World's first medical networking and resource portal

Community Weblogs

Oct01

How to protect everyone in your family when one gets sick

 

Your child, husband or roommate is down with the flu, be it seasonal or swine. You’re okay… for now. But you know how quickly the flu virus can spread through your household, with new victims getting infected just by touching a contaminated object, like a door knob or telephone, and then touching their face. Can you care for the sick while keeping yourself and other family members safe from infection?

Yes, you can. The first step is to get vaccinated for both seasonal and swine flu (H1N1) by homeo preventive medicine ,—and there's no guarantee that vaccinated people won't get sick—so you'll still want to block these germs and increase your resistance to infection. Here's how

 

1. Wash, Wash, Wash Your Hands
Wash your hands throughout the day and immediately after you’ve touched anything handled by The Infected One. A thorough washing (scrubbing for 20 seconds with ordinary soap and water and rinsing well) does the trick, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Antibacterial soaps offer no additional advantage.

Equally effective is rubbing a quarter-size dollop of alcohol-based hand sanitizer all over your hands until it evaporates. Hand sanitizer also is convenient to leave strategically placed around the house. In particular, leave a bottle inside the door of the sick person’s room to use before exiting.

2.Take homeopathic preventive

Must take Arsenic album in 200 potency  daily  2times . and obsereve the patatients condition , symptoms according to the symtamatology  there are some more medicines in homeopathy  Gelsemium , Bryonia , Eupatorium, Rhustox, Influenzinum  etc . By homeo  doctors  suggestion u can take any one of that medicine.

 

3. Stop Touching Your Face!
More than anything, this habit enables viruses to access the vulnerable mucous membranes of your respiratory tract. It’s a hard habit to break, acknowledges Charles Gerba, Ph.D. author of The Germ Freak's Guide to Outwitting Colds and Flu. The typical adult touches his or her face around 15 times an hour. A small child? Up to 81 times an hour. “Try to become aware it and stop yourself when you can,” says Gerba.

.

4. Isolate
To the extent that it is possible, confine your patient to a bedroom and its adjoining bathroom. With teenagers and adults, consider leaving food, water and other necessities on a tray by the door. Disinfect the returned objects.

As difficult as it can be to isolate children, it can help limit the spread of infection, Gerber says. “Our studies show that children with flu turn homes into minefields as they wander around the house touching things,” he explains. With a baby or small child, try having one designated caregiver in the room, with arrangements for relief at designated intervals.

5. Disinfect
If you can give the sick their own bathroom, great. If not, concentrate your efforts on disinfecting the sink area, and avoid sharing towels, cups and other handled objects. Most household cleansers are adequate. Here again, antibacterial ingredients offer no added advantage.

If the patient strays, follow up by wiping down whatever was touched on the outing. In particular, phones and remotes are two of the biggest virus-transmitters in the home, according to Gerba’s studies.

6. To Mask or Not to Mask?
Face masks get mixed marks from the experts. “Only one study showed some disease reduction,” Gerba says, “and the main benefit may be that masks keep your fingers away from your nose.”

The CDC advises wearing a face mask if you must have close contact with an infected person. A tight fit blocks the small droplets that can otherwise be inhaled around a mask’s edges. This is best achieved with N95 respirators, a tight-fitting disposable mask which may reduce the wearer’s risk of getting infected. Because they fit so snuggly, though, it can be hard to breathe through them for an extended period of time. Throw away disposable masks each day. Reusable fabric masks should be laundered and dried in a hot dryer after each use. Also remember to wash or sanitize your hands after taking off the face mask or respirator.

7. Stand Back!
The CDC advises avoiding close contact with those infected with flu, staying at least 6 feet away whenever possible. If you must approach, remind your patient to turn away when coughing, and sneeze into a disposable tissue or into their upper sleeve. When holding a sick child, avoid face-to-face contact by placing his or her chin on your shoulder

8. Ask Your Doctor About Antivirals
If you’re the primary caregiver, talk to your doctor about taking an antiviral medication, like Tamiflu or Relenza, to reduce your risk of infection. That said, when stocks are low, doctors will reserve these medications for those at the highest risk for flu complications, such as pregnant women and seniors.

9. Take Care of Yourself
Experts agree that a strong immune system is your best defense against getting sick in any situation. That means you need plenty of sleep, lots of fluids and exercise, along with a healthy diet.

 

 



Comments (0)  |   Category (Alternate Medicine)  |   Views (1330)

Community Comments
User Rating
Rate It


Post your comments

 
Browse Archive