Three C's of Minor Wound Care

 

Fall Down And Go Boom

Minor cuts, scraped knees, and small puncture wounds are hard to avoid.  Most of these minor injuries can be treated at home.  Follow the three C’s of minor wound care to speed healing and avoid infection.

The 3 C’s of caring for minor cuts, scrapes, and puncture wounds:

1.     Control Bleeding

a. Apply direct pressure to a cut or scrape to stop the bleeding.

b. Allow a minor puncture wound to stop bleeding on its own, unless the bleeding is heavy as this may help cleanse the wound.

2.     Clean the Wound

a. Kill germs and remove the dirt by washing the wound with warm water and soap.

b. Soak a minor puncture wound in warm, sudsy water for several minutes.  Repeat this at least twice per day every day.

3.     Cover the injury

a. Hold the edges of a cut together with a butterfly bandage

b. Apply antibiotic ointment

c. For a cut or scrape, apply an adhesive bandage or clean gauze and tape it in place.

d. Cover a minor puncture wound with gauze to absorb drainage and let in air to help with healing.

*If you are experiencing heavy bleeding or your wound is not healed within a couple of weeks, see your health care provider.

A Blog By Any Other Name

How important is a blog’s name?  It could make all the difference between attracting potential followers and being passed by with nothing more than a click and a yawn.  Our Banana Moments follows several hundred different blogs and each was initially chosen based on their intriguing names.  Of course, a striking name is only the beginning.  While a riveting name may lure potential followers, equally compelling content will keep them coming back.  Here are 15 blogs we follow with provocative monikers and content to match.  Which blogs with catchy names do you follow?

✓                           Bad Ass Chicks That Bite

✓                           Just add whine.....

✓                           Christians... Criminals ... and Chickens

✓                           Cluster Love

✓                           Flipside: Sanity is Overrated

✓                           magmt-simpleguyblog

✓                           maple bacon and beavertails

✓                           Moose tracks and Tater stacks

✓                           Older Mommy, Still Yummy

✓                           Moderate to Severe

✓                           The Redhead Riter - Witty, Intelligent & Addictive

✓                           Sober Julie Doing Life

✓                           Peace Love & Poop

✓                           The New Sexy!

✓                           BlackBerry Mama

                        

What Happened to Your Feet? Inside Fungal Infections

*I first published this article as What Happened to Your Feet? Inside Fungal Infections on Blogcritics.

Interestingly enough, a fungus is a kind of plant many of which we eat. Mushrooms, mold, and mildew are examples of fungi. Fungi live in air, in soil, on plants, and in water, and on our bodies. Fungus grows best on warm, damp skin.  Given all the many places that fungi grow, it’s no wonder catching a nail infection can appear very easy.

According to Richards (2011), the fungus that infects the nail usually spreads from infected skin close to the nail.  Risk factors for catching a fungal nail infection are diabetes, immune system weakness, participating in contact sports, swimming and frequent contact with animals. 

Fungul Infection Symptoms

Infected nails are by far not attractive and no amount of manicures and pedicures will beautify or camouflage a raging infection.  Infected nails are brittle, thickened, ragged, and yellow or brown. Because they are brittle, they may lift, crumble, or flake.  If you suspect a nail infection, see your healthcare provider. If your infection is mild, your provider may prescribe a topical medication.  More severe infections may require taking pills by mouth. Your medications may come with instructions to take until the nail grows all the way out and there is no longer any sign of the fungal infection.  Fingernails usually grow out within six months, twelve months for toenails. 

Fungal Infection Prevention

Keep your hands and feet as dry as possible. Change socks often. Wear shoes that breathe well. Avoid going barefoot in public places, such as shower stalls and locker rooms at the gym. It is best to wear shower shoes in public showers and clean them often.

Richards, T. (2011). Onychomycosis.  NursingConsult, (2011), . 

The Mayo Clinic (2010), Nail Fungus

 

Moms, Taking Blogging by Storm!

By far SAHM (Stay At Home Moms) have taken the blogging community by storm. According to Williamson (2010), the number of moms who blog is 32 million in the US alone. It is speculated that daily, more new blogs are created by aspiring moms than any other specialty group. It would appear that SAHM bloggers have plenty of support for their fledgling blogs via social networking sites such as Bloggy Moms, The Blog Frog, SocialMoms, The MomBlogs, and Moms Buzz. With so many moms blogging what is the best way to insure unique content?

Written by Mom

Pregnancy is a common starting point for enterprising mommy bloggers. Blogs written by first time child-bearers chronicling the woes of pregnancy that mature into blogs covering the joys of parenting abound. From there, where does the new mom go for fresh content? After all, there are only so many first time mom stories of interest to go around.

Moms, especially stay at home mommas, can turn to their hobbies for blog content. A clever crafting mom can potentially earn money by selling her wares VIA Etsy, a site devoted to buying and selling vintage and handmade items. Bloggers share crafting ideas and projects while connecting with other crafters and would-be crafting moms. The same can be said for culinary geniuses who rule kitchens. Moms who share recipe flops and successes add interesting content while mentoring the rest of us who may not be as familiar with various kitchen appliances and gadgets.

Many blogging moms are turning to give-a-ways to build a successful blog. A word of caution for the give-a-way moms, focusing totally on give-a-ways without any other content may deter faithful followers. It is difficult to write an interesting and informative post built solely around give-a-way items. Give-a-way bloggers can strengthen their content by writing product reviews for many of the items they are giving-a-way.

Momma’s Mad Money

When it comes to making money with a blog, ambitious blogging matriarchs will need to monetize and it is best done with a strategy. Whether using affiliate marketing or Google Ad Sense, mom bloggers seeking to earn money need to develop goals along with a strategy. For instance, if a mom blogger plans to earn say $2000 per month VIA her blog, she will need to hone her content by understanding her readers and then select the monetization vehicle that best matches her blog. Amazon affiliate marketing is a great tool and may actually be the best tool for moms who write product reviews and host give-a-ways on their blogs. Google Ad Sense works for any blog. Google ads are placed on blogs and bloggers generally earn money based on several different factors such as click rates and click through.

Networking Chica

Unfortunately, blogging does not operate on the “build it and they will come” principal. The successful mom blogger will spend a considerable amount of time networking to build a following. The best way to achieve new followers is to visit other mom blogs, read some posts and leave comments. This will almost guarantee a new follower. This method of networking also helps mom bloggers to support each other, share tips, and other information related to blog growing.

What Are You Waiting For?

Moms and dads reading this, try your hand at blogging today. Blogging is a fun, creative and potentially lucrative way to share your knowledge, life experiences and to network with others. Follow the lead of the many mommy bloggers already filling the internet with their talents, hopes, dreams, and the often-hilarious ups and downs of raising a family while making money. Start writing today!

Sources

• Williamson, D.A., Moms who blog a marketing powerhouse, (2010)

This article first publised @ http://www.suite101.com/content/moms-taking-blogging-by-storm-a377653

I Think I Have Graves' Disease

Graves' disease, more common in women than men, is a type of hyperthyroidism (the body has too much thyroid hormone).  It usually occurs in young and middle-aged women and does not cause severe illness.  The exact cause of Graves’ disease is not known; however, it mimics autoimmune diseases, in which, the body's defenses against infection attack the body's own tissue. In the case of Graves' disease, the body makes antibodies that cause the thyroid gland to make too much hormone.  There is no known way to prevent Graves' disease.

Hormones made by the thyroid gland control your metabolism (the chemical processes your body uses to turn the food you eat into energy). Metabolism affects your heart rate, the amount of calories you burn when you are resting, your energy level, and other body functions. When your thyroid is not working properly, the effects on your body can be dramatic.

The most common symptoms of Graves' disease are:

• weight loss
• rapid heart rate
• anxiety
• feeling hot
• Sweating a lot.

Many people feel nervous or not able to control their emotions. Some feel muscle weakness, especially in the thigh muscles when they climb stairs. A few people have a swelling in their neck (goiter) because of an enlarged thyroid gland.

Frequently, people with Graves' disease have an eye problem called exophthalmia.  The eyelids do not completely close over the eye and the eyes may protrude or appear to protrude from their sockets.  Even if the eyes are not protruding, they may look like they are bulging because the eyelid closes over less of the eye. When the eyelid does not close over the entire eye, eyes may become dry and irritated. Sometimes the eye muscles are affected, which may limit movement of the eyeballs. Sometimes just one eye has symptoms, but usually both eyes are affected.

If you think you may have symptoms of Graves’ disease, visit your healthcare provider. A serious problem called thyroid storm can happen, if Graves’ disease is not treated.  Thyroid storm is the buildup of thyroid hormone causing severe restlessness, fever, confusion, sweating, and diarrhea, tachycardia, and hypertension. Thyroid storm can be a life-threatening emergency.

To diagnose Graves’ disease, healthcare providers may order blood test to check thyroid hormone levels and for antibodies that attack the thyroid gland.  Healthcare providers will likely perform a physical exam checking for a goiter, muscle strength, heart rate, and blood pressure.  Healthcare providers may also order other test such as a radioactive iodine scan, or RAI uptake. This test shows if there are areas of the thyroid gland making more or less hormone than normal. A scan of the thyroid gland with ultrasound is another way to look at the thyroid gland. The ultrasound scan can show cysts or tumors in the gland. It can also be used to measure the size of the gland.

Medications to treat Graves’ disease help the body to achieve a normal level of thyroid hormone and control hyperthyroidism symptoms. Two anti-thyroid drugs used to stop the thyroid gland from making too much hormone are propylthiouracil (PTU) and methimazole (Tapazole). Anti-thyroid drugs can cause a decrease in white blood cells and thus require frequent follow-ups to check for unwanted side effects or the need for dosage adjustments.  

In addition to anti-thyroid medications, beta-blockers such as Inderal may be used to slow heart rate, lower blood pressure, and may help calm feelings of anxiety. Beta-blockers do not change how much thyroid hormone is made.  For eye problems caused by hyperthyroidism, sometimes, a steroid medicine (prednisone) is prescribed.  Keeping the eyes moist is important and eye-drops maybe recommended.

If Graves’ disease symptoms are severe, healthcare providers may recommend destroying some of the hormone producing cells of the thyroid gland.  This is accomplished in either one of two procedures. The preferred method, and the one the method with the least complications uses radioactive iodine to kill some of the cells in the thyroid gland.  The other treatment for severe or long-term hyperthyroidism is surgery to remove the thyroid gland. Because there are so many important structures in the area of the thyroid gland, the surgery can have some serious complications.  Either treatment can possibly result in taking replacement thyroid hormone for life.  The other treatment for severe or long-term hyperthyroidism is surgery to remove the thyroid gland. Because there are so many important structures in the area of the thyroid gland, the surgery can have some serious complications. You can reduce the risk by choosing an experienced thyroid surgeon who does the surgery often. After surgery, you will need to take thyroid hormone for the rest of your life.

Can Using a Weight Loss Aid Really Work?

Can Using a Weight Loss Aid Really Work?

June has finally arrived and with it, my annual body image neurosis.  Every year I am more determined than the last to wear a teeny bikini without exercise – having my cake and eating it too. Of course, I have yet to succeed.  This year’s magic pill of choice was Alli, otherwise known as Xenical, otherwise known as Orlistat.  I set out for my neighborhood Target and shelled out about $60 for an Alli starter kit, and what follows is a review of the product from someone who has actually tried it.

What is Alli?

Alli is an FDA-approved non-prescription weight loss aid.  The generic name for Alli is Orlistat, marketed as a prescription drug called Xenical.  The difference between non-prescription Alli and prescription Xenical is the dosing.  Alli is sold as 60mg tablets and Xenical is prescribed as 120mg tablets. 

Alli works by blocking the enzyme the body uses to absorb dietary fat.  Fats not absorbed are passed through the intestines and are eliminated via stool (bowel movements).  Alli will block only the absorption of fats eaten during a meal.  Alli does not break down fat already stored.

The major con to using Alli is its method of evacuating dietary fats from the body.  Alli carries the side effect of gastrointestinal distress otherwise known as gas, leaking oil, and diarrhea.

Starter Kit

The starter kit that I purchased included the following:

A Read Me First brochure

Convenient Carrying Case

Up to 30 day supply (90 (60mg) capsules)

MyalliPlan Quick Start CD (recipes and activity trackers, etc.)

The Alli Experience

Already on a low-fat diet and obsessive about counting calories, I decided to add Alli to my regimen in lieu of increasing physical activity.  I use the terms physical activity rather than exercise, as it seems less daunting.  Increasing physical activity means nothing more than adding a nice long stroll or a bike ride to my daily routine.

For the first few weeks of taking Alli, no side effects were observed, and then it was time to push the boundaries.  If this medication blocked the absorption of dietary fats, why not add a cheeseburger, fries, barbeque spare ribs, potato salad, and almost any other fat-laden food that had long since been banished from my diet?  For a few days, life was good, as I smacked my lips every night on my delight of choice; then on the morning of day four I felt the distinct pain of gas shortly after I awakened.  As the gas passed, it felt moist, causing me to jump from the bed and dash to the bathroom to find that the gas passed was a large orange oily stain.  Oh no.  I ran back to the bedroom and discovered the bedsheets soiled with a large orange stain.  This accident did not stop me from continuing my feasting behaviors.  All of the feasting left me bloated and tired and consequently my physical activity dwindled to nothing more than the steps required to walk to the kitchen, the car, the bedroom, and the bathroom.

Shortly after the great orange accident, I noticed that within minutes of each meal abdominal cramping occurred, causing me to run post-haste to the bathroom where my delightful meals evacuated my body in the form of explosive orange diarrhea with oil floating atop the water resembling an orange Exxon Valdez oil spill.  This occurred following every meal no matter how large or small.  I attempted to increase my intake of yogurt, fruits, and veggies to ease the gastrointestinal distress, to no avail.

Aside from the gastrointestinal distress, I felt that I was gaining weight and my clothes were becoming tighter.  This led me to ask the question, how much dietary fat does Alli block from absorption? After a bit of research, I discovered that it blocks the absorption of only 20 to 30 percent of dietary fat.  Much to my dismay, I had actually gained weight!  This horrific revelation along with the gastrointestinal distress meant the end of the Alli diet and yet another dismal failure at wearing a teeny bikini.

The Moral of the Story

Alli is an FDA-approved weight loss aid.  Taken correctly it blocks the absorption of 20 to 30 percent of dietary fat.  The higher percentage of blocked dietary fat is generally gained through taking prescription strength Xenical.

It is imperative to maintain a healthy diet, low in fats and high in fruits and vegetables, to avoid distressing gastrointestinal side effects.  In addition to monitoring dietary intake, adding or increasing physical activity is necessary.  Before starting Alli, it is important to consult a physician to determine if it is appropriate.

Lastly, neither Alli nor Xenical are magic pills.  After many years of searching for a magic pill that would allow me to eat, drink, and be merry, the sad conclusion is that the mantra pushed by every physician, nutritionist, and weight loss guru is true.  Healthy diets combined with regular physical activity are the keys to achieving and maintaining a healthier you.

In conclusion, the gastrointestinal distress (orange oil leaking from the rectum and diarrhea) outweigh the benefits of blocking the absorption of only 20 to 30 percent of the fat in each meal.  Any weight actually lost is modest if not minimal.  Literally, more weight loss can be acheived from trimming the excess fat from your diet and adding an additional 45 to 60 minutes of physical activity to your daily routine without using Alli.  Besides, who needs the added additional stress of embarrassing and uncontrollable oil leaks and diarrhea?

http://blogcritics.org/scitech/article/can-using-a-weight-loss-aid/

Monkey Breath

Monkey Breath

Are your friends and family missing eyebrows because they have been singed off?  Do your friends wear masks when talking to you?  Are your friends and family avoiding talking to you up close or even in person?  Does your significant other retreat rather than kiss you?  If you answered yes to any of these questions, you might just have a bad case of Monkey Breath! 

What causes monkey breath?

Monkey breath commonly known as bad bread is actually halitosis.  Halitosis may be caused by many things. The most common cause is from not brushing and flossing your teeth daily. If you don't practice good oral hygiene after eating, food is left in your mouth. The food collects bacteria, rots, and causes a bad odor.  Monkey breath can also be caused by eating foods such as garlic or onions. When these foods are digested and absorbed into the bloodstream, substances from the foods get into the air that you breathe out of your lungs. This can cause bad breath until all of the food is gone from your body. Other causes of bad breath are:

Tooth decay and gum disease caused by plaque (Plaque is a sticky material made of mucus and saliva, food particles, and bacteria.)

Using tobacco products

Dry mouth from medicines you are taking, salivary gland problems, or always breathing through your mouth (This means you have less saliva to cleanse the mouth.)

Eating infrequently

Infection with the bacteria that can cause ulcers (H. pylori)

Mouth infections

Other infections such as a cold, sinusitis, bronchitis, and tonsillitis

Other medical problems such as diabetes, liver or kidney disease, or gastrointestinal problems

How do I know if I have monkey breath?

A quick way to check your breath is to lick the side of your finger, then let the saliva dry for a minute or so. Smell the spot and you'll know what your breath smells like.

How is monkey breath (halitosis) diagnosed?

If you are concerned about bad breath, talk to your dentist about it. The dentist will examine your mouth, looking for tooth decay, pockets of plaque, and gum disease. If your dentist finds that your mouth is healthy, he or she may refer you to your healthcare provider to check for medical problems that can cause bad breath.

What can I do to prevent monkey breath?

First, try this:

Clean your teeth better. Food trapped between teeth breeds stinky plaque. Brush for 2 minutes with a fluoride toothpaste on a soft-bristled toothbrush at least twice a day and floss once a day. Be sure to use a clean section of floss each time you clean between two teeth.

Brush your tongue, especially the back, to remove odor-causing bacteria.

Drink more water. Monkey breath in the morning is caused by dehydration because your body uses up water at night. If you don't drink plenty of fluids, your breath can get sour.

Use a fluoride or antibacterial mouth rinse to help prevent tooth decay.

Avoid smoking, coffee, alcohol, onions, and garlic.

When you cannot brush after eating, chew sugarless gum. It stimulates saliva, which neutralizes acid and helps remove plaque, and thus freshens your breath. Gums containing the sweetener

Xylitol can help limit the growth of bacteria.

You can try drinking tea. Lab studies have shown that black or green teas block bacteria in the mouth from making the chemicals that smell bad.

If you wear dentures, remove them at night to clean them thoroughly. When possible, leave them out to soak while you sleep. Soak them in a denture cleaning solution and then brush them thoroughly to remove molds, fungus, and bacteria. Don't forget to brush all the areas in your mouth that are touched by the dentures.

See your dentist and dental hygienist regularly for checkups and cleanings. They can check for gum disease or other dental problems.

You can use a mouthwash or other breath freshener to temporarily hide bad breath. Nevertheless, if you need to constantly use something to freshen your breath, you should see your dentist to help find the cause.

If better dental care doesn't make your breath smell better, contact your healthcare provider to evaluate other possible causes of bad breath.

For more information, contact the American Dental Association at (800) 621-8099 or visit their Web site at http://www.ada.org.