MINOR AILMENTS TREATMENT
Essential Health Issues
MINOR AND COMMON AILMENTS TREATMENT
People usually recover from most minor ailments by themselves and do not need to be seen by a doctor. For instance, many minor ailments including colds and flu are caused by viruses. There are thousands of different viruses and there is no direct cure (antibiotics cannot help). But there are often things you can do to ease the symptoms while your body gets on with overcoming the virus. Rest and take plenty of water. Paracetamol or aspirin may help relieve aches and fever. (But do not give aspirin to children under the age of 12.) With a little more knowledge and information, you may be able to diagnose and treat yourself and members of your family a lot of the time. Some basic knowledge of first aid (for example, for burns, sprains or reviving people) can help you deal with accidents. You can then decide whether something is serious enough to need medical help. Self-care does not mean dealing with health problems on your own. Your doctor and the health team are there to help with any problems or situations you cannot cope with.
HOUSEHOLD CURES: Throughout the world, household or home remedies are used; often, traditional ways of healing have been passed down from generations to generations. Some are useful; some are less useful while others can be risky or harmful. Therefore, household or home remedies must be used with caution. For many sicknesses, time-tested household remedies work as well as modern medicines or even better; in some cases, they are often cheaper and safer. Home remedies help some diseases, while others are better treated with modern medicines. This is true for most serious infections like pneumonia, typhoid, tetanus, tuberculosis, appendicitis, sexually transmitted diseases and so on. For others like diabetes, hypertension, heart and kidney diseases, you must see a medical practitioner. For these diseases, do not waste your time or risk your life trying home remedies.
THERE IS NO MEDICINE THAT DOES NOT HAVE SOME RISK IN ITS USE. THEREFORE,
IT IS SAFER TO TREAT VERY SERIOUS AILMENTS WITH MODERN MEDICINES
FOLLOWING ADVICE OF A MEDICAL DOCTOR OR A PHARMACIST.
SENSIBLE USE OF MEDICINES
The common citizens should know that medicines should be used sensibly and only when absolutely necessary. For some ailments, no medicine is needed; and there is no medicine that does not have some risk in its use. People do recover from some ailments including the common cold (catarrh) and influenza (flu) by themselves and without need of medicine. In fact, many sicknesses can be prevented or treated without the use of medicines. It is the body that overcomes the disease by means of its immune system; even in serious illnesses when a medicine is needed. The medicine only helps usually by boosting the body’s immunity. The most important needs of the body are cleanliness, rest and nutritious food.
Personal Hygiene or Cleanliness
One of the most effective ways we have to protect ourselves and others from illness is good personal hygiene. This means washing the hands, especially, but also the body. It means being careful not to cough or sneeze on others, cleaning things that are touched if you are unwell, putting items such as tissues (that may have germs) into a bin, and using protection (like gloves or condoms) when at risk of catching an infection. Personal hygiene, such as bathing, is very much dependent on the culture in which one lives. In some cultures, it is expected that the body is washed at least every day and deodorants are used to stop body smells. Other cultures have different health and hygiene expectations.
An average adult should consume at least eight glasses of water every
day. You can also get some water in fruit juices, soft drinks, beer and
tea but each of them has distinct disadvantages. Drinking pure water
(not poor water) allows your body to flush out toxins without adding to
the burden of your digestive systems as those mentioned above would do.
Adequate water consumption is one of the single most important tasks we
must practice daily in order to live a long and healthy life without
(a) Diarrhoea and Dehydration in children
Dehydration is the common cause of death in children with diarrhoea. Dehydration can be prevented or corrected by giving a child with diarrhoea plenty of water (better still Oral Rehydration Solution [Drink] ORS). If enough liquid is given, no medicine is usually needed in the treatment of diarrhoea.
1. Diarrhoea causes dehydration, which kills approximately 2.2
million children every year. Children are more likely than adults to die
from dehydration because they become dehydrated more quickly. Diarrhoea
is also a major cause of child malnutrition.
3. Diarrhoea can be prevented by breastfeeding, by immunizing all children against measles, by using latrines, by keeping food and water clean, and by washing hands before touching food.
4. If families and communities work together, with support from
governments and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), they can do much
to prevent the conditions that cause diarrhoea. Oral rehydration therapy
is a simple, cheap, effective, and acceptable treatment that can be
prepared and administered by parents at home to counteract dehydration
which is the most common cause of death among children with acute
diarrhoeal disease. ORS will also reduce the severity of diarrhoea and
vomiting, the number of hospitalizations, the need for costly
intravenous fluid treatment and the length of illness. The treatment
consists of a solution of sugar and salt given orally to replace both
the water and electrolytes lost in diarrhoeal stools.
(b) In feverish illnesses drinking of plenty of liquids (especially water) could be a form of treatment.
(c) In very high fever, the body may be soaked with cool water to reduce the temperature before further treatment is given.
(d) In minor urinary infections, patients should drink plenty of water
with or without medication.
(f) Hot compresses should be applied to stiff or sore muscles and joints.
(g) In minor burns, patients should hold the affected parts in cold water.
(h) In sore throat or tonsillitis, the affected person should gargle
with hot salt water.
(j) Anyone suffering from stuffed up nose should sniff salt water.
(k) For constipation or hard stools, plenty of water should be taken.
(l) For cold sores or fever blisters, ice should be held on the blisters for one hour at first sign.
(m) In cough, cold, influenza and pneumonia plenty of water should be drunk and the patient inhale hot water vapours. The chest or affected should also be treated with hot water (or a hot water bottle).
(n) Contaminated or impure water is often the cause of most diseases. An important part of the prevention of gastro-intestinal diseases (e.g. diarrhea) and indeed most illnesses is to boil water used for drinking or for preparing foods. A lot of packaged water being sold in the markets and on the streets (especially those called ‘pure water’) are in fact poor water.
Diarrhoea and Vomiting – WATER
If a young child or baby has a sudden bout of watery diarrhoea and/or vomiting, take them off solids and milk and offer plenty of clear fluids or electrolyte fluid. If your baby is breast fed, continue breast-feeding. If the symptoms are severe, or the child continues to vomit for more than 12-24 hours, see the doctor.
The same principles apply to adults. Offer frequent clear fluids or electrolyte fluid. If you have persistent diarrhoea after a trip abroad, a stool sample may need to be checked by the laboratory and you should contact your doctor.
Treatment of stomach ulcers and acid indigestion
Drink diluted milk several times a day especially at the end of each meal.
Take antacids such as magnesium trisilicate mixture. If pain is severe an antispasmodic (a medicine that relieves stomach spasm) may help.
Avoid the following: alcoholic drinks, coffee, cigarettes, pepper and other spices, carbonated drinks (e. g. cola drinks and soda water).
Avoid anger, tension and nervousness which make ulcers worse.
Avoid getting an ulcer by eating wisely, not drinking much and not
(a) Drink plenty of water.
(b) Eat fruits, vegetables and foods with natural fiber: yam, cassava, grapefruits, pawpaw, pineapples, carrots, cucumber etc.
(c) In the elderly, there is need to do some exercise (e. g. walking) in order to have regular bowel movement.
(d) If there has been no bowel movement for three or more days even after the above precautions, and there is no sharp pain in the abdomen, take a mild salt laxative.
Control of simple vomiting
(a) Eat nothing while vomiting is severe.
(b) Sip a Cola drink, or ginger ale or Rehydration drink.
(c) If vomiting does not stop, use a vomit control medicine.
7. Diarrhoea and Dysentery
A frequent loose or watery stool is diarrhoea. A frequent stool with mucus and blood is dysentery.
Treatment – In cases of acute diarrhea it would be wise to drink more fluids (3-4 litres a day), preferably containing sugar and salts. Ready-mixed oral rehydration sachets can be bought from the pharmacist and added to drinking water. A sufficient intake has been obtained when the urine becomes light yellow in color. Eat something containing salt, such as crisps or soup. Maintain good standards of hygiene. Eat normally as soon as your appetite returns but if you have suffered an acute attack of diarrhoea, avoid foods containing milk for a couple of days.
People need to be educated on simple home remedies and therefore it is
necessary to develop and list recommended actions to be taken when minor
Sore throats are usually caused by viruses and they generally improve
after four or five days. Antibiotics cannot cure the virus, however,
gargling with Aspirin (NOT FOR CHILDREN UNDER 12), prior to being
swallowed; and sucking throat lozenges will help.
Sit the patient down with their head tilted forward over a bowl. While
the patient breathes through their mouth, pinch their nose just below
the bone for about 10 minutes. The bleeding should stop. If symptoms
persist, consult your doctor.
If the wound is dirty, rinse it under cold running water and clean around it with soap and water, wiping away from the wound. To stop bleeding, apply a clean dressing firmly to the wound for about five minutes. Cover with a clean dry dressing and NEVER put cotton wool directly into an open wound.
Antihistamine tablets can be bought from the pharmacy without
prescription and will usually relieve most symptoms. If symptoms persist
- see your doctor. Bees leave their stings in, so first priority is to
carefully remove the sting. Bee stings should be scraped away rather
than 'plucked' to avoid squeezing the contents of the venom sac into the
wound. Then soothe the skin with a solution of bicarbonate soda and
If the sting is in the mouth, sucking an ice cube will ease the discomfort but medical help should be sought. Because some people are allergic to stings, MEDICAL HELP SHOULD BE SOUGHT IMMEDIATELY at the first sign of excessive swelling or difficulty in breathing. If you seem to be experiencing an allergic reaction, such as something which makes your tongue swell, proceed immediately to hospital. Other considerations come into play such as, medical history, other medication being taken, age, state of health etc. If you are prone to allergic reactions, see your doctor for something you can carry along for immediate relief.
Contrary to popular belief, head lice prefer clean hair and are, therefore, not a sign of poor personal hygiene. There are a number of options available to treat head lice. Ask your doctor for details.
To avoid asthma being initiated by the mites in pillows, put pillow in
tumble dryer on hot setting for 20 minutes, this will kill off the mites
or put in hot sunlight.
For the first few days rest your back by lying on a firm
mattress placed either on the floor or on wooden boards between the
mattress and the base of your bed. Aspirin, paracetamol (acetaminophen)
will help relieve the pain and gentle heat e.g. from a hot water bottle
or heat lamp will often help. As the pain begins to ease, start gentle
exercises as soon as possible even if you can only move your back a few
inches in each direction. Avoid straining your back while exercising and
take great care when lifting even if the pain has completely settled.
When sitting, an upright chair with the support for the small of the
back puts much less strain on your spine. If there is no improvement
within a few days, then consult your doctor for advice.
The infant may seem irritable and object to being handled. His body may
be floppy or perhaps stiff and jerky. His cry may be high pitched and
different to normal. He may seem reluctant to wake up. He may be
frequently sick (not just after feeds). The skin may appear blotchy or
pale. The soft spot on the baby's head may be tight or bulging. If there
is a red/purple rash, gently push a glass tumbler over the spots and if
they do not fade with the pressure, you must seek medical help
Early symptoms of blood poisoning (which is often associated with
meningitis) can appear a long time before some of the more widely known
e.g. light sensitivity and rashes. These early warning signs in
children less than 17 years old often include:
If in any doubt seek professional medical advice as quickly as possible.
Ask the individual to SMILE; Ask him or her to RAISE BOTH ARMS; Ask him or her to SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE (coherently); If he or she has trouble with any of these tasks call emergency immediately and describe the symptoms.
To get rid of the itch try applying soap on the area and you will
experience immediate relief.
Symptoms of uncomplicated malaria
Children under 5 years
Fever (raised temperature detected by thermometer or touch) or a
history of fever , loss of appetite, weakness, lethargy and
Fever (raised temperature detected by thermometer or touch)
or a history of loss of appetite,
pains, muscle aches,
Types of Malaria
Plasmodium vivax, Plasmodium malariae, Plasmodium ovale and Plasmodium
Minor ailments and health problems can be handled effectively and safely if precautions are taken. The Holy Bible has the following statement: "My people perish because of lack of knowledge". Good Health is attainable when minor ailments are handed promptly.
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