Medical WisdomSelf-Care: Handling Common Medical Problems at Home

Not every medical problem that affects you should make you rush to your doctor. After all, most medical problems are minor and self-limited, and experts estimate that over 80 per cent of them can be safely managed at home. You should constantly remember that your body possesses remarkable healing powers, and given enough time and tender loving care, it can 'repair' most ailments on its own! Home remedies, A lot of of which have stood the test of time, have proved to be effective and helpful. Simple measures such as massage and compresses are helpful as well - use to learn them judiciously!

Here are some practical and useful steps you can use in order to take care of common problems which affect most of us at some point of time or the other. These are based on guidelines suggested by the American Institute for preventive medicine.

Note: When your symptoms fall under the "Call your Doctor" heading, you should do just that: call your doctor for with. State the problem precisely and you can get relevant instructions. When your symptoms fall under the "Get Immediate Care For" heading, you should get help fast - the situation may be a medical emergency!

Colds

Symptoms: Sneezing, runny or stuffy nose, sore throat, dry cough, low-grade fever.

Self-Care Measures

Take adequate rest if you have a fever.
Drink lots of liquids. ITake an over- the -counter medicine (paracetamol and/ or aspirin) for relieving pain and/or fever.
Use salt water drops for nasal decongestion. The procedure is as follows: Dissolve half a teaspoon of salt in one cup of warm water and put three to four drops into each nostril several times a day, using a clean medicine dropper.
Use a vaporizer or a humidifier, if possible.
Eat hot and spicy foods, which help in draining the mucus.

Call Your Doctor for

Quick breathing, troubled breathing or wheezing
A feeling of weakness or with loss of energy along with delirium
A bad earache or swollen, painful neck glands - Fever lasting over three to four days or over 102° F.
A sore throat that looks red or has white spots.
A cough that brings up sputum of any color.
Pain or swelling over your sinuses.

Coughs

Cough can be of two kinds: a dry cough, or one that brings up sputum ( productive)

Self-Care Measures

For coughs that bring up sputum:

Drink plenty of liquids.
Use a vaporizer.
Take a shower. ITake an over-the -counter cough medicine that contains guaiphenisen.

For coughs that are dry:

Drink plenty of liquids, essentially hot beverages such as tea, milk or soup. - Suck on cough lozenges.
Take an over-the-counter cough medicine that contains dextromethorphan.

Call Your Doctor For

A cough that has started suddenly and lasts for one hour or more without stopping
A cough afflicting a baby or small child that sounds like a whoop or seal's bark (high pitched like a whistle), and if the baby or child develops a fever of 102° F or higher.
Weight loss (for no apparent reason), feeling tired, and sweating a lot at night.
Wheezing, shortness of breath, rapid breathing, and swelling of the abdomen, legs, and ankles.
A cough with sputum of any colour. IA cough lasting for over two weeks.

Get Immediate Care for

Very hard time breathing or if lips become purple.
chest pain that spreads to the neck, arm, or jaw.
Fainting.
Coughing up blood.

Diarrhea

Watery, loose bowel movements passed A lot of times a day.

Measures for Self-Care

Drink plenty of liquids; for example, lime juice, lassi (whipped up curds or buttermilk with salt or sugar), fruit juice and soft drinks (after releasing the fizz).
Try an over-the-counter medication, such as Imodium or Lomotil, if your condition does not improve even after 12 hours. You may need to take a tablet after each bowel movement.
Once the diarrhea has subsided, you can eat small amounts of soft foods, such as cooked potatoes, yogurt (curds) and rice.
If a small child (less than three years old) has diarrhoea, then start him on oral rehydration therapy. You can use rice kanji, the ORS solution available at the chemist's, or make it up at home yourself (by adding eight teaspoons of sugar and a half a teaspoon of salt to a litre of water). Continue breastfeeding (or his regular food) - don't starve him!

Call Your Doctor for

Diarrhea that has lasted 48 hours or more.
Diarrhea which entails bowel movements over eight times a day in an infant or a chronically ill person.
Diarrhea that has started only after taking medication (s).

Get Immediate Care for

Dehydration (symptoms: passing very little or no urine, being very thirsty and lightheaded, dry skin that doesn't spring back after being pinched, sunken eyes, and disorientation).
Severe abdominal or rectal pain or blood in the stool.

Fever

Elevated body temperature, usually over 100° F (by way of mouth) or over 101° F (by way of rectum).

Measures for Self-Care

Consume plenty of fluids.
Take a sponge bath with warm water.
Take an over-the-counter medicine (paracetamol) to reduce the fever.
Don't wear too A lot of clothes or cover yourself with too A lot of blankets.

Call Your Doctor for

Fever that is accompanied by: ear pain; sore throat; vomiting; diarrhea; abdominal pain; burning urinary pain, skin rashes or skin that has turned red and swollen or developed areas of pus.
Fever that occurs in a baby less than six months old.

Get Immediate Care for

Fever that occurs with rapid heartbeat, confusion, disorientation and loss of consciousness.
Fever with stiff neck, headache, lethargy, nausea and vomiting.
Fever accompanied by lightheadedness and shortness of breath

Headaches

Tension headache: Pain or pressure in scalp, temples or back of the head; and tightness in neck and shoulders.
Sinus headache: Pain behind the forehead and eyes; sinus congestion; and fever.
Migraine headache: Severe throbbing pain which usually starts on one side of the head and may lead to nausea, vomiting; dizziness, increased sensitivity to light and noise and problems with vision, such as blind spots or flashing lights.

Measures for Self-care

Take an over-the-counter medicine for reducing the pain as soon as possible. Don't wait for the pain to become worse!
Rest in a quiet, dark room with your eyes closed.
Massage the base of your head with your thumbs.
Take a warm bath or shower.
Place a cold or warm washcloth, whichever feels better, over the area that aches. Or else, place an ice pack on the back or the top of the head.
Try to relax. Meditation and yoga can help.

Call Your Doctor for

Headaches that occur at the same time of day, week, or mouth.
A headache that starts after taking a newly prescribed medicine or an over-the-counter medicine.

Get Immediate Care for

A serious head injury or loss of consciousness.
A headache accompanied by pain in one eye, blurred vision, double vision, slurring of speech, mental confusion, personality change, or difficulty in moving arms or legs.
A headache along with a stiff neck, fever, lethargy nausea and vomiting.

Heartburn

Symptoms

Pain or a burning in the chest after eating and/or after bending over or lying down. Also, belching and a burning feeling in the throat.

Measures for Self-Care

Sit straight while eating. Sit up, stand up or walk after you have eaten. Don't lie down!
If heartburn bothers you at night, raise the head of the bed by 6 inches.
Shed some kilos if are overweight.
Don't wear tight-fitting clothes.
Eat small quantities. Limit your intake of alcohol.
Limit the consumption of foods and beverages that contain gas, such as potatoes and such as soft drinks.
Don't eat or drink anything two to three hours before bedtime.
Antacids, such as Tums, can help relieve heartburn.
Don't smoke at all.
If you have to take medicines such as aspirin, ibuprofen, naproxen sodium, or medicines for arthritis, take them along with food.

Call your doctor for

Stools that are tar-like and black in colours.
Pain that goes through to your back or gripping pain in the upper abdomen.
Difficulty in swallowing.
Heartburn that occurs frequently.

Get Immediate Care for

Heartburn accompanied by a tightness or pain in the chest which spreads to the neck, jaw, or arm; a feeling of discomfort in the chest with sweating or shortness of breath, nausea and/or vomiting or uneven pulse or heartbeart.
Heartburn leading to vomiting blood or what looks like coffee grounds.

Low Back Pain

Symptoms

Back pain can be sharp, dull, acute, or chronic.

Measures for Self-Care

Take an over-the-counter medicine for relieving the pain, if needed.
For the first 48 hours, apply a cold pack to the pain-afflicted area. Do this for five to ten minutes at a time, several times a day.
After 48 hours, apply heat (e.g., hot water bottle, hot shower), several times a day. - Continue your regular activities to the extent possible. Rest your back if you must, but don't remain in bed for over 2 to 3 days, even if your back hurts a lot.

Call your doctor for

Pain that spreads down the legs and below the knee.
Pain that is very intense, or has lasted five days or more.
Increased pain when you move, cough, sneeze, lift something, or strain.
Loss of control over bladder or bowel.
Sensation of pain, burning, or itching when you pass urine, or if urine turns bloody or cloudy.
Fever or vomiting.

Get Immediate Care for

Any serious injury affecting the neck, spine, or back.
The onset of pain being sudden and starting with a "cracking" sound.
Back pain accompanied by difficulty in breathing and lightheadedness.

Sore Throats

Symptoms

Mild to severe throat pain, with or without swollen neck glands. The inside of the throat and/or tonsils could turn bright red or could be marked by white spots.

Measures for Self-Care

Mix one-fourth teaspoon of salt in half a cup of warm water. Gargle every few hours with this mixture, preparing it afresh each time.
Drink plenty of warm liquids, such as tea and soup.
Don't smoke at all.
Avoid eating spicy or hot foods.
Suck on a medicated lozenge frequently.
Take an over-the-counter medicine for relieving the pain and/or fever.

Call your doctor for

Sore throat that occurs along with: fever; swollen, enlarged neck glands; headache; chest, or ear pain; bad breath; skin rashes; abdominal pain; vomiting; or discharge of dark urine.
The back of the throat turning very red or developing white spots.
A mild sore throat that lasts for over two weeks.

Get Immediate Care for

Extreme difficulty while breathing or if the lips turn purple.
Inability to swallow your own saliva.

Vomiting

Measures for Self-Care

Don't eat solid foods; don't drink milk.
Drink only clear liquids (such as clear soups or coconut water). Take small sips; i.e., drink only one to two ounces at a time. Suck on ice chips if nothing else will stay down.
After you stop vomiting, continue with clear liquids. Gradually return to regular diet, but wait about 8 hours from the last time you vomited to eat solid foods. Start with foods that are easy to digest.
Don't smoke, don't drink alcohol, and don't take aspirin.

Call Your Doctor for

Very severe stomach pain, which lasts for over two hours.
Yellow looking skin or if the whites or the eyes appear yellow.
Vomiting which lasts for over 12 hours (two to six hours for a small child) without subsiding.

Get Immediate Care for

Vomiting caused by a serious head injury.
Vomiting accompanied a stiff neck, fever, headache, and lethargy.
Vomiting which is black or bloody.
Dehydration (symptoms: very little or no urine, extreme thirst; and lightheadedness; dry skin that doesn't spring back after being pinched; sunken eyes; and confusion). Vomiting occurring after a mild blow or injury to the head.

Sprains

A sprain is an injury that causes a stretch or a tear in a ligament. Ligaments are strong bands of tissue that connect bones at the joint. Sprains may be classified as mild, moderate, or severe.

Measures for Self-Care

The general rule for treating sprains is R-I-C-E:

R for rest. Rest the joint! Avoid activities that cause pain. If you have an ankle sprain or knee sprain you may need crutches.
I for ice. Apply ice and cool the injury to avoid swelling and every 3 to 4 hours. Do this for 2 to 3 days or until the swelling goes away. The ice will help to numb the pain.
C for compression. Tie an elastic crepe bandage around the injured joint to reduce the swelling and inflammation.
E for elevation. The injured part should be elevated so that gravity helps the circulatory system to reduce the swelling.
You can also take pain-killers to reduce the pain.

Call Your Doctor For

Symptoms of a severe sprain.
If a mild sprain persists longer than 2 weeks.
Pain, swelling or bruising worsens despite treatment.

Get Immediate Care for

Inability to move the limb or joint.