Common Illnesses and Suggested Remedies: Fever

Fever

• Drink lots of fluids.

• You want to lower your temperature gradually, so take a lukewarm, not cold, shower or bath.

• Dress in loose, comfortable clothing and cover lightly if necessary.

• Keep room well-ventilated, but avoid drafts.

• Rest.

• Take two 325 mg acetaminophen(Tylenol) every 4 hours. No aspirin or ibuprofen (Motrin /Advil).

• If a fever of 101º or greater doesn't respond to these measures or continues for more than 10-12 hours, call us.

taken from evergreen women's health care, PC All rights reserved, copy right 2007

Treating common childhood illnesses

buy insurance: things to consider

 

 

If you plan to look for or buy insurance on the Web, here are some things you should consider:

Do you understand the product (policy)? Insurance can be a very complex and confusing product. If you are planning on buying insurance on the Web, make sure you know what you are doing. Understand the kind of insurance you want to buy. The Office of the Commissioner of Insurance (OCI) has many publications covering virtually all types of insurance, from auto and homeowner's insurance to life and health insurance. These publications are available electronically on the OCI's Web site or paper copies can be obtained by contacting the office. Since you are planning on making an insurance transaction without the use of an insurance agent, it is your responsibility to understand the policy you purchase beforehand.

about insurances

Are the companies you are considering authorized to do business in Wisconsin? In order to do business in the State of Wisconsin, an insurance company must first be licensed by the OCI. You can check this out by visiting the OCI's Web site at http://badger.state.wi.us/agencies/oci/oci_home.htm and looking for the companies' names in the Insurance Company Directory. This is a list of Wisconsin-licensed insurers which is updated monthly.

Are the insurance products you are considering authorized for sale in Wisconsin? In order for insurance products to be sold in the State of Wisconsin, most must be filed with and approved by the OCI. The insurance-related Web site should have notices and/or disclaimers stating that a policy may not be available in all states or not allow you to complete an application for that policy if the policy is not available in Wisconsin. If you have any questions about a particular insurance policy, you can call the OCI at 1-800-236-8517 (in Wisconsin only).

Is the information you are supplying the insurance company secure? Every Web site should have a statement concerning its security. A secure site will protect the data recorded from visitors from electronic theft or tampering. Be sure to review this privacy policy before leaving your name, e-mail address or other personal information. Often you will be asked for personal information when you fill out an application for insurance.

Will your information be kept private? A privacy statement should inform you if your personal information will also be sold or used for marketing purposes. Some sites offer you a choice to share your personal information or restrict its use. If you do not want your personal information sold or used, you should make sure that the insurer will use it only for enrolling you for insurance coverage. Check the privacy policy.

Do you need to file a complaint? The OCI has a procedure for insurance consumers to file complaints about insurance companies, policies, transactions or agents. Call 800-236-8517 to speak to agency staff about possible complaints.

New Hope for Treating Cancer

What explanation can we offer for the steady increase in survival rates among can cer patients? One answer likely is the improve ments scientists have made in cancer detection. These improvements include a variety of new imaging techniques as well as blood and other tests that can help physicians detect and diagnose

cancer early. Although many Americans regularly watch for the early symptoms of cancer, by the time symptoms occur many tumors already have grown quite large and may have metastasized. Likewise, many cancers have no symptoms. Clearly, great effort is needed to educate Americans that cancer screening (checking for cancer in people with no symptoms) is key to early detection.

 

more about cancer

Another explanation for increased survival is improved treatment. Today, the traditional workhorses of cancer treatment—surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy—are being used in ways that are increasingly specific to the type of cancer involved. In fact, many cases of cancer now are being fully cured.

A key area of interest lies in learning how to exploit the molecular abnormalities of cancer cells to bring about their destruction. For example, understand ing the role of oncogenes in the development of cancer suggests new targets for anticancer therapies. Some drug companies are working on drugs designed to shut down abnormal receptor proteins. Other potential targets are the aberrant proteins within the cytoplasm that transmit stimulatory sig nals even without being stimulated by surface receptors.

 

One bold new research initiative that offers significant promise is the Cancer Genome Anatomy Project (CGAP). The project's goal is to identify all the genes responsible for the establishment and growth of human cancer. The work is based on a simple concept: Although almost every cell in the body contains the full set of human genes, only about one-tenth of them are expressed in any particular type of cell. Thus, different types of cells— for example, muscle cells and skin cells—can be distinguished by their patterns of gene expression.

 Establishing for a particular cell the repertoire of genes expressed, together with the amount of normal or altered gene product produced by each expressed gene, yields a powerful "fingerprint" or "signature" for that cell type. Not unexpectedly, during the transformation of a normal cell to a cancer cell, this signature changes. Some changes are quantitative. That is, gene A may be expressed in both cells, but at greatly different levels, or it may be expressed in one cell but not the other. Other changes are qualitative: Gene B may be expressed at the same level in both cells, but produce an altered product in the cancerous cell.

 

Scientists expect that being able to "read" these signatures—in other words, being able to compare the signatures of cells in their normal and cancerous  states—will change cancer detection, diagnosis, and treatment in many exciting ways. Specifically, studying the exact sequence of molecular changes a cell undergoes during its transformation to a can cerous state will help scientists identify new molecular-level targets for prevention, detection, and treatment. One observation scientists have recently made is that cells surrounding an incipient tumor also may undergo changes that indicate that cancer is present. For example, early tobacco-induced molecular changes in the mouth may predict the risk of developing lung cancer, and cancers of the urinary tract may be signaled by molecularly-altered cells that are shed in the urine. Reading the signatures of these easily accessed cells may enable scientists to develop simple, non-invasive tests that will allow early detection of cancerous or precancerous cells hidden deep within the body.

 Reading such signatures will also enhance the specificity of cancer diagnosis by allowing scientists to differentiate among tumors at the molecular level. By assessing the meaning of individual changes in a cell's signature, scientists will be able to determine which cancers are most likely to progress and which are not—a dilemma that confronts doctors in the treatment of prostate can cer—thereby allowing patients to avoid the harmful consequences of unnecessary treatment.

 

Finally, molecular fingerprinting will allow researchers to develop new treatments specifically targeted at cellular subtypes of different cancers. Often, patients suffering from tumors that by traditional criteria are indistinguishable, nevertheless experience quite different outcomes despite having received the same treatment. Research indicates that these different outcomes sometimes are related to the presence or absence of particular gene products. In the future, such molecular characteristics likely will be used to identify patients who would benefit from one type of treatment as compared with another.

 

 

 

nappy changing tips

nappy changing tips

from bubhub.com.au

- gather everything that you need and place it all in easy reach before you start each change so that you don't have to leave your baby mid-change
- never leave your child unattended on a change table, for whatever reason, and always keep one hand on your baby. As your child gets older and more 'wriggly', consider changing baby on a lower surface, or even on a change pad on the floor.
- if using powder or talcum powder, put the powder onto your hands and then apply it to your baby rather than shaking the powder. This should reduce the amount of powder that your baby may breathe in.
- always wipe a baby girl's bottom from front to back to prevent any cross infection
- make sure you clean well around baby boy's genetalia to remove all 'unwanted substances'
- little boys tend to spray everywhere, so if you don't want you, or baby, to get wet during a change, place a muslin or cloth over baby whilst changing
- a toy or mobile above the change mat should amuse baby during a change and reduce squirming
- keep all lotions, potions, pins and plastic bags well out of baby's reach

modern cloth nappies

What are the different types of modern nappies?

There are a number of different types of modern nappies. Think outside the square! These shaped nappies have elastic in the legs and waist, usually with a closure such as snaps or hook & loop (trademark names include Velcro, Aplix and Touchtape). They can be divided into those that need a cover and ones that don'.t

Fitted nappies: These shaped nappies require a cover. They are made of fabric which absorbs liquid, usually cotton (terry, flannelette, etc), hemp, or a blend. New on the nappy fabric scene is bamboo, which is environmentally friendly and extremely absorbent and soft. Some fitted nappies are "pocket fitteds", with a stuffable area for extra absorbency. Most fitted nappies have a built in closure, which may be snaps or hook-and-loop (Velcro(tm), Aplix(tm), Touchtape(tm)). A few modern fitted nappies are closed with a Snappi or with ties.

All in Ones (AIOs): Nappies that do not need a separate cover have some sort of waterproof layer as the outside or second to outside layer. This is usually PUL or premium quality polar fleece. All-in-one nappies fasten with snaps or hook-and-loop, and may have a booster flap or extra booster for easier washing and faster drying.

There are also Almost-in-one nappies, also called All-in-twos or AI2 nappies. These have an absorbent booster that the user snaps or otherwise attaches to an outer shell (PUL, wool, or fleece). While more fiddly, these can sometimes be faster drying than true AIOs.

Pocket nappies: Consisting of an outer fitted shell sewn to a liner along three sides, pocket nappies allow for customisation of the absorbency level by changing how much absorbent material is stuffed into the nappy. The water-resistant shell might be PUL (polyurethane laminated fabric), high quality fleece, a combination of fleece with a thin extra water-resistant layer such as taslon or rip-stop nylon. Pocket nappies can be stuffed with anything absorbent! Stuffers might be specially made stuff-ins, cotton or hemp flats or prefolds, washcloths, bathmats, microfibre cloths, or a combination of these things.

cloth nappies

disposable nappies

 

What's type of disposable nappies available?

To decide what type of nappy your baby needs, be guided by your baby's weight and her stage of development. Most disposable nappies fall into the following categories:
Newborn - these nappies are designed for babies in their first few weeks or months. They have reusable tapes making them easy to change and a super absorbent core designed to draw newborn babies' poo away from the skin and into the nappy.
Older baby/crawler nappies - these nappies are designed for babies who are a bit older and who are on the move. They are shaped to fit and may have elasticated waists.
Toddler nappies - designed for active toddlers who are running around, these are the stretchiest nappies available.
Trainer pants/pull-ups - these are aimed at toddlers who are being potty trained and look more like padded pants than nappies.

You can also buy unscented, 'sensitive' disposable nappies, designed for babies with sensitive skin.

Some people are concerned about the waste that disposable nappies cause - in a household with a new baby, nappy waste can make up 50 per cent of the weekly rubbish! There are worries too about the number of trees that need to be cut down to make nappies.
If you want to limit the effects your baby's nappies are having on the environment, you might want to look at eco-disposables - which use less or no chemical gels or bleaches and break down more quickly in landfill sites.