Prevention of Accidents and First Aid

Prevention of Accidents and First AidChildren will always have accidents no matter how careful you are. They are especially likely to injure themselves when they first become mobile. You can help prevent unnecessary accidents by following the safeguards listed :• Keep small hard objects and pieces of food away from the baby. Check all toys to be sure that nothing could be bitten or pulled off which might cause choking.• Before the baby crawls, check your home for unguarded fires, trailing or dangling electrical cords, unsafe electrical sockets (use power outlet guards), breakable (especially glass) objects which are within reach of a crawler.• All children's clothing should be fireproof.• Fix guards to reachable windows and staircases.• Keep all medicines and poisons out of reach and locked...

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First Aid Kit 2

First Aid KitEvery home should have a well stocked first aid kit. You can make up your own quite inexpensively. A shoe box strengthened with contact paper or a plastic two litre icecream tub makes a good container. The kit should contain :• Sterile pads and dressings, including paraffin-soaked dressings• Adhesive dressing of various sizes as well as one or two rolls of adhesive bandage• Crepe and cotton bandages• Small roll of cotton wool• Safety pins• Antiseptic lotion and tincture (Betadine, Savlon etc.)• Scissors, blunt ended tweezers, sharp ended (splinter) tweezers• Analgesic tablets and mixture (Aspirin or Paracetamol)• Local anaesthetic cream or jelly or a small bottle of kitchen vinegar (for stings)• Thermometer• One metre square of cotton fabric (for sling, or pad for bleeding injuries)Keep...

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Firs aid 3

BleedingBleeding from wounds can usually be stopped by direct, firm pressure. Use a handkerchief or towel. Add pads as they become soaked. Don't remove soaked pads. When bleeding stops or eases, apply a pressure bandage and seek medical help as soon as possible.FitsQuickly clear the surroundings of any injurious objects. Call for help. Loosen any tight clothing around neck and waist. Most convulsions don't last long. When the jerking movements have stopped, lay the child on a soft bed or couch, cover with a warm blanket if cold, or sponge with cool water if hot. Watch breathing. If breathing stops, begin artificial respiration until help comes.DrowningDrowning can occur quickly and quietly in a very small amount of water. Call for help. Drain water from lungs by hanging the baby over your...

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Vaccines and Immunisation

Vaccines and ImmunisationMany infectious diseases, including most of the common viral infections, occur only once during a person's lifetime. The reason is that the antibodies produced in response to the disease remain afterwards, prepared to repel any future invasion as soon as the first infectious germs appeared. The duration of such immunity varies, but it can last a lifetime.Protection against many infections can now be provided artificially by the use of vaccines derived from altered forms of the infecting organism. These vaccines stimulate the immune system in the same way as a genuine infection, and provide lasting, active immunity. Because each type of microbe stimulates the production of a specific antibody, a diffferent vaccine must be given for each disease.Another type of immunisation,...

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Disease

DiseaseAge at which Vaccination is givenDiphtheria2 months, 3 months, 4 months, 3-5 years, Booster on leaving schoolTetanus2 months, 3 months, 4 months, 3-5 years, Boosters on leaving school and every 10 years thereafterPertussis (whooping cough) 2 months, 3 months, 4 monthsPolio2 months, 3 months, 4 months, 3-5 years, Boosters on leaving schoolHaemophilus influenzae type b (hib)2 months, 3 months, 4 monthsRubella (German measles) 12-15 months and 3-5 yearsMeasles12-15 months and 3-5 yearsMumps12-15 months and 3-5 yearsTuberculosis (BCG) (Bacille Calmette-Guerin)6 weeks or 10-14 yearsInfluenzaPeople of any age who are at risk of serious illness or death if they develop influenzaHepatitis ASingle dose for people of any age who are at risk. Booster 6-12 months after initial shot. Boosters every...

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Immune Globulins

The risk of high fever following the DPT (combined diphtheria, pertussis, and tetanus) vaccine can be reduced by giving Paracetamol at the time of vaccination. The pertussis vaccine may in rare cases cause a mild fit, which is brief, usually associated with fever and stops without treatment. Children who have experienced such fits recover completely without neurological or developmental problems.Immune GlobulinsAntibodies, which can result from exposure to snake and insect venom as well as infectious diseases, are found in the serum of the blood (the part remaining after the red cells and clotting agents are removed). The concentrated serum of people who have survived diseases or poisonous bites is called immune globulin, and, given by injection, it creates passive immunity. Immune globulin...

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Useful Biochemic Combinations

Useful Biochemic CombinationsThere are 28 combination compounds of biochemic remedies which are detailed hereunder with main symptoms for which each one should be used. These combinations are numerically numbered.Before purchasing any biochemic combination, make sure that only products of standard homoeo companies are purchased (e.g. WSI, SBL, Ralson, Baksons, Bioforce etc.)Biochemic CompoundsNumber-1 AnaemiaNumber-2 AsthmaNumber-3 ColicNumber-4 ConstipationNumber-5 CoryzaNumber-6 Cough, Cold and CatarrhNumber-7 DiabetesNumber-8 DiarrhoeaNumber-9 DysenteryNumber-10 Enlarged TonsilsNumber-11 FeverNumber-12 HeadacheNumber-13 LeucorrhoeaNumber-14 MeaslesNumber-15 Menstruation TroublesNumber-16 Nervous ExhaustionNumber-17 PilesNumber-18 PyorrhoeaNumber-19 RheumatismNumber-20 Skin DiseasesNumber-21...

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Treatment by Ayurveda

Treatment by AyurvedaAyurveda is a well established science which is non harming to children.CoughIf cough is dry and sputum is difficult to expel, mix 125 mg each of parched and pulverised powder of Alum and Borax and mix with honey which the child should lick (give this 3-4 times daily). It will moisten and loose the phlegm and help it to expectorate, normalise respiration and relieve cough. It is also useful in tonsillitis.If phlegm is white, give parched Borax powder and Abhrak Bhasma 15-20 mg (mixed with honey) 3-4 times daily. Anand Bhairava Rasa (15-20 mg) may also be given for the same purpose (2-3 times daily).FeverAyurveda is an ancient Indian science providing treatment by herbs and refined chemicals.Praval Bhasma — 50-60 mg (for children aged 1-2 years) with milk will quell general...

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Pain in Eyes and Redness

Pain in Eyes and RednessWe are of the opinion that most of the children are quite sensitive to ayurvedic medicines if used as eye drops. Pure Rose water is, by far, the best effective and harmless remedy — drop 1-2 drops into each eye, 3-4 times daily and also wash the eyes with a weak lotion of Boric acid. Some people suggest use of Alum with Rose/plain water but we shall advise you to get in touch with an ayurvedic physician for proper and harmless treatment.DiarrhoeaTry Nar Kachoor — 15-20 gms and mix it with mother's/ cow's milk and serve thrice daily — will stop green loose motions or try 125 mg Kamaraja Rasa with milk or substitute this with Praval Bhasma (125 mg) with milk and honey (equal quantity of both) and give either of the combinations 6 hourly.If the above mentioned combinations...

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Formulations to Cure Marasmus

Formulations to Cure Marasmus(1) Majeeth 60 gms, Chaleera Sugandh wala and Nagarmotha (each 22-25 gm), Haldi 25 gms, Laung, Saunth Taj, Jaiphal, Daru Haldi, sliced pieces of Ginger, Peepal-6 gms each, Kachoor 50 gms, Sandalwood powder, Lai Chandan 12 gms each, Kapur (Camphor) 3 gms— boil all the mentioned ingredients in water (in 1.25 litres), When the water content is reduced to 1 kg, mix 1/2 litre Til oil to it and boil until entire quantity of water evaporates and only oil is left behind. After this, mix in Lai Ratna jyot in the oil and remove from fire. After removing from fire put in 4-6 tablets of Camphor and when the liquid cools down, bottle the contents and secure with a cork or stopper. The prepared oil is said to remove fever, pains and aches in the body, shrivelling of skin,...

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Homoeopathic Treatment

Homoeopathic TreatmentWhat is Homeopathy suitable for ?Most complaints respond well to homoeopathy. Most of the remedies are readily available over the counter from pharmacies or health shops, and are made from lactose or sucrose so they taste good to children.What can I treat at home ?There are many common complaints that you can treat at home using homoeopathy, including :Colic : If your baby brings her legs up and screams a lot, try Colocynth (bitter cucumber). If she burps and possets a lot, a good remedy might be Carbo vegetabilis (vegetable charcoal). If she is furious, is not soothed by being carried and strains to fill her nappy, try Nux vomica (poison nut).Teething : Chamomilla (chamomile) might help pain or sleeplessness from teething.Feverish illness : If your child is pale, Aconite...

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Some other good Homoeopathic remedies

Some other good Homoeopathic remediesChamomilla : For colic, diarrhoea, ear infection, teething problems.Aconite : For colds, cough, dry, sudden occurence of symptoms.Ferrum Phos : For gradual onset of fever, throbbing pain of ear, red cheeks.Dulcamara : For cough, cold during rainy season.Gelsemium : For colds and influenza.Calendula : For minor cuts.Bryonia : For cough, cold during change of weather.Belladona : For high rise of temperature.Calc. Phos : For delayed teething and diarrhoea.Hep. Sulph : For abscesses.Colocynth : Distension of abdomen. Jelly like stools.How do I give the remedies ?Homoeopathic remedies come either in tablets or granules. Babies can take homoeopathic tablets crushed and mixed in a little cooled, boiled water. Give half a teaspoon at a time,and make up a fresh...

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Anti-fungal Drugs

Anti-fungal DrugsWe are continually exposed to fungi — in the air we breathe, the food we eat and the water we drink. Fortunately, most of them cannot live in the body and few are harmful. But some can grow in the mouth, skin, hair or nails, causing irritating or unsightly changes, and a few can cause serious and possibly fatal disease. The most common fungal infections are caused by the tinea group. These include tinea pedis (athlete's foot), tinea corporis (ringworm), tinea cruris (groin ringworm) and tinea capitis (scalp ringworm). Caused by a variety of organisms, they are spread by direct or indirect contact with infected humans or animals. Infection is encouraged by warm, moist conditions.Problems may also result from the proliferation of a fungus that is normally present in the body;...

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Anti-malarial Drugs

Anti-malarial DrugsMalaria is one of the main killing diseases in the tropics and is most likely to affect children and people who live in or travel to such places.The disease is caused by protozoa whose life cycle is far from simple. The malaria parasite, which is called Plasmodium, lives in and depends on the female Anopheles mosquito during one part of its life cycle. It lives in and depends on human beings during other parts of its life cycle.Transferred to humans in the saliva of the female mosquito as she penetrates ("bites") the skin, the malaria parasite enters the bloodstream and settles in the liver, here it multiplies asexually.Following its stay in the liver, the parasite (or plasmodium) enters another phase of its life cycle, circulating in the bloodstream, penetrating and destroying...

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Anti-protozoal Drugs

Anti-protozoal DrugsProtozoa are single celled organisms that are present in soil and water. They may be transmitted to or betwen humans through contaminated food or water, sexual contact, or insect bites. There are many different types of protozoal infection, each one causing a different disease depending on the organism that is involved.Many types of protozoa infect the bowel, causing diarrhoea and generalised symptoms of ill health. Others may infect the genital tract or skin. Some protozoa may penetrate vital organs such as the lungs, brain, and liver. Prompt diagnosis and treatment is important in order to limit the spread of the infections within the body and, in some cases, prevent it from spreading to other people. Increased attention to hygiene is another important factor in controlling...

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Risks and Special Precautions

Risks and Special PrecautionsWhen drugs are given to prevent or cure malaria, the full course of treatment must be taken. No drug gives long term protection; a new course of treatment is needed for each journey.Most of these drugs do not produce severe adverse effects, but Primaquine can cause the blood disorder haemolytic anaemia, particularly in people with glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency. Blood tests are taken before treatment to identify susceptible individuals. Halofantrine can have an adverse effect on heart rhythm. Mefloquine is not prescribed for those who have had psychological disorders or convulsions.Other Protective MeasuresBecause Plasmodium strains continually develop resistance to the available drugs, prevention using drugs is not absolutely reliable. Protection...

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Types of Protozoal Disease

Types of Protozoal DiseaseAmoebiasis (Entamoeba histolytica), or amoebic dysentery, is an infection of the bowel (and sometimes the liver and other organs) usually transmitted in contaminated food or water. Its major symptom is violent, sometimes bloody, diarrhoea. Treatment is with Diloxanide, Metronidazole or Tinidazole.Balantidiasis (Balantidium coli) is an infection of the bowel, specifically the colon, usually transmitted through contact with infected pigs. Possible symptoms include diarrhoea and abdominal pain. Treatment is with Tetracycline, Metronidazole or Diodohydroxy quinoline.Cryptosporidiosis (Cryptosporidium) affects the bowel (and occasionally the respiratory tract and bile ducts). It is spread through contaminated food or water or by contact with animals or other humans. Symptoms...

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Anti-viral Drugs

Anti-viral DrugsViruses are simpler and smaller organisms than bacteria and are less able to sustain themselves. These organisms can survive and multiply only by penetrating body cells. In order to reproduce, a virus requires a living cell. The invaded cell eventually dies and the new viruses are released, spreading and infecting other cells. Because viruses perform few functions independently, medicines that disrupt or halt their life cycle without harming human cells have been difficult to develop.There are many different types of virus, and viral infections cause illnesses with various symptoms and degrees of severity. Common viral illnesses include colds, influenza and flu-like illnesses,' cold sores and childhood diseases such as chickenpox and mumps. Throat infections, pneumonia, acute...

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Why They Are Used

Why They Are UsedThe main area where anti-viral drugs are helpful is in the treatment of various conditions caused by the herpes virus: cold sores, encephalitis, genital herpes, chickenpox, and shingles.Some drugs are applied topically to treat cold sores, herpes, eye infections, and genital herpes. They can reduce the severity and duration of an outbreak but do not eliminate the infection permanently. Other anti-viral drugs are given by mouth or, under exceptional circumstances, by injection to prevent chickenpox or severe, recurrent attacks of the herpes virus infections in those who are already weakened by other conditions.Anti-viral agents are also given to prevent influenza A, as is Amantadine, a drug for Parkinsonism that also has anti­viral properties.The interferons are proteins produced...

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Anti-Tubercular Drugs

Anti-Tubercular DrugsTuberculosis is a contagious bacterial disease that is acquired, often in childhood, by inhaling the Tuberculosis bacilli present in the spray caused by a sneeze or cough from someone who is actively infected. It may also be acquired from infected cow's milk. The disease usually starts in a lung and takes one of two forms: either primary infection or reactivated infection.In 90 to 95 percent of those people with a primary infection, the body's immune system suppresses the infection, but it does not kill the bacilli. They remain alive but dormant and may cause the reactivated form of tuberculosis. After the Tuberculosis bacilli are reactivated, they may spread throughout the body via the lymphatic system and the bloodstream.The first symptoms of the primary infection may...

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Why They Are Used

Why They Are UsedA person diagnosed as having tuberculosis is likely to be treated with three or four anti-tubercular drugs. This helps to overcome the risk of drug-resistant strains of the bacilli emerging.The standard drug combination for the treatment of tuberculosis consists of four drugs, usually including Rifampicin, Isoniazid, Pyrazinamide and Ethambutol. Other drugs may be substituted if the initial treatment fails or if drug sensitivity tests indicate that the bacilli are resistant to these drugs.The standard duration of treatment for a newly diagnosed tuberculosis infection is a six month regimen as follows: Isoniazid, Rifampicin, Pyrazinamide and Ethambutol daily for two months, followed by Isoniazid and Rifampicin for four months. The duration of treatment can be extended from...

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Anti-Bacterial Drugs

Anti-Bacterial DrugsThis broad classification of drugs comprises agents similar to the antibiotics in function but dissimilar in origin. The original antibiotics were derived from living organisms such as moulds and fungi. Anti-bacterials were developed from chemicals. The Sulphonamides were the first drugs to be given for the treatment of bacterial infections and were the mainstay of the treatment of infection before Penicillin (the first antibiotic) became generally available. Increasing bacterial resistance and the development of more effective and less toxic antibiotics have reduced the use of Sulphonamides.How They workMost anti-bacterials function by preventing the growth and multiplication of bacteria. Folic acid, a chemical necessary for their growth, is produced within bacterial cells...

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Uses of Antibiotics

Uses of AntibioticsThe table at the end of this chapter shows common drugs in each class of antibiotics that are used to treat infections in different parts of the body; it is not intended for use as a guide to prescribing. For comparison, some anti-bacterial drugs are included under 'Other drugs'. Generally when a type of antibiotic is needed that cannot be given by mouth, the drug may be given by injection. Antibiotics are also included in tropical preparations for localized skin, eye, and ear infections, infective, skin preparations.How They WorkDepending on the type of drug and the dosage, antibiotics are either bactericidal, killing organisms directly, or bacteriostatic, halting the multiplication of bacteria and enabling the body's natural defenses to overcome the remaining infections.Penicillin...

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Common Drugs

Common DrugsQuinolones, Cinoxacin, Ciprofloxacin, Grepafloxacin, Levofloxacin, Nalidixic acid, Norfloxacin, Ofloxacin. Sulphonamides, Co-trimoxazole, Sulfadiazine, Sulfadimidine.Drug treatment for Hansen's disease (Leprosy)Hansen's disease, more commonly known as leprosy, is a bacterial infection caused by Mycobacterium leprae. It is rare in the United Kingdom, but relatively common in parts of Africa, Asia, and Latin America.The disease progresses slowly, first affecting the peripheral nerves and causing loss of sensation in the hands and feet. This leads to frequent unnoticed injuries and consequent scarring, Later, the nerves of the face may also be affected.Treatment uses three drugs together to prevent the development of resistance. Usually, Dapsone, Rifampicin and Clofazimme will be...

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Classes of Antibiotics

Penicillin’s: The first antibiotic drugs to be developed, penicillin’s are still widely used to treat many common infections. Some are not effective when they are taken by mouth and therefore have to be given by injection in thehospital. Unfortunately, certain strains of bacteria are resistant to penicillin treatment, and other drugs may have to be substituted. Penicillin’s often cause allergic reactions.Cephalosporins: These broad spectrum antibiotics, similar to the Penicillin’s, are often used when Penicillin treatment has proved ineffective. Some can be given by mouth, but others are only given by injection. About 10 per cent of people who are allergic to Penicillin’s are also allergic to Cephalosporin’s. Some Cephalosporin’s can occasionally damage the kidneys, particularly if used with...

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Antibiotics Resistance

The increasing use of antibiotics in the treatment of infection has led to resistance in certain types of bacteria to the effects of particular antibiotics. This resistance to the drug usually occurs when bacteria develop mechanisms of growth and reproduction that are not disrupted by the effects of the antibiotics. In other cases, bacteria produce enzymes that neutralize the antibiotics.Antibiotic resistance may develop in a person during prolonged treatment when a drug has failed to eliminate the infection quickly. The resistant strain of bacteria is able to multiply, thereby prolonging the illness. It may also infect other people and result in the spread of resistant infection. One particularly important example is Methicillin resistant Staphylococus aureus, which resists most antibiotics...

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Anthelminthic Drugs

Anthelminthic DrugsAnthelminthics are drugs that are used to eliminate the many types of worm (helminthes) that can enter the body and live there as parasites, producing a general weakness in some cases and serious harm in others. The body may be host to many different worms. Most species spend part of their life cycle in another animal, and the infestation is often passed on to humans in food contaminated with the eggs or larvae. In some cases, such as hookworm, larvae enter the body through the skin. Larvae or adults may attach themselves to the intestinal wall and feed on the bowel contents; others feed off the intestinal blood supply, causing anemia. Worms can also infest the bloodstream or lodge in the muscles or internal organs.Many people have worms at some time during their life, especially...

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Drugs

Drugs : Mebendazole, Piperazine.All members of the household should be treated simultaneously.Common roundworm (Ascariasis) : The most common worm infection worldwide. It is transmitted to humans in contaminated raw food or in soil. The worms are large, and they infect the intestine, which can be blocked by dense clusters of them.Drugs : Levamisole, Mebendazole, PiperazineTropical Threadworm (Strongyloidiasis) : Occurs in the tropics and southern Europe. The larvae from contaminated soil penetrate the skin, pass into the lungs, and are swallowed into the gut.Drugs : Albendazole, Thiabendazole, IvermectinWhipworm (Trichuriasis) : Mainly occurs in tropical areas as a result of eating contaminated raw vegetables. The worms infest the intestines.Drug : Mebendazole.Hookworm (Uncinariasis): Mainly...

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How They Work

How They WorkAnthelminthic drugs act in several ways. Many of them kill or paralyse the worms, which pass out of the body in the faeces. Others, which act systemically, are used to treat infection in the tissues.Many anthelminthics are specific for particular worms, and the doctor must identify the worm before selecting the most appropriate treatment. Most of the common intestinal infestations are easily treated, often with only one or two doses of the drug. However, tissue infections may require more prolonged treatment.How they affect youOnce the drug has eliminated the worms, symptoms caused by infestation rapidly disappear. Taken as a single dose or a short course, anthelminthics do not usually produce side effects. However, treatment can disturb the digestive system, causing abdominal...

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Infection and Infestation

The human body provides a suitable environment for the growth of many types of micro-organisms, including bacteria, viruses, fungi, yeasts, and protozoa. It may also become the host for animal parasites such as insects, worms, and flukes.Micro-organisms (microbes) exist all around us and can be transmitted from person to person in many ways: direct contact, inhalation of infected air, and consumption of contaminated food or water. Not all micro-organisms cause disease; many types of bacteria exist on the skin surface or in the bowel without causing ill effects, while others cannot live either in or on the body.Normally the immune system protects the body from infection. Invading microbes are killed before they can multiply in sufficient numbers to cause serious disease.Types of Infecting OrganismSome...

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