and torso. In adults, it usualy affects the eck, inner arms, inside the elbows, and the back of the knee.

HOME TREATMENT:

1. Usually, severe itchiness is triggered by stress, infection, over infection and allergy. Hence, all these stimulants must be avoided.
2. Keep the skin moisturized.
3.Take a brief daily bath with lukewarm water.
4.Use hypoallergenic ang gentle soap.  Physicians, usually recommend the use of DOVE.
5. After bathing, pat skin dry , do not rub for it may contribute to swelling and redness. Apply lubricating cream  to keep the skin  from  drying out.
6. An oral histamine like Benadryl is prescribed  to relieve itchiness. However, antihistamines in cream form must be avoided for it may irritate the skin more.
8. Wash the clothes and the bed linens using a mild detergent, avoid fabric softener for it  is irritating.

WHEN TO CALL A DOCTOR

1.If crusting or sors with discharge appear, infection is present.
2. If a red patchy rash appears on the face accompanied by joint pain and fever
3. If itching can't make you sleep and it can now interfere with your daily responsibility.

combat the asthma now!

I know many people who are afflicted with asthma. Three of them are even my relative while the other one is my boyfriend. I've witnessed them grasping their breath as asthma episodically attacks them. They seem to be a helpless and defenseless victims, lying on their bed and attached to oxygen for survival.

Asthma is a respiratory condition where the air passageways narrows making the patient complains of difficulty of breathing. The narrowing of passageways may be due to several factors, with allergy being the most common. Allergens such as dust,pollen, mold and animal dander are the most common etiologic agent that triggers the attack of asthma. However, stress, infection, changes in weather may also contribute.

When asthma attacks, the airways became inflamed and constricted, muscles surrounding the air tubes go into spasm, the mucous lining swells and secretions build up. The victim would then experience difficulty of breathing accompanied with a whistling sound in inspiration. In severe cases, the patient may become bluish and might loss her or his consciousness.

Most of the attacks happen at home, hence, all of the family member must be knowledgeable and skillful enough to provide first aid treatment. Here is some of the important list, we must do when someone get's into attack

WHAT MUST BE REMEMBERED:

1. Loosen all constricted clothing and provide air ventilation by opening windows and use of electric fan.

2. Remove the patient from the reason of the attack i.e if the asthma was triggered with cigarette smoking.

3. Assist the patient in taking her or his inhaler. (Asthmatic patients usually carries with them their inhaler.)

4. If you have a nebulizer, have the patient nebulized.

If after all the above treatment and the condition worsen, it is strongly recommend to bring the patient to the nearest hospital.

attack the dengue

With the increasing reported cases of dengue virus for the past few months, no one can blame why most of the people are now freaking out. I, myself, even bought anti-mosquito bracelet, always apply and reapply repellent lotion and I was even thinking of using cloth detergents that claims to protect us from the attack of mosquitoes.

As the Department of Health states, the death toll of dengue fever in our country had already reached 500 with most of its victims belongs to the younger group of the population.

With these alarming facts, the best prevention is nothing but a good knowledge. As a registered nurse, having a good background with regard to this issue, let me then share what each of us ought to know.

1. The dengue virus is carried by a FEMALE ONLY mosquito.
2. These FEMALE ONLY mosquito are LOW-FLYING and attacks in the morning.
3. They breed in a CLEAN and STAGNANT water.
4. There is NO approve and tested vaccine for dengue virus.
5. The aim of treatment for dengue fever is avoidance of its complications.
6. There is really NO treatment regimen for DENGUE, only supportive and symptomatic treatment.
7. Dengue fever can be managed at home.

Many might ask how come a fatal disease like dengue fever can actually be managed at home. To be honest, there is really no definite treatment or drugs that can combat the dengue virus. Physician will only treat the arising complication and its symptoms. Paracetamol is given if the patient is febrile, antacids are prescribed for patients complaining of stomach pain. However, the center of the treatment is HYDRATION. If the patient is hospitalized, he or she is maintained on IVF. However, if the patient is treated at home, oresol solution is prescribed to take every 30 minutes.

Oresol Solution can be avail in the all leading drug stores, however, it would be good to know, how to make a home-made oresol solution. Just remember the formula of 1-8-1.

in a 1 liter of water, dissolve 8 teaspoon of white sugar and 1 tablespoon of salt. Make the patient drink at least two glasses of the solution every hour. The solution must be consumed in the span of 24 hours, nevertheless, it must be discarded.

I FAINT YOU!

Faintness is defined as a brief loss of consciousness. It is a general symptom rather than a specific illness. Usually faintness is precipitated with dizziness, light headedness, a spinning sensation, a tingling sound in the ear and sudden cool and clammy skin. Many medical cases are attributed with faintness. The most common of which is the sudden drop in blood pressure, an abnormally low level of blood sugar, decreased in red blood cell and some conditions like pregnancy and ear problems.

DROP IN BLOOD PRESSURE – if you experienced faintness after rising from a sitting or lying position then postural hypotension is most likely the cause of your faintness. This is due to the sudden pooling of the blood from the upper portion of your body to the lower portion of your body.
Home treatment: if you suffer from this type of faintness, make it a habit of changing position slowly. Give your time at least five minutes in every position change. When coming from a lying position, sit first and dangle your feet before standing up. If above treatment doesn’t help, lie down and raised your leg. Put pillow under your legs, it should be higher than your head.

LOW BLOOD SUGAR – if you are diabetic or it had been a long time since your last meal, the cause of your faintness may be due to low level of sugar in your blood. Accompanied with faintness is trembling, blurring of vision, slurred speech and headache.
Home treatment – If you are a diagnosed diabetic patient, you should wear diabetic wristband which could aid rescuers to diagnose the cause of your loss of consciousness. Along with this, you should always carry glucose tablets, sugar or candy and soft drinks which you can eat to prevent the attack.


DECRESED IN RED BLOOD CELL – Red blood cell carries and delivers oxygen to the different parts of the body including the major organs such as brain. A decreased in the number of red blood cell is then synonymous with a lack of oxygen in the body. If your body particularly your brain lacks oxygen, it won’t work properly, you might then feel dizzy and faint.
Home treatment – Normally, your physician will request a complete blood count. This diagnostic test would then confirm whether you lack RBC. Once diagnosed, you will be prescribed with iron vitamins. Along with this, you should eat foods high in iron content. Examples of these are the green leafy vegetables and organ meats.


General treatment – to help someone who suddenly fainted, check first is the patient is breathing normally. Lay the person on his or her back and raised her or his legs as high as possible. Loosen any tight clothing, open the windows to allow air ventilation or when you are outside, and remove the patient from direct sunlight. Once the person regain consciousness have her or him to remain on the lying position for at least 15-30 minutes and remind that he or she should slowly change his or her position very slowly.

Insomia - why can't you sleep

Has it been hard for you to fall asleep when you go to bed at night? Do you often wake up during the night or very early in the morning and finding it to go to sleep again? If your answer is yes then you might be suffering from insomnia, a medical condition which refers to difficulty in sleeping.
Many conditions may affect one’s sleep pattern. A diet high in caffeine, for example, may make you feel more energetic thus you will find it hard to sleep. Stress also has something to do with our sleepless nights. Studies shows that people who had been feeling tense during the day feel unrested the following morning even after an eight our of uninterrupted sleep. A full stomach late in the evening is also not conducive to sleeping for it cause your body works overtime. On the other hand, sleeplessness is quite normal if you are pregnant. The condition of a pregnant woman make it hard for her to get a comfortable position to sleep into Also, the movement of the baby may keep her awake the whole night. Furthermore, pregnant women normally urinate more frequent thus, a need to get up from bed every night and then.
It is recommended to observe your usual sleep pattern. List down when did you experienced difficulty in sleeping, what have you eaten or what did you do the entire day prior to sleeping. This information will be helpful for your doctor once you seek medical help. On the other hand, below are list of some tips that might help you to avoid sleeplessness yet a visit to your doctor is still advised.
1. Take a warm bath. A warm bath instead of a shower helps to relax your mind and body.
2. Read recreational books that are not associated with your work or study. This helps your mind to divert your attention and thinking from your work to a more calm ideas.
3. Try to find new activities to during your extra waking hours. Strenuous exercises made your body work harder that it will get tired and will require you to have it rested by getting a good sleep at night.
Every people has different regimen to help them rest at night. Some drink warm milk, some listen to a relaxing music, while some watched relaxing movies. Try to discover your own regimen, however if after every effort and still you feel restless at night, consulting your physician is highly recommended.