Animal's Bite, First Aid Tips

I am going to tell you a little a story that happened to my mother a while ago. She was walking down the street, when she saw a group of children running in front of her screaming and trying to hide behind her.

Then she felt a sharp pain down her leg. When my mother turned to see, there was this large street dog that was staring at her somehow surprised. It was like it bite her accidentally and it didn't mean to and then the dog ran away immediately. Later it was found that the children teased the dog, while it was eating something. That was the reason, why the dog was angry. But it was yet 'ashaimed', since my mother was just passing by and it confused its 'enemies'... 

Enemies or not, this can happen to anyone walking peacefully down the street. Not only from dogs, but from different types of animals ranging from, cats, hamsters, raccoons, ferrets, and squirrels can bite adults and children. Many times, bites are from the family pet. If the bite is from a wild animal or from a domestic animal whose immunization status is unknown, rabies is a concern. To end the story my mom had to get the rabies shots in her tummy done... :( 

If a person has been bitten by a rabid animal, the disease can be prevented by an injection of rabies immune globulin and a course of vaccinations. This must preferably be given within 48 hours to be effective. You should seek prompt medical attention from a physician, even if the bite is mild and the skin barely broken, because immediate vaccination can prevent tetanus and rabies from developing.

Rabies is a fatal viral infection carried in the saliva of warm-blooded animals. Symptoms in an infected animal include unusual behaviour, aggressiveness, excessive drooling and paralysis. Symptoms in humans appear about 20 - 60 days after being bitten by a rabid animal. Deep or multiple bites, particularly to the head and neck, result in symptoms appearing sooner. An early symptom is tingling, pain or intense itchiness at the bite site, even when the wound has healed. Other early symptoms include fever, headache, fatigue and behavioral changes. 

While rabies in humans is rare, it is fatal.

First aid for minor bite wounds:

1. Thoroughly wash the wound with soapy water.
2. Apply an antibiotic cream (such as bacitracin) to the affected area.
3. Cover the wound with a clean bandage.
4. Watch for signs of infection (ie, the affected area is very red or warm to the touch, painful, oozing pus, or blood-filled).
5. If the bite is on the hand or finger, call your doctor, as antibiotics are often given for bites in this area.

First aid for severe bite wounds:

(Severe bite wounds are wounds that are torn, deep, or bleeding badly)

1. Attempt to stop the bleeding by applying pressure to the affected area with a clean, dry cloth.
2. Seek immediately medical assistance.

Stay safe and be well!

Abdominal Pain, First Aid Tips

Abdominal pain can range in intensity from a mild stomach ache to severe acute pain. 

Since there are many organs within the abdominal cavity, the pain is often nonspecific and can be caused by a variety of conditions. 

Sometimes the pain is directly related to a specific organ such as the bladder or ovary. Usually, abdominal pain originates in the digestive system. For example, the pain can be caused by appendicitis, diarrheal cramping, or food poisoning.

Home care for mild abdominal pains:

1. Drink water or other clear fluids.
2. Avoid solid food for the first few hours. If you have been vomiting, wait 6 hours. Then eat small amounts of mild foods such as rice, applesauce, or crackers. 
3. If the pain is high up in your abdomen and occurs after meals, antacids may provide some relief, especially if you feel heartburn or indigestion. Avoid citrus, high-fat foods, fried or greasy foods, tomato products, caffeine and alcohol, because they may make the pain worse. 
4. Place a hot water bottle or heated wheat bag on your abdomen.
5. Soak in a warm bath. Take care not to scald yourself.
6. Get plenty of rest.
7. If you have stomach ache drink a glass of milk, because it will neutralize the acid in your stomach.
8. Sometimes the abdominal pain is plainly caused by an accumulation of gas in the intestinal tract. When that is the case, the easy and immediate remedy is to drink a gas of soda, or aerated drink. The soda helps to bring out the accumulated gas, turning so in an immediate cure for abdominal pain.  
9. You may also try H2 blockers (Tagamet, Pepcid, or Zantac) available over the counter. 
10. If any of these medicines worsen your pain, CALL your doctor right away.
11. AVOID aspirin, ibuprofen or other anti-inflammatory medications, and narcotic pain medications unless your health care provider prescribes them. If you know that your pain is not related to your liver, you can try acetaminophen (Tylenol).
12. If you suffer from PMS (premenstrual syndrome)  take immediately a pain killer, drink chamomile tea and try to have some sleep. You can put your feet in hot water. That would help, too. 

Acne treatment

Acne is just annoying. The best advice one can give you, is to go to the dermatologist, isn't it? Yeah, right... Some dermatologists give antibiotics like they are giving candy to a child. Most probably they will start you on a topical cream containing tetracycline/ benzoyl peroxyde/ salycilic acid or similar and some antibiotics. These are said to be wide spectrum antibiotics, meaning that they are effective against a wide variety of bacteria that causes acne and this cure should be effective to most people.  BUT, if it you are resistant to tetracycline, let's say, you are doing this cure for months and getting no results, of course except the side effects of destroying your intestinal flora. Antibiotics are not easy to deal with. You should take them with caution and you should not forget to take probiotics immediately afterwards. 

That's why my advice is not to go to any dermatologist,  but to find a GOOD dermatologist that is responsible. A good dermatologist, versus a dermatologist that is just interested in your pocket, will first ask for your bacteriogram,  which in other words means that they are going to find out to what kind of antibiotics you are sensitive, semi-sensitive and resistant to. This test is very easy to do and not painful at all. It takes just 5 minutes, but it helps a ton, because, after that, the doctor can give you a narrow spectrum antibiotic, that you are actually sensitive to. So, bacteriogram is very important. 

Another important advice that I will give you is that you must take your prescription antibiotics at the same time everyday. Not an hour early or half hour late..Not even 5 minutes late. Just set up your alarm clock or something, because if  you do not take them at the same time everyday the antibiotic's blood level changes and that gives the bacteria the possibility to defend itself, so you became resistant to that kind of antibiotic, which is in your disfavor... 

Again, in combination with antibiotics the dermatologist can give you a cream that contains retinoic acid. These kind of creams are generally very effective, but they are very strong in side effects, too. They peel your skin, make it dry and red, but that's the desired effect from them. If you are using these kind of cream ALWAYS use a cream with a high sunscreen protection factor. 

If your acne is hormonal then the doctor may prescribe to you an oral contraceptive pill that helps in most cases to clear acne with women. Just be cautious if you have cancer history in your family with these kind of pills. Just talk to your doctor and mention that. To find out if your acne is hormonal or not, you will need to get your blood tests done.

If the above methods haven't worked and your acne is coming back again there is always the possibility of Roaccutane (containing isotretionin as the main ingredient). Oh, the famous Roacuttane... 

It does clear up acne and it does have some pretty difficult side effects. If you are thinking of getting pregnant in the next 6 months, you must forget this medicine. Also during the treatment you have to do your blood tests to check the cholesterol levels, because Roaccutane is pretty damaging to your liver. It is said to have also psychological side effects such as depression, anxiety and similar. The most general side effects of this medicine, that in reality is just vitamin A in an excess amount (that's why you should be careful not to eat food containing vitamin A if you are having Roaccutane) are dryness of the skin, lips and mouth, you will have difficulties to see in the dark, your hair will become dry and so on. You will need to moisturize and often... 

This cure is in cycles of 6 months. If you get results from the first cycle yay to you, but if you don't you will have to continue as long as your dermatologist will say. Just don't give up and be patient. I have seen amazing results with Roaccutane. People with severe cystic acne and acne scarring have achieved a baby soft and clear skin. 

The problem with most acne regimes is that they need their time to show results. People tend to get impatient and change the regime before they see the effects. You need to be persistent and not to care a lot about it. Most of people have had acne or will have, at a point in their life, so just relax... It is not the end of the world and it does have some pretty effective acne treatments. 

If your acne is mild you can get use out of the over the counter creams. Just remember that creams containing salycilic acid do enter inside the pore and help to clean it out, so if you want to unblock your pores, clean your blackheads and ease the inflammation get these kind of creams.

If you want a good peeling cream that will help to boost your skin radiance and have anti wrinkle effect get creams containing glycolic acid.

Gosh, this post is getting really long. But I shouldn't forget to mention the OTC creams containing benzoyl peroxyde. Just start from 2,5% and then you can test 5-10%. 

Benzoyl Peroxide kills the bacterium that causes acne by inducing oxygen to the affected area, because the bacterium that causes acne (P. Acnes) is an anaerobe one, meaning it can live only where there is no oxygen. It works as a peeling agent, thus increasing the skin's turnover and clearing pores. It does dry out the skin, a lot... depending on its percentage, that's why you should use a good moisturizer along with it. Some people say they have had good effects combined with jojoba oil. Dermatologists on the other hand say you shouldn't use oils on your face if you have acne prone skin. So give or take... Clean with a mild soap to not irritate your skin and never forget the SPF cream!!!

That's my two cents for today, too. :) I hope I was of any help. Do not neglect a GOOD dermatologist if you have acne problems. It is worth it. 

Stay well!