Posts Tagged ‘Bleeding’

What are different home remedies for cuts and scrapes – a summer problem?

INITIAL STEPS

Stop the bleeding:
- The first thing to do (after admonishing yourself for being so clumsy) is to stop the bleeding.
- Apply pressure to the area with a clean cloth or tissue.
- Elevate the wound above the heart to slow the blood flow.
- Don’t use a tourniquet as it cuts off circulation.

Wash up:
- Clean it thoroughly with soap and water or an over-the-counter cleanser.
- Hibiclens is one of them and that doesn’t sting.
- Pour hydrogen peroxide onto the wound, if it is very dirty.
- As it bubbles, it will lift out debris.
- Apply it carefully, because hydrogen peroxide can damage surrounding skin.

Bring on the antibacterial ointment:
- Antibacterial ointments and solutions are helpful.
- Polysporin, Neosporin, and Bactine are examples.

Clean with iodine:
- Use a tincture of iodine or povidone-iodine for minor cuts and bruises.
- Iodine kills bacteria and viruses effectively.

Close the skin:
- Properly closing the skin is important.
- Closing makes the cut heal faster.
- It also reduces the chances of scarring.
- Apply butterfly strips or a standard adhesive bandage to keep the cut closed.

Cover it:
- Use Telfa, a coated, gauze-type bandage instead of a guage that tends to stick to the wound.
- Don’t cover it too tightly.
- A bit of air circulation actually facilitates healing.

Keep it clean:
- Remove the bandage and wash the wound every day with soap and water.
- This will prevent infection.
- Then apply a clean bandage.

Don’t let it dry out:
- Keep the wound moist.
- This will help prevent cracking, speed healing, and reduce the chance of scarring.

If a scab forms, don’t pick at it:
- This disrupts the skin and can introduce bacteria.
- Soak crusty scabs with a solution of one tablespoon white vinegar to one pint of water.
- The mildly acidic solution is soothing and helps kill bacteria.

At night, keep the wound moist with a water/petrolatum regimen
Cover the wound with a little petroleum jelly (such as Vaseline) to seal in the moisture.

Don’t get locked up:
- Consider having a tetanus shot within 72 hours.

Protect it from sunlight:
- Avoid sun exposure during the healing process.
- Apply over-the-counter hydrocortisone to the wound.

The following vitamin and mineral supplements are recommended to aid in rapid healing:
- Beta-carotene. Take 25,000 international units a day.
- Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine). Take 50 milligrams a day
- Vitamin C. Take 3,000 to 5,000 milligrams a day.
- Vitamin E. Take 400 international units a day
- Zinc. Take 50 to 100 milligrams a day.

Different Home Remedies
- Cover the cut with a mixture of zinc oxide cream and vitamin-E oil.
- Calendula gel or ointment stimulates fast healing at the skin’s surface.
- Clove oil is high in eugenol, a compound that is both an antiseptic and a painkiller.
- You can sprinkle powdered cloves on a cut to prevent infection.
- Comfrey roots and leaves contain allantoin, which stimulates cell division and speeds wound healing.
- It also avoids scar formation.
- Echinacea is also Commission E-approved as a topical treatment for superficial cuts.
- This herb has powerful immune-stimulating properties.
- Drink a cup of echinacea tea three to four times a day to strengthen your immune system to speed healing.
- Goldenseal contains several antiseptic compounds.
- Apply a poultice of crushed goldenseal root to any minor cuts.
- Yarrow is excellent for stopping bleeding.
- Sprinkle powdered yarrow extract onto the cut.
- A great home remedy for cuts is turmeric powder.
- This can be applied to a cut to promote healing and prevent infection.
- Wash the cut thoroughly and then put garlic oil or crushed garlic on a band aid.
- Washing the cut or scrape with soap, dose it with vitamin E oil, aloe vera gel or cod liver oil.
- Use cayenne pepper to stop the bleeding of cuts and scratches.
- Wash the wound with a good soap. Then apply a thick layer of Vaseline.
- Yarrow leaves and flowers have been used for their blood-clotting, anti-inflammatory, and pain-relieving qualities.

There are a number of herbal first-aid creams available:
- Calendula in echinacea-and-comfrey combinations
- Calendula blended with white sage
- Elder flower, and chickweed;
- Calendula mixed with goldenseal propolis and myrrh.

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How to handle some medical emergencies during health crisis?

Medical emergencies are not pre-planned. They occur all of a sudden. There is an emergency room available in all hospitals. What can be done to handle some medical emergencies that occur all of a sudden is described below:

- Asthma
When the symptoms of asthma like wheezing, chest tightness, coughing, breath shortness worsens until he / she is unable to speak more than four words, blueness around lips and reliever medication is ineffective, person should be admitted to the emergency room in which he would be put on a nebuliser in which oxygen is directly delivered to the lungs. Oxygen mask can also be used.

- Heart Attack
Symptoms of heart attack include pain across chest, arms, jaws or neck and it does not lessen with rest, nausea, vomiting, difficulty in breathing, rapid weak and irregular pulse. Move to an emergency room and on the way to hospital chew a 160mg aspirin to stop clumping of blood platelets. In an emergency room, ECG is done and blood studies are done. Intravenous nitroglycerine reduces heart’s oxygen need and improves coronary circulation. The chance of death is halved if you reach in first hour.

- Fractures
When a fracture is suspected, pain worsens with the movement, that particular area swells, a limb is crooked. Transport to an emergency room very carefully. In the emergency room, x-ray of the limb is done and broken bone ends are treated.To relieve pain, a muscle relaxant is given. The area is immobilized with plaster cast or splint.

- Internal Bleeding
Sometimes, there is internal bleeding after an injury. Symptoms are pale and clammy skin, rapid weak pulse, shallow and rugged breathing, fainting, swelling, pain and tenderness. While you are waiting for ambulance to go to an emergency room, raise the legs and cover with blanket and do not offer an food or water. In an emergency room, the person is diagnosed and then treated.

- Diabetes
Sometimes, the blood sugar falls below 50 because of delayed and missed meals, sudden vigorous activities, irregular medications. It results in blurred vision, numbness, paleness, headaches, unconsciousness, tingling in lips and and fingers. When a person is admitted to an emergency room, the IV fluids are administered.

- Poison
Induce vomiting if poison is not in the form of kerosene, gasoline, turpentine, cleaning fluid, insect sprays. In an emergency room, urine and blood tests are done to identify the poison and specific antidotes are suggested.

- Urinary Retention
Sometimes a person has a full bladder but they could not urinate. When you are admitted to an emergency room, a catheter is inserted to allow the person to empty the bladder.

- Heat Exhaustion
It can hit you in a hot, noisy, smoke filled disco or pub resulting in loss of electrolytes. In an emergency room, patient is pumped with IV fluids to revive the blood pressure.

Bleeding from the Vagina during Pregnancy – Causes and Treatment

Bleeding during all stages of pregnancy can be dangerous; you should call your healthcare provider if there are any signs of vaginal bleeding during pregnancy. Vaginal bleeding is any blood from the vagina (the canal leading from the uterus to the external genitalia). This usually refers to abnormal bleeding not associated with a regular menstrual period. Some basic things to know about bleeding are:

- If you are bleeding, you should always use a towel or panty liner so you can control how much you are bleeding and the type of bleeding you are experiencing.
- Never use a tampon or introduce anything else in the area of the vagina as a douche or sexual intercourse if you are experiencing bleeding.
- If you are also experiencing any of the other symptoms mentioned below in connection with a possible complication, you should contact your healthcare provider immediately.

The time period of the bleeding can be:
- The first trimester bleeding is vaginal bleeding during the first 3 months of pregnancy. Vaginal bleeding can vary from light spotting to severe bleeding with clots. Vaginal bleeding is a common problem in early pregnancy, complicating 20-30% of all pregnancies.
- Any vaginal bleeding during the second and third trimesters of pregnancy (last 6 months of a 9-month pregnancy) is abnormal.
- Bleeding from the vagina after 28 weeks of pregnancy is a true emergency. Bleeding can range from very mild to very quickly and may or may not be accompanied by abdominal pain. Haemorrhage (another word for bleeding) is the most common cause of maternal death in the United States. It complicates 4% of all pregnancies.

Causes:
Many women have a certain amount of vaginal bleeding during pregnancy. Some studies show that up to 30% of pregnant women experience some degree of vaginal bleeding during pregnancy. Vaginal bleeding during pregnancy is more common in twins and other multiple pregnancies than singleton pregnancies.

Sometimes women experience very little amount of bleeding in the first two weeks of pregnancy, usually around the time of the expected menstrual period. This light bleeding is sometimes referred to as “implantation bleeding.” Doctors do not know for sure what causes this bleeding, but can occur as a result of a fertilized egg from implanting in the uterine wall.

The amount of bleeding, the stage of pregnancy, and any associated symptoms can help determine the cause of vaginal bleeding during pregnancy. While vaginal bleeding during pregnancy does not mean a problem with the pregnancy, women who experience bleeding during pregnancy should always be evaluated by a physician.

Treatment:
Drugs for treatment of irregular vaginal bleeding depend on the cause. Examples are described below:
- If the cause of bleeding is the lack of ovulation (anovulation), doctors may prescribe either progesterone to be taken at regular intervals, or an oral contraceptive containing progesterone for proper hormone balance. This treatment dramatically decreases the risk of uterine cancer in women who do not ovulate.

- If the cause of irregular vaginal bleeding is a precancerous change in the lining of the uterus, progesterone drugs can be prescribed to reduce the accumulation of pre-cancerous tissue lining the uterus in an attempt to avoid surgery.

- When a woman has not menstruated for less than six months, the cause may be the menopausal transition. During this transition, a woman is sometimes offered an oral contraceptive to establish a more regular bleeding pattern to provide complete contraception until menopause, and to relieve hot flashes.

- If the cause of irregular vaginal bleeding is benign polyps or other tumors, they are sometimes removed surgically to control bleeding, and can not be treated with medication.

- If the cause of bleeding is infection, antibiotics are necessary. Bleeding during pregnancy requires urgent evaluation by an obstetrician. Endometriosis can be treated with medication and / or surgery.

- Sometimes, the cause of excessive bleeding is not evident after the completion of the test (dysfunctional uterine bleeding). In these cases, oral contraceptives may improve cycle control and reduce bleeding.