Archive for category Health Care Tips

Sunstroke – Home Care and Treatment

Heat stroke [hyperthermia] can be life threatening if ignored; it is generally caused by the lack of the body’s ability to cope with the sudden & continued rise of its own temperature. This is usually because of prolonged exposure to the sun, low fluid intake & lack of perspiration [person not sweating enough], which generally cools the body down.

During the summer months millions of people are exposed to severe heat, be it in the work place [outdoor laborers], on the sports field or on the beach, great care needs to be taken to prevent dehydration & other heat-connected complaints. Young children & the aged are prone to heat stroke & care should be taken in ensuring they are not exposed for a prolonged period.

Symptoms

These may vary from person to person but the common indicators are as follows:

* lack of perspiration
* flushed red skin
* dehydrated skin
* elevated temperature
* hallucinations
* bizarre activities
* illusions
* anxiety & nervousness
* convulsions
* loss of consciousness

Causes

Summer has extremely high temperature & humidity levels, the following points could cause the person to get the condition:

* over exercising – try to limit your outdoor activities from 11 am to 2 pm [the main heat of the day]

* over dressed – summer clothing should be worn during this time

* lack of fluids – remember to drink at least 2 liters of water a day, if you are in the sun increase this by as much as 2 liters

* excessive alcohol intake – drinking is the sun is not a very good idea as alcohol has a dehydrating effect & combined with the sun could dehydrate you in minutes

* cardio vascular problems
* dysfunctional sweat gl&s
* some medications
* pregnancy
* obesity
* chronic medical conditions

This condition can come on very unexpectedly; if the person is showing signs of heat exhaustion, it is very important that they see a doctor as soon as possible.

Home remedies

* ensure the patient is move out of the sun & into a cool area to encourage active cooling

* remove any restrictive clothing [all if possible but remember the patients dignity]

* position the person in such a way that the airway remains open [revival position]

* start lowering the body temperature, use a direct fan [if available], start cool sponging with a damp towel as soon as possible

* give the patient as much fluid as they can possibly swallow, make up an electrolyte balance of 1 liter of water, 1 teaspoon salt & 2 teaspoon glucose or sugar, mix well & try get the patient to drink it all [in small sips & repeat as long as the patient is showing signs of the heat exhaustion]

The patient should start feeling a little better after the above but remember this is a very serious condition & it is advisable to get the patient to the emergency room or your doctor for further treatment.

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Health Care Tips at Home For the Elderly

The number one reason for needing home health is when care of an elderly person becomes too much for family members to bear alone. This is especially true with those patients that need special care due to illness.

Alzheimer’s disease is a tragic slow deterioration of someone’s mental faculties. With this disease people often lose the ability to care for themselves. It quickly overwhelms family members and they turn to help. Home health care for the elderly is one of the answers to this problem. A home health care nurse can help with daily monitoring of these patients. Often an Alzheimer’s patient will tend to wander and get lost. Home health nurses are able to be an extra pair of eyes in this event.

Many times elderly patients don’t want to live in nursing homes or retirement communities. This is another reason for home health care for the elderly. It gives the patients a sense of self to know they can stay in their home instead of an institution. It’s common for these people to have living wills and instructions for their final times. Home health nurses are often saddled with the responsibility of making these difficult decisions when the time comes. From that moment on they stay in the home full time until the death occurs.

Aside from physical care, home health care for the elderly can provide emotional support for the entire family. This is a trying time for all involved and it’s not unusual for it to be the first experience with death for many. Add the fact that it’s a parent and the family is often grieving before the actual death. Home health nurses have been trained in grief counseling and emotional support. They’re by no means professionals in that field but they certainly understand how to handle someone going through these tough times. They often get emotionally involved in their patients as well, so they mourn the passing with the family.

Home health care for the elderly has no set time limit. Usually the nurses are called in for the last weeks or months of someone’s life. Sometimes this assignment can last for years. Nobody can definitely pinpoint how long a disease will last or when someone’s time is up. This is why dedication is extremely important. People who can’t handle it are weeded out quickly, leaving only the best in the field. Families depend on their home health nurse for guidance and support. It takes a truly special person to be able to shoulder these responsibilities.

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Eye Health Care Tips For a Clear View

It’s a strange old world that we live in, isn’t it? Why is it that the population of the world still continues to have sight problems and why is vision loss on the increase? You’d think that the opposite would be true with the number of medical advances being made seemingly every day. Ironically, many researchers believe that about half of all blindness could be prevented! Eye health care, therefore, is obviously very important to everybody.

What causes these serious vision problems? Here’s a short list:

1. Age-related macular degeneration.

2. Diabetic retinopathy.

3. Cataracts.

4. Glaucoma.

It appears that more and more people are falling victim to these eye disorders every day.

Eye Health Care Tips

It’s important to prevent vision problems before they have chance to develop. Prevention is definitely better than cure and eye care is superior to eye cure. So, what can you do? Well, getting plenty of vitamins, especially vitamin A, is essential. Also, a decent supply of minerals will prove to be beneficial. Eye exercises can also help to keep your vision in tip-top condition.

Proper eye health care can slow down the natural degenerative processes of the eyes as we grow older. In particular, macular degeneration can be reduced with the correct preventative treatments. With correct eye exercises and good nutrition, it is possible to reduce the affects of injury, accident, disease and vision loss caused by strain.

Vitamins, minerals and many foods can play a major part in maintaining eye health care. There seems to be a direct link between nutrition and the health of your vision. There are many tips and exercises to be aware of. Start early, in childhood, and avoid eye strain caused through reading. Remember, children have the added burden of learning new words, learning how to scan text and other new reading skills that need developing. Make sure there is plenty of light to read by and experiment with different colored backgrounds to the text. There is evidence that, for some kids, a white background (ie paper!) is too glaring against black text, especially if there is a tendency towards dyslexia. Avoid glare and try a cream-colored paper! Taking the right precautions when young can prevent a multitude of eye care problems in later life.

Which Supplements are the Best?

Vitamins A, C and E all play their part in looking after your eyes. Consider these eye care nutrition tips:

1. Vitamin A: can reduce cataracts and night blindness.

2. A lack of vitamin A has been linked to corneal ulcers and blindness.

3. Vitamin E: can reduce the risk of cataracts and macular degeneration.

4. Vitamin C: needed to reduce the pressure in glaucoma, to resist the onset of cataracts, and to slow down the effects of degeneration caused by aging.

In short, vitamins are extremely important in the fight to maintain eye health care. They are rich in antioxidants and thus reduce the effects of oxidation which can lead to the destruction of healthy tissue.

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