What holiday vacation would be complete without a trip to the pediatrician? It seems every holiday season one or more children, and sometimes the adults, are sick with some sort of cold or condition. This year, was no different.
My youngest son had the typical runny nose, sore throat but, wait, something different—a rash over his entire torso that worsened as I was giving him a bath and getting him ready for bed. My gut reaction was Scarlet Fever.
Up until 5 years ago, I thought Scarlet Fever was something in history books that was eradicated like measles or chicken pox. Having one of my other children experience the itchy sand paper rash, though, I realize it is much more common.
Scarlet Fever is merely Strep Throat with a rash and may occur in children ages 2 – 10. Some of the tell tale signs are a prickly, sand paper like rash on the entire torso, sore throat, yellow coated tongue, fever of 101 degrees and, in the later stages, white peeling fingertips, as my older son experienced.
Scarlet Fever does not always accompany Strep Throat but when it does it can result in complications like middle ear infection, pneumonia and rheumatic fever. An antibiotic gets rid of this bacterial infection.
No two rashes are alike, though, and you can google images of rashes all day on the computer to try to identify what it is. You will come up with scary names like Scarlet Fever, Fifth Disease (Slapped Cheek), Sixth Disease, Hives, Roseola or Impetigo—but, at the end of the day, any of these rashes warrants a visit to the pediatrician so don’t worry yourself over what it might be.
The doctor took a rapid strep test to rule out Scarlet Fever and my son did not have either Strep Throat or Scarlet Fever. He did have an ear infection and culprit of the rash—eczema. He was given an antibiotic and a lot of recommendations for skin care.
“This time of year, with the changes in the temperature and the humidity,” said Dr. Oscar Morffi or Lehigh Valley Pediatric Association, “kid’s skin is sensitive.”
Eczema is an itchy, red rash that results from some sort of trigger, sometimes allergies, asthma and, in this case, hot water drying out the skin.
“Kids with eczema love the bath but a one minute bath every night is better than a 20 minute bath twice a week,” said Dr. Morffi, “The water is soothing but it does more damage than shorter baths.”
The hot baths combined with the dry heat of the fire place at the home we had visited caused the breakout. Dr. Morffi recommended some hydrocortisone cream, much shorter baths and a small dose of Benadryl twice a day. He also recommended using Dove soap for bath time.
Eczema when untreated can lead to scaly, flaky or cracking skin. In the summer, putting on sunscreen does a great deal to lubricate the skin, but, in winter, it is just as important to put a layer of soothing, non-allergenic lotion on your toddler’s skin to avoid these complications. Lesson learned-- moisturize, moisterize, moisterize.
2012年1月3日星期二
2011年11月16日星期三
Another reason to stay home if you're sick
Why do we do this? Why do we insist on coming to work when we're coughing, achy, got a runny nose and wondering when
the fever is going to kick in? New research confirms what you probably know is the right thing but refuse to do: Just
stay in bed.
Those who do drag themselves in sick probably think their bosses will notice their dedication and consider them hard
workers. But new research from Queens University in Kingston, Ontario, shows that our bosses shouldn't be too
impressed. The study was supported by Afexa Life Sciences, the makers of a cold and flu treatment.
The researchers looked at the results of more than 80 studies, representing the work of more than 300 researchers at
more than 100 universities and institutions.
The results? Stay home. Yes, 83 percent of Americans say they will show up to work even if they have flu-like
symptoms. But the researchers say the loss in productivity from a worker who shows up sick -- the working wounded, as
it were -- is twice the productivity loss that they experience when a worker stays home. After all, those who come in
sick don't get as much done as they think they will, and quite often infect their colleagues.
The researchers also found that:
1. One-third of Canadians report a sore throat, cold or flu in any given month. Symptoms are more common in women
than in men.
2. Women are more likely to go see a doctor than men are.
3. One-fifth of people ignore their symptoms altogether
4. Cold remedies and prescription antibiotics don't do much good. The researchers found that, for the most part,
these remedies neither "ameliorate symptoms nor change the course of illness."
And while the study found that co-workers do frequently pass their illnesses along to each other, school-aged kids
are much more active in spreading disease. The Queens researchers say school-aged children "have been shown to
introduce rhinovirus [the primary cause of the common cold] infections into their families three times more often
than working adults."
SDI, a research agency that tracks colds and flu in North America found an annual spike in colds and flu within the
first two weeks of students' return to school each fall.
the fever is going to kick in? New research confirms what you probably know is the right thing but refuse to do: Just
stay in bed.
Those who do drag themselves in sick probably think their bosses will notice their dedication and consider them hard
workers. But new research from Queens University in Kingston, Ontario, shows that our bosses shouldn't be too
impressed. The study was supported by Afexa Life Sciences, the makers of a cold and flu treatment.
The researchers looked at the results of more than 80 studies, representing the work of more than 300 researchers at
more than 100 universities and institutions.
The results? Stay home. Yes, 83 percent of Americans say they will show up to work even if they have flu-like
symptoms. But the researchers say the loss in productivity from a worker who shows up sick -- the working wounded, as
it were -- is twice the productivity loss that they experience when a worker stays home. After all, those who come in
sick don't get as much done as they think they will, and quite often infect their colleagues.
The researchers also found that:
1. One-third of Canadians report a sore throat, cold or flu in any given month. Symptoms are more common in women
than in men.
2. Women are more likely to go see a doctor than men are.
3. One-fifth of people ignore their symptoms altogether
4. Cold remedies and prescription antibiotics don't do much good. The researchers found that, for the most part,
these remedies neither "ameliorate symptoms nor change the course of illness."
And while the study found that co-workers do frequently pass their illnesses along to each other, school-aged kids
are much more active in spreading disease. The Queens researchers say school-aged children "have been shown to
introduce rhinovirus [the primary cause of the common cold] infections into their families three times more often
than working adults."
SDI, a research agency that tracks colds and flu in North America found an annual spike in colds and flu within the
first two weeks of students' return to school each fall.
2011年11月13日星期日
10 home remedies that work
We spend billions every year on over-the-counter health remedies for everything from canker sores to aching muscles, but in some cases there’s no need to shell out a lot of money to find relief. All you need to do is check your cupboards for some surprising home remedies.
The 10 we picked are cheap, easy to find, and there’s actual scientific proof that they work.
Because certain home remedies can interact with prescription medications, check with your doctor before trying something new.
1. Honey. Just one spoonful can help quiet a nighttime cough better than over-the-counter cough syrups or suppressants.
That’s what a Pennsylvania study of more than 100 children found. Study author Ian Paul, M.D., says honey can also help reduce coughs in older adults suffering from a cold.
Honey coats and soothes an irritated throat to help calm repeated coughing. “It is generally safe and can be used repeatedly as needed,” Paul says. He recommends two teaspoons per dose.
2. Liquid dish soap. If you come into contact with poison ivy or poison oak, washing the affected area with liquid dish soap within two hours of contact may prevent you from getting an itching red rash. Arkansas dermatologist Adam Stibich wanted to see if liquid dish-washing soap, which is formulated to remove oil, would be a cost-effective way to get rid of the plant oil on poison ivy leaves that causes a rash when it gets on your skin.
Volunteer medical students rubbed poison ivy leaves on their forearms and then washed with dish-washing soap for 25 seconds before rinsing. The soap prevented a reaction in almost half the volunteers and reduced the inflammation in the rest by 56 percent.
In his study, Stibich used Dial dishwashing soap, but any brand will work.
3. Tart cherry juice. Drinking tart cherry juice can help prevent gout attacks, relieve muscle soreness after exercise, and possibly help with arthritis pain because of its natural anti-inflammatory properties.
Gout expert Naomi Schlesinger, says the juice seems to reduce the joint inflammation that gout causes. Schlesinger led a study that found patients who took a tablespoon of tart cherry juice concentrate twice a day for four months cut the frequency of their gout attacks in half.
More than a third remained gout attack-free. Other studies have shown that drinking tart cherry juice daily helps runners reduce muscle soreness and reduces inflammation in overweight patients.
Unlike its sweeter cousins, the Bing and black cherry, the tart cherry is bright red and higher in antioxidants.
4. Baby shampoo. A half-and-half solution of baby shampoo and warm water is a simple, effective way to clean eyelids that are itchy, red or crusty.
Gently cleaning the eyelid with a baby shampoo wash helps get rid of oil and bacteria but won’t sting your eyes.
Try diluting a little baby shampoo with an equal amount of water twice a day, then gently rubbing the mixture with clean fingertips on the closed eyelid and along the eyelashes for one minute. Rinse well with water.
Philip Hagen, medical editor of the Mayo Clinic Book of Home Remedies, cautions that baby shampoo should only be used on the lid, and never on the surface of the eye.
5. Menthol rub. Applying mentholated ointments such as strong-smelling Vicks VapoRub has been shown to be a safe, cost-effective treatment for toenail fungus, often more effective than over-the-counter products.
A small study this year found that applying Vicks to the affected nails once daily helped 15 of 18 adults either cure or partially clear up their fungus.
Sally Stroud, professor of nursing at the Medical University of South Carolina, says Vicks is easy to apply and worth trying “before turning to more costly alternatives.”
Stroud also suggests first wiping the affected nails with a cotton ball soaked in white vinegar, then applying the VapoRub.
6. Witch hazel. Witch hazel is derived from the leaves and twigs of a flowering shrub. For more than a century, the clear, refined extract has been used as an astringent to help tighten the skin and relieve inflammation.
It is the main ingredient in commercial hemorrhoid pads, used to relieve mild itching and irritation, but you can do the same at home with pads you moisten with witch hazel, according to Hagen. For even more relief, use chilled witch hazel.
7. Ginger. Ginger can help reduce nausea and relieve motion sickness.
Some studies have shown that taking one gram of ginger an hour before surgery can reduce nausea and vomiting during the first 24 hours after surgery.
In addition, a large National Cancer Institute-funded study found that people undergoing chemotherapy who take as little as one-quarter of a teaspoon of ginger daily for three days before chemo cut their nausea by 40 percent.
The study found that a small amount of fresh or powdered ginger worked better than a larger dose, and that ginger taken with anti-vomiting drugs worked better to control nausea than drugs alone.
For adults prone to motion sickness, Suzanna Zick of the University of Michigan recommends eating one or two pieces of crystallized ginger, available in most supermarkets, before traveling. She cautions that ginger extract capsules are much stronger and may actually cause stomach upset. “Don’t go above two grams of ginger,” she advises.
8. Water. Daily gargling with plain tap water can help cut the number of colds and respiratory infections you get, as well as relieve symptoms if you’re already sick.
A 2005 study of nearly 400 healthy volunteers ages 18 to 65 in Japan found that those who gargled three times a day with tap water had nearly 40 percent fewer respiratory infections during cold and flu season than did the control group. When the subjects did get sick, gargling reduced bronchial irritation, researchers reported.
Other studies also support gargling, whether with salt water or water with lemon and honey, as a safe, effective way to soothe and cleanse a sore throat.
Hagen says the salt in the water also draws out excess fluid from the throat’s inflamed tissues, “and warm water may help cleanse them a bit better.”
9. Milk of magnesia. Dabbing this milky liquid on canker sores — small ulcers that typically appear inside the mouth — can temporarily soothe their pain. “Milk of magnesia won’t heal the sores, but it does give relief from the symptoms,” Hagen says. Experts at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) suggest first dabbing the sore with a mixture of half water and half hydrogen peroxide, then dabbing on the milk of magnesia.
10. Cranberries. If you’re prone to bladder infections, drinking cranberry juice daily won’t cure them, but it can help prevent them, say the urologic disease experts at NIH.
Just be careful if you are taking blood-thinning medication like warfarin (Coumadin), Plavix or aspirin, warns Hagen: “Possible interactions between cranberry juice and warfarin may lead to bleeding.”
Taking a 500 mg cranberry extract pill twice a day is also effective at preventing urinary tract infections.
A Dutch study published this year compared women who took a daily low dose of an antibiotic to prevent infections and women who took the cranberry pills. The antibiotic was somewhat more effective, but it also caused more antibiotic resistance in the bloodstream.
The 10 we picked are cheap, easy to find, and there’s actual scientific proof that they work.
Because certain home remedies can interact with prescription medications, check with your doctor before trying something new.
1. Honey. Just one spoonful can help quiet a nighttime cough better than over-the-counter cough syrups or suppressants.
That’s what a Pennsylvania study of more than 100 children found. Study author Ian Paul, M.D., says honey can also help reduce coughs in older adults suffering from a cold.
Honey coats and soothes an irritated throat to help calm repeated coughing. “It is generally safe and can be used repeatedly as needed,” Paul says. He recommends two teaspoons per dose.
2. Liquid dish soap. If you come into contact with poison ivy or poison oak, washing the affected area with liquid dish soap within two hours of contact may prevent you from getting an itching red rash. Arkansas dermatologist Adam Stibich wanted to see if liquid dish-washing soap, which is formulated to remove oil, would be a cost-effective way to get rid of the plant oil on poison ivy leaves that causes a rash when it gets on your skin.
Volunteer medical students rubbed poison ivy leaves on their forearms and then washed with dish-washing soap for 25 seconds before rinsing. The soap prevented a reaction in almost half the volunteers and reduced the inflammation in the rest by 56 percent.
In his study, Stibich used Dial dishwashing soap, but any brand will work.
3. Tart cherry juice. Drinking tart cherry juice can help prevent gout attacks, relieve muscle soreness after exercise, and possibly help with arthritis pain because of its natural anti-inflammatory properties.
Gout expert Naomi Schlesinger, says the juice seems to reduce the joint inflammation that gout causes. Schlesinger led a study that found patients who took a tablespoon of tart cherry juice concentrate twice a day for four months cut the frequency of their gout attacks in half.
More than a third remained gout attack-free. Other studies have shown that drinking tart cherry juice daily helps runners reduce muscle soreness and reduces inflammation in overweight patients.
Unlike its sweeter cousins, the Bing and black cherry, the tart cherry is bright red and higher in antioxidants.
4. Baby shampoo. A half-and-half solution of baby shampoo and warm water is a simple, effective way to clean eyelids that are itchy, red or crusty.
Gently cleaning the eyelid with a baby shampoo wash helps get rid of oil and bacteria but won’t sting your eyes.
Try diluting a little baby shampoo with an equal amount of water twice a day, then gently rubbing the mixture with clean fingertips on the closed eyelid and along the eyelashes for one minute. Rinse well with water.
Philip Hagen, medical editor of the Mayo Clinic Book of Home Remedies, cautions that baby shampoo should only be used on the lid, and never on the surface of the eye.
5. Menthol rub. Applying mentholated ointments such as strong-smelling Vicks VapoRub has been shown to be a safe, cost-effective treatment for toenail fungus, often more effective than over-the-counter products.
A small study this year found that applying Vicks to the affected nails once daily helped 15 of 18 adults either cure or partially clear up their fungus.
Sally Stroud, professor of nursing at the Medical University of South Carolina, says Vicks is easy to apply and worth trying “before turning to more costly alternatives.”
Stroud also suggests first wiping the affected nails with a cotton ball soaked in white vinegar, then applying the VapoRub.
6. Witch hazel. Witch hazel is derived from the leaves and twigs of a flowering shrub. For more than a century, the clear, refined extract has been used as an astringent to help tighten the skin and relieve inflammation.
It is the main ingredient in commercial hemorrhoid pads, used to relieve mild itching and irritation, but you can do the same at home with pads you moisten with witch hazel, according to Hagen. For even more relief, use chilled witch hazel.
7. Ginger. Ginger can help reduce nausea and relieve motion sickness.
Some studies have shown that taking one gram of ginger an hour before surgery can reduce nausea and vomiting during the first 24 hours after surgery.
In addition, a large National Cancer Institute-funded study found that people undergoing chemotherapy who take as little as one-quarter of a teaspoon of ginger daily for three days before chemo cut their nausea by 40 percent.
The study found that a small amount of fresh or powdered ginger worked better than a larger dose, and that ginger taken with anti-vomiting drugs worked better to control nausea than drugs alone.
For adults prone to motion sickness, Suzanna Zick of the University of Michigan recommends eating one or two pieces of crystallized ginger, available in most supermarkets, before traveling. She cautions that ginger extract capsules are much stronger and may actually cause stomach upset. “Don’t go above two grams of ginger,” she advises.
8. Water. Daily gargling with plain tap water can help cut the number of colds and respiratory infections you get, as well as relieve symptoms if you’re already sick.
A 2005 study of nearly 400 healthy volunteers ages 18 to 65 in Japan found that those who gargled three times a day with tap water had nearly 40 percent fewer respiratory infections during cold and flu season than did the control group. When the subjects did get sick, gargling reduced bronchial irritation, researchers reported.
Other studies also support gargling, whether with salt water or water with lemon and honey, as a safe, effective way to soothe and cleanse a sore throat.
Hagen says the salt in the water also draws out excess fluid from the throat’s inflamed tissues, “and warm water may help cleanse them a bit better.”
9. Milk of magnesia. Dabbing this milky liquid on canker sores — small ulcers that typically appear inside the mouth — can temporarily soothe their pain. “Milk of magnesia won’t heal the sores, but it does give relief from the symptoms,” Hagen says. Experts at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) suggest first dabbing the sore with a mixture of half water and half hydrogen peroxide, then dabbing on the milk of magnesia.
10. Cranberries. If you’re prone to bladder infections, drinking cranberry juice daily won’t cure them, but it can help prevent them, say the urologic disease experts at NIH.
Just be careful if you are taking blood-thinning medication like warfarin (Coumadin), Plavix or aspirin, warns Hagen: “Possible interactions between cranberry juice and warfarin may lead to bleeding.”
Taking a 500 mg cranberry extract pill twice a day is also effective at preventing urinary tract infections.
A Dutch study published this year compared women who took a daily low dose of an antibiotic to prevent infections and women who took the cranberry pills. The antibiotic was somewhat more effective, but it also caused more antibiotic resistance in the bloodstream.
2011年10月26日星期三
Social media campaign tackles sore subject of Man Flu
Reckitt Benckiser (RB) has launched a social media campaign which tackles the sore subject of Man Flu, and whether it does actually exist.
The digital campaign, which aims to boost the sales of cold and flu remedy Lemsip during the sniffle season, involves two videos which incorporate the James Brown hit Man's World, and fictional couple Alexandra and Luke.
One version of the video is from Alexandra's perspective while the other is from Luke's.
Alexandra's version shows the crowd at a James Brown concert holding up signs for 'ill' boyfriend Luke that say 'Big Wimp', while Luke's version sees the crowd holding up giant photographs of Alexandra and signs saying 'Heartless'.
Refik Oner, category marketing director, health and personal care for RB UK, said: 'We are really excited about this campaign. It is fun, really creative and something completely different. The winter months are tough - they are dark and cold and most people suffer from at least one cold or flu virus. This Facebook video will make people laugh, give them an opportunity to share with friends, and reinforce the Lemsip brand messages at a time when people need reliable winter remedies!'
People will be able to personalise the videos with an individual's name in the intro of the song. People will also be able to send the video of their choice to friends, making it possible for the videos to go viral over the wintry season.
The digital campaign, which aims to boost the sales of cold and flu remedy Lemsip during the sniffle season, involves two videos which incorporate the James Brown hit Man's World, and fictional couple Alexandra and Luke.
One version of the video is from Alexandra's perspective while the other is from Luke's.
Alexandra's version shows the crowd at a James Brown concert holding up signs for 'ill' boyfriend Luke that say 'Big Wimp', while Luke's version sees the crowd holding up giant photographs of Alexandra and signs saying 'Heartless'.
Refik Oner, category marketing director, health and personal care for RB UK, said: 'We are really excited about this campaign. It is fun, really creative and something completely different. The winter months are tough - they are dark and cold and most people suffer from at least one cold or flu virus. This Facebook video will make people laugh, give them an opportunity to share with friends, and reinforce the Lemsip brand messages at a time when people need reliable winter remedies!'
People will be able to personalise the videos with an individual's name in the intro of the song. People will also be able to send the video of their choice to friends, making it possible for the videos to go viral over the wintry season.
2011年9月12日星期一
Country living is hard work
The weather in South Jersey was crummy for most of the last week: torrential rain alternating with overcast days so humid I felt as though I were swimming instead of walking. Although I'm glad for the chance to visit family, the climate has meant a period of readjustment.
It was lovely to feel warm sun on my bare legs -- I rarely wear shorts in Seattle -- and to breathe air that wasn't as damp as the laundry I'd just pinned up. The weather was so nice, in fact, that I picked up a bunch of storm-thrown branches and twigs and piled them for kindling.
This week I'll help mow around several fields of Christmas trees (my dad grows them commercially) and tear down the dregs of this year's vegetable garden. I like to do these things. Heck, I didn't even mind hoeing weeds last week.
But that's probably because I don't have to do it all the time. If I did, I wouldn't wax rhapsodic about it.
Don't get me wrong: If I had a little piece of land or even a house with a yard, I'd be gardening and preserving and hanging out laundry. But I'd go into it with my eyes open. Real life is not a Martha Stewart magazine layout.
When you pull weeds or pick vegetables in a South Jersey summer, you're one long, sweaty ache. Canning tomatoes is, despite air conditioning, a hot and stinky job. Blanching, paring and slicing a basket of fruit for processing leaves your hands sore and shriveled.
City or suburban dwellers may daydream about country life: growing vegetables, making jam, watching their kids play on the lawn, raising chickens. The reality is considerably earthier, as it were.
It's mowing twice a week during summer's heat. It's fighting to keep deer, slugs, moles, weeds and those chickens away from your veggies, and getting your arms slashed picking blackberries. It's taking diseased produce or captured insects to the Cooperative Extension Service and saying "What is this?"
Oh, and that laundry you hung out? Plan on rewashing some of it. Birds, you know.
Is it worth it? Sure. It just takes effort. As my dad says, "That's why they call it 'work.' If it were fun they'd call it 'fun.'"
For now, and maybe forever, I'm a city girl. But I have a few daydreams of my own. Everbearing strawberries and dwarf fruit trees. A dozen shades and textures of lettuce. Snap peas so sweet and tender they don't need cooking.
Potatoes in red, blue and purple. Tomato plants sagging under the weight of scarlet fruit. Enough produce to eat all summer long, to share with neighbors and the food bank, and, yes, to can and freeze.
Last Friday night I dreamed about such a place, complete even to a milch goat -- which is weird, because I don't want one. But it doesn't surprise me that I dreamed of a little slice of rural paradise. Nestled in sheets dried in the wind and sun, how could I not?
It was lovely to feel warm sun on my bare legs -- I rarely wear shorts in Seattle -- and to breathe air that wasn't as damp as the laundry I'd just pinned up. The weather was so nice, in fact, that I picked up a bunch of storm-thrown branches and twigs and piled them for kindling.
This week I'll help mow around several fields of Christmas trees (my dad grows them commercially) and tear down the dregs of this year's vegetable garden. I like to do these things. Heck, I didn't even mind hoeing weeds last week.
But that's probably because I don't have to do it all the time. If I did, I wouldn't wax rhapsodic about it.
Don't get me wrong: If I had a little piece of land or even a house with a yard, I'd be gardening and preserving and hanging out laundry. But I'd go into it with my eyes open. Real life is not a Martha Stewart magazine layout.
When you pull weeds or pick vegetables in a South Jersey summer, you're one long, sweaty ache. Canning tomatoes is, despite air conditioning, a hot and stinky job. Blanching, paring and slicing a basket of fruit for processing leaves your hands sore and shriveled.
City or suburban dwellers may daydream about country life: growing vegetables, making jam, watching their kids play on the lawn, raising chickens. The reality is considerably earthier, as it were.
It's mowing twice a week during summer's heat. It's fighting to keep deer, slugs, moles, weeds and those chickens away from your veggies, and getting your arms slashed picking blackberries. It's taking diseased produce or captured insects to the Cooperative Extension Service and saying "What is this?"
Oh, and that laundry you hung out? Plan on rewashing some of it. Birds, you know.
Is it worth it? Sure. It just takes effort. As my dad says, "That's why they call it 'work.' If it were fun they'd call it 'fun.'"
For now, and maybe forever, I'm a city girl. But I have a few daydreams of my own. Everbearing strawberries and dwarf fruit trees. A dozen shades and textures of lettuce. Snap peas so sweet and tender they don't need cooking.
Potatoes in red, blue and purple. Tomato plants sagging under the weight of scarlet fruit. Enough produce to eat all summer long, to share with neighbors and the food bank, and, yes, to can and freeze.
Last Friday night I dreamed about such a place, complete even to a milch goat -- which is weird, because I don't want one. But it doesn't surprise me that I dreamed of a little slice of rural paradise. Nestled in sheets dried in the wind and sun, how could I not?
2011年7月25日星期一
Are Dental Appliances a Source for Bad Breath?
According to Colgate, there are approximately 3 million Americans and Canadians who wear dental braces and twice as many who wear mouth guards and retainers.
Then, according to the Dental Economics approximately 37 million Americans wear dentures.
These data automatically reflect that orthodontics is a very important dental medical field, but it also means that there might be a few millions out there who struggle with the bad breath issue.
Halitosis or bad breath can definitely be caused by all these types of dental appliances. The bacteria in the human mouth find themselves more free surfaces where they can reside, if a patient wears any kind of dental appliance, be it a mouth guard or a denture. The food particles are being trapped by the devices, so the microbes can feed on these particles.
According to several recent researches in the field, the oral appliances that patients wear are in a direct connection with the bad breath formation. The American Journal of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics has published a report according to which people who wear braces or other dental appliances develop halitosis just as people who do not wear braces develop the condition.
Throughout the study, the level of oral odor of the patients has been measured. Findings have shown that the level of the odor has been the strongest after 4 weeks from having these braces cemented to the teeth.
However, oral appliances are very important for the health, and people should not restrain from wearing them.
There are plenty of breath freshening products available on the market that will help neutralize these bacteria, and keep away the formation of halitosis. Patients with dental appliances who struggle with bad breath are encouraged to seek the perfect product for their individual case.
The products that do not contain lauryl sulfate are extremely efficient especially for people with braces, because this way they will avoid the formation of cold sores.
Then, according to the Dental Economics approximately 37 million Americans wear dentures.
These data automatically reflect that orthodontics is a very important dental medical field, but it also means that there might be a few millions out there who struggle with the bad breath issue.
Halitosis or bad breath can definitely be caused by all these types of dental appliances. The bacteria in the human mouth find themselves more free surfaces where they can reside, if a patient wears any kind of dental appliance, be it a mouth guard or a denture. The food particles are being trapped by the devices, so the microbes can feed on these particles.
According to several recent researches in the field, the oral appliances that patients wear are in a direct connection with the bad breath formation. The American Journal of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics has published a report according to which people who wear braces or other dental appliances develop halitosis just as people who do not wear braces develop the condition.
Throughout the study, the level of oral odor of the patients has been measured. Findings have shown that the level of the odor has been the strongest after 4 weeks from having these braces cemented to the teeth.
However, oral appliances are very important for the health, and people should not restrain from wearing them.
There are plenty of breath freshening products available on the market that will help neutralize these bacteria, and keep away the formation of halitosis. Patients with dental appliances who struggle with bad breath are encouraged to seek the perfect product for their individual case.
The products that do not contain lauryl sulfate are extremely efficient especially for people with braces, because this way they will avoid the formation of cold sores.
2011年7月17日星期日
Adenovirus may be cause of summer illnesses
Summer vacation wasn’t starting out quite like the family intended. Four kids, no school, blue skies — but one by one the siblings were coming down with fevers, and soon the whole gang was homebound.
One of the children came into the office to be examined. He appeared to be fighting off a virus and steadily improved on his own. When his 7-year-old sister stopped in a few days later with runny eyes, cough, sore throat and fever, mom really wanted her checked for strep throat to see if the other three might have something “treatable.” It was a reasonable request, so the brave little girl took one for the team and had her throat swabbed. Mom was soon relieved to hear that her daughter did not have strep.
Good news, bad news. The kids didn’t have strep so they did not need to take antibiotics to treat their sore throats. However, the family most likely had been hit with adenovirus, a common and very contagious virus that generally can’t be “fixed” with medication. Adenoviral illnesses tend to run their course and fade away after up to one week of mild to moderate misery.
Adenovirus is usually a presumptive diagnosis since it’s not typically tested for unless a patient is sick enough to require hospitalization. As with many other viral illnesses, outpatient treatment of adenovirus involves supportive care, with plenty of fluids, and pain and fever management to keep the patient hydrated and comfortable. Medical evaluation is indicated if new symptoms such as severe cough, prolonged fever or dehydration develop.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that there are more than 50 strains of adenovirus, a hearty virus that can live up to two weeks outside of the body. Adenovirus is best known for causing a variety of respiratory illnesses ranging in severity from mild cold symptoms and croup to bronchitis and pneumonia. Infants and immunocompromised individuals are at particular risk of severe disease complications.
Depending on the particular strain of virus, adenoviral infection can also result in throat infections, conjunctivitis, stomach flu, bladder infections and skin rashes. Infection can occur year-round, but most adenoviral illness is recorded during the late winter, spring and early summer months. The incubation period varies, with adenoviral gastroenteritis occurring three to 10 days after exposure, and respiratory illnesses cropping up from as soon as two days to as long as two weeks after contact.
In an article in “Pediatrics in Review,” Canadian researcher Dr. Joanne Langley notes that adenovirus can cause respiratory illness in all age groups but is most often seen in younger and school-age children. Adenovirus is also commonly spread among groups who live in close quarters, such as those in day care centers, residential institutions and military settings.
Langley finds that for kids younger than 2 years of age, up to 8 percent of acute respiratory illnesses are caused by adenovirus. The virus is also responsible for about 25 percent of all pediatric cases of exudative pharyngitis (pus on the tonsils).
Adenovirus is shared through contact with an infected individual’s respiratory droplets, eye secretions or feces. Contact can occur person-to-person or by touching contaminated toys and household objects. Transmission of the virus has also been found to be waterborne, with the adenovirus targeting kids who swim in inadequately chlorinated pools or small contaminated lakes.
To reduce the spread of adenovirus, the CDC recommends contact and droplet precautions: Remember to disinfect toys and counters; sneeze into your elbow; wash hands frequently; and properly chlorinate your pool.
One of the children came into the office to be examined. He appeared to be fighting off a virus and steadily improved on his own. When his 7-year-old sister stopped in a few days later with runny eyes, cough, sore throat and fever, mom really wanted her checked for strep throat to see if the other three might have something “treatable.” It was a reasonable request, so the brave little girl took one for the team and had her throat swabbed. Mom was soon relieved to hear that her daughter did not have strep.
Good news, bad news. The kids didn’t have strep so they did not need to take antibiotics to treat their sore throats. However, the family most likely had been hit with adenovirus, a common and very contagious virus that generally can’t be “fixed” with medication. Adenoviral illnesses tend to run their course and fade away after up to one week of mild to moderate misery.
Adenovirus is usually a presumptive diagnosis since it’s not typically tested for unless a patient is sick enough to require hospitalization. As with many other viral illnesses, outpatient treatment of adenovirus involves supportive care, with plenty of fluids, and pain and fever management to keep the patient hydrated and comfortable. Medical evaluation is indicated if new symptoms such as severe cough, prolonged fever or dehydration develop.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that there are more than 50 strains of adenovirus, a hearty virus that can live up to two weeks outside of the body. Adenovirus is best known for causing a variety of respiratory illnesses ranging in severity from mild cold symptoms and croup to bronchitis and pneumonia. Infants and immunocompromised individuals are at particular risk of severe disease complications.
Depending on the particular strain of virus, adenoviral infection can also result in throat infections, conjunctivitis, stomach flu, bladder infections and skin rashes. Infection can occur year-round, but most adenoviral illness is recorded during the late winter, spring and early summer months. The incubation period varies, with adenoviral gastroenteritis occurring three to 10 days after exposure, and respiratory illnesses cropping up from as soon as two days to as long as two weeks after contact.
In an article in “Pediatrics in Review,” Canadian researcher Dr. Joanne Langley notes that adenovirus can cause respiratory illness in all age groups but is most often seen in younger and school-age children. Adenovirus is also commonly spread among groups who live in close quarters, such as those in day care centers, residential institutions and military settings.
Langley finds that for kids younger than 2 years of age, up to 8 percent of acute respiratory illnesses are caused by adenovirus. The virus is also responsible for about 25 percent of all pediatric cases of exudative pharyngitis (pus on the tonsils).
Adenovirus is shared through contact with an infected individual’s respiratory droplets, eye secretions or feces. Contact can occur person-to-person or by touching contaminated toys and household objects. Transmission of the virus has also been found to be waterborne, with the adenovirus targeting kids who swim in inadequately chlorinated pools or small contaminated lakes.
To reduce the spread of adenovirus, the CDC recommends contact and droplet precautions: Remember to disinfect toys and counters; sneeze into your elbow; wash hands frequently; and properly chlorinate your pool.
2011年4月23日星期六
Wild, Wild West
The boys are zapped back in time, and Dean (wearing a serape) couldn't be happier because he's obsessed with Clint Eastwood movies. At first he loves the authenticity (like Sam stepping in horse poop), but Dean quickly realizes that everything isn't like he thought. Nobody likes his outfit, the whiskey tastes like gasoline and the saloon girls are covered in cold sores.
They also watch as a man is hanged in the town square, but when that same victim goes around killing people by reducing them to ash, the boys learn that he's the phoenix. I'm kind of upset that the phoenix is just a person, like the dragons. Why can't phoenixes and dragons be awesome, mythical creatures?
Still, Dean fights the phoenix while Sam goes to meet Samuel Colt and get his gun. Colt is a surly old retired hunter who wants nothing to do with the life anymore. However, he's clearly been at this a while, because he has absolutely no problem believing that Sam is from the future. Sam gets the Colt, hurries back and gives it to Dean, who then has the shootout from the start of the episode with the phoenix. And Dean proves that he's the fastest draw in the old west, killing the phoenix and reducing it to ashes.
Castiel's Dirty Little Secret
In the present, Rachel summons Cas to an empty warehouse to talk about how she doesn't approve of his methods to fight the war against Raphael and that she knows his "dirty little secret." She then tries to stab him with an angel dagger, but he fights back and gets the upper hand, killing her. That's right, after two short scenes, the big new angel character Rachel is killed.
But it begs a bigger question: what is the dirty little secret? Was she talking about how he had Balthazar unsink the Titanic to get 50,000 new souls, or is Cas doing worse things to win his war? I'm starting to think that he's been doing some very bad things and, as much as I love Cas, I suspect he might even be the big bad of the season and helped get the Mother of All free to help him fight Raphael. I hope I'm wrong, but Castiel is definitely not behaving like a good angel this season.
Deus Fed-Ex Machina
Injured, Cas can't bring the boys back without powering up, and that involves touching Bobby's soul. I'm starting to think Bobby's soul is the most valuable thing in the world given how much it's come into play in the past year. He does and brings the boys back, right before they got the phoenix ashes. So it was all for nothing.
Or was it? Just like at the end of Back to the Future 2, a delivery man shows up at that exact moment with a package for Sam Winchester they've been holding onto forever without explicit instructions to deliver at that specific moment. Inside Sam finds his old phone he left with Samuel Colt, a note from Colt, and, most importantly, the ashes of a phoenix. It might be a little too convenient, like when Supernatural super fan Becky told them where the Colt was after reading it in the books at the end of "The Real Ghostbusters," but since it's just a rip-off of Back to the Future, I'll allow it.
They also watch as a man is hanged in the town square, but when that same victim goes around killing people by reducing them to ash, the boys learn that he's the phoenix. I'm kind of upset that the phoenix is just a person, like the dragons. Why can't phoenixes and dragons be awesome, mythical creatures?
Still, Dean fights the phoenix while Sam goes to meet Samuel Colt and get his gun. Colt is a surly old retired hunter who wants nothing to do with the life anymore. However, he's clearly been at this a while, because he has absolutely no problem believing that Sam is from the future. Sam gets the Colt, hurries back and gives it to Dean, who then has the shootout from the start of the episode with the phoenix. And Dean proves that he's the fastest draw in the old west, killing the phoenix and reducing it to ashes.
Castiel's Dirty Little Secret
In the present, Rachel summons Cas to an empty warehouse to talk about how she doesn't approve of his methods to fight the war against Raphael and that she knows his "dirty little secret." She then tries to stab him with an angel dagger, but he fights back and gets the upper hand, killing her. That's right, after two short scenes, the big new angel character Rachel is killed.
But it begs a bigger question: what is the dirty little secret? Was she talking about how he had Balthazar unsink the Titanic to get 50,000 new souls, or is Cas doing worse things to win his war? I'm starting to think that he's been doing some very bad things and, as much as I love Cas, I suspect he might even be the big bad of the season and helped get the Mother of All free to help him fight Raphael. I hope I'm wrong, but Castiel is definitely not behaving like a good angel this season.
Deus Fed-Ex Machina
Injured, Cas can't bring the boys back without powering up, and that involves touching Bobby's soul. I'm starting to think Bobby's soul is the most valuable thing in the world given how much it's come into play in the past year. He does and brings the boys back, right before they got the phoenix ashes. So it was all for nothing.
Or was it? Just like at the end of Back to the Future 2, a delivery man shows up at that exact moment with a package for Sam Winchester they've been holding onto forever without explicit instructions to deliver at that specific moment. Inside Sam finds his old phone he left with Samuel Colt, a note from Colt, and, most importantly, the ashes of a phoenix. It might be a little too convenient, like when Supernatural super fan Becky told them where the Colt was after reading it in the books at the end of "The Real Ghostbusters," but since it's just a rip-off of Back to the Future, I'll allow it.
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