Everybody loves fireworks, but for young children the fun can easily end in tears. Here are Lorna Clark’s top tips for a great evening.

Choose your display

It is safer to attend an organised display, the fireworks are roped off at a safe distance and you won’t have to risk trying to light them yourself. However a big display might be too much for a small child; with a long way to walk from the car, big crowds and lots of noisy fireworks. Some schools and village halls put on smaller displays which might be more suitable. If you do decide to have fireworks at home choose those marked “animal friendly” as they are far quieter.

Be prepared

Talk to your child about where you are going and what you might see, going out in the dark can be quite an adventure! If your little one doesn’t remember seeing fireworks before it can help to show them a clip like this one. Do explain that real fireworks are louder, but much more fun.

Make sure that you are also prepared for the practicalities of the evening, leave enough time to get to the venue and consider that transport may be slow. Be sure you have the change for entry tickets and treats and have a look for that missing glove now. You don’t want to be watching the fireworks while stuck half a mile away!
If you are going to a large display try to dress children in distinctive clothes, a bright hat in particular can be easier to spot in a crowd. You might want to write your mobile number on a child’s arm so that you can be contacted, just in case you do get separated in the dark.

Rope in another adult

It is a good idea to try to have an extra adult available so that if your little one does get upset by loud bangs and bright flashes they can be taken indoors or back to the car. Agree in advance who will stay with the older children. Even if they are happy to stay you may need to give a young child the reassurance of being held. When you are having fireworks at home it is important to keep hold of little ones so that they can’t run off. No matter how trustworthy they are a small child might want to help and this is one time when they do need to stay well back.

View from a distance

You don’t have to be too close to enjoy fireworks. A small child might feel more secure if they can watch from the safety of an upstairs window. If you are at an organised display try moving to a more distant part of the field or park, away from the noise and crowds.

Handle with care

Many people think of sparklers as safe for children but they can be 15 times hotter than boiling water and are not recommended for under-fives. If you do have sparklers for older children make sure everyone wears gloves and stands still. Have a bucket of water ready and throw used sparklers in as soon as they go out, they may look harmless but they are still hot enough to burn. When a child first holds a sparkler it may help to kneel behind them with your arms around the child. Put your hand over theirs on the sparkler and you can enjoy waving it together without getting into trouble.

Stay warm

With all that fire around it is easy to forget that the most likely problem is getting cold! Standing around after dark can be a chilly business and frosty toes are enough to make anyone miserable. Wrap up warmly with thick socks, hats, jumpers, coats and scarves especially if you are going to an organised display and will be out for a while. Ear muffs or hats with ear flaps are great for keeping warm and can also muffle the noise a little. While you are outside you might want to warm up with a hot drink, and if you are really making an evening of it aim for jacket potatoes, soups and stews to keep you going.

More Guy Fawkes and Bonfire night articles

• Guy Fawkes night games
• Fireworks display UK
• Guy Fawkes night food and drink
• Guy Fawkes for kids

Further information:
If you are putting on a display at home, you can find advice on staying safe here. http://www.saferfireworks.com/firework_code/index.htm

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Q: Why can’t I keep my homemade muffins tasting fresh and staying moist as long as the commercial muffins seem to? These super-huge muffins at coffee shops seem so moist, and if I take half of one home it stays moist. But when I make smaller muffins at home, they dry out so quickly.

A: You are probably working from different types of recipes. Homemade, old-fashioned muffins have less sugar and less fat than quick breads or cakes. That’s healthier. But it’s the fat and sugar that hold moisture in and keep things moist.

That’s the chemistry of baked goods. Starch and sugar absorb the liquid in the batter. If fat can coat the starch, then the moisture is trapped and the muffin stays moist.

The difference between muffins and cakes is that muffin batter should be mixed only enough to moisten it. If you beat muffin batter enough to spread the little bit of fat around evenly so it could coat the starch, then the muffin would be coarse, have big tunnels through it, and probably get those high, cracked peaks. That’s because beating develops the protein in the flour and makes it stretchy. Then it traps the gas from the baking powder, which makes big air bubbles and tunnels.

A lot of commercial muffins are basically cake batter baked in muffin cups. There’s more fat and more sugar to hold the moisture and less flour to trap the air bubbles. And the flour is more likely to be cake flour, which has less protein and won’t get stretchy if you beat it enough to put lots of air bubbles into it.

So you can make cupcakes, call them muffins and have them stay moist longer. Or you can make traditional muffins. If they won’t stay moist until you can eat them all, freeze half the batch. When you’ve finished the first half, thaw the second. They’ll be like new.

Q: Is there any truth to using oregano or oregano oil to help calm upset stomachs? A relative has started using it almost every day. She says it helps her stomach. Would it, really?

A: The PDR for Herbal Remedies and the Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database say that oil of oregano is sometimes taken by mouth for respiratory tract disorders such as cough, asthma and bronchitis. It’s also used for painful periods, arthritis, urinary tract disorders, headaches and a variety of other complaints. They do say it is sometimes used for gastrointestinal disorders such as bloating, and to treat intestinal parasites. It’s used on the skin for numerous other conditions from acne to warts. It is considered “Generally Recognized As Safe,” an FDA category of food additives, when oregano is used in foods. It is considered “Possibly Safe” when used “appropriately in medicinal amounts,” except for pregnant women.

The typical dose is one cup of tea made with one heaping teaspoon of leaf in boiling water. The references also say that the oil is possibly effective for intestinal parasites, but that there is not enough reliable information about any of the other uses to recommend it.

For parasites, the amount is 200 milligrams, about 7 ounces (or almost a cupful), taken three times a day for six weeks. Other than that, it’s probably not a problem, but probably not helping anything.

Article source: http://www2.tbo.com/lifestyles/life/2012/feb/19/banewso5-its-tough-to-make-super-moist-muffins-ar-360057/

I
had zero problems with my health until three years ago, when I was 19, and
started on birth control pills to treat acne that did not respond to over
the counter medicine.  I am a non-smoker, never had any weight
problems, and have not been in the hospital since I was two years old.  My
gynecologist did not foresee any problems with my decision to take birth
control pills, and it seemed like a good decision at the time.

First, let me present my family medical history.
 My mother and one of her sisters, my aunt, told me they had blood clots,
although they never saw a doctor to diagnose the clots, nor had any
treatment with blood thinners.  Instead, they chose an herbal remedy. 
My mother’s family also has a history of heart attacks and stroke.
  However, it never occurred to me that blood clots can be hereditary, and I
had never heard of a blood clotting disorder.   The doctor who prescribed
the birth control pills did not ask me about blood clots in my family. 
I recall now that the history checklist I filled out included DVT, but was
unaware then that DVT stood for deep vein thrombosis or that it was a blood
clot.

Not surprisingly, it came as a complete shock to me
when, after a month on birth control pills, I woke up with an immense pain
and noticeable swelling in my left leg to the point that I could barely walk
across the room.  I was extremely confused and agitated, because I had no
recollection of any injury to explain my symptoms.  I looked online to see
what it might be, and several sites suggested that my symptoms might be a
blood clot, so I had my boyfriend at that time drive me to the hospital.

I wasn’t certain whether my symptoms meant I had a
blood clot, and I think the ER staff thought it might be a sports injury. 
It took about 6 hours before they determined it was a blood clot, and almost
12 hours before a hospital bed was available.  I was placed in the
progressive care unit (PCU) because my blood clot ran the entire length of
my thigh, the largest DVT the staff had ever seen.  They gave me shots of
low molecular weight heparin right away and medication to minimize my pain.
 They moved me to the main floor of the hospital a few days later, because I
was doing better.

The doctors reminded me repeatedly that I needed to
report any chest pain or shortness of breath since a DVT can cause a
pulmonary embolism (PE).  The night they moved me into the regular room, I
felt a slight pressure in my chest, and I told my doctors about it the next
day.  Two of them brushed it off, but the third one came back and told
me to say more about what I was feeling in my chest.  This doctor ordered a
CT scan that showed multiple clots in both of my lungs.  They rushed me back
to the PCU so they could monitor me more closely.  Just think… I had
multiple PEs, potentially lethal, and I did not even know they were there.
  As strange as it sounds, I sometimes feel as if I would prefer a visible
life-threatening injury, even a bullet or stab wound.  The fact that a blood
clot is hidden within my body and can still travel to the lungs is
terrifying!

Eventually, I got better and was sent home.  While
I was in the hospital, I was tested for many different blood clotting
disorders, and tested positive for heterozygous factor V Leiden.  As a
result, I will be on warfarin for the rest of my life, because of my risk
for developing another PE. Needless to say, I stopped taking birth control
pills.

While I wish I had known that I had factor V
Leiden, I am glad that our family has this knowledge now.  My mother has not
been tested to see whether she is positive for factor V Leiden, and not
interested in finding out.  She thinks that there is no sense in
worrying about something she has dealt with her entire life.  My father
was not tested, but neither he nor anyone in his family had any blood clots.

I also try to write reports at school about factor
V Leiden because I want to increase awareness about blood clotting disorders
and how they may increase blood clotting risk.  The greatest impact this
experience had on me is my choice of career.  I am pursuing a degree in
Medical Assisting, but hope to become certified as a pharmacy technician,
and perhaps choose nursing in the future.  I want to use my experience
to ease the difficulty and fear that others may have in coping with illness,
particularly those related to blood clots.

 
 Return to our news section.

Article source: http://www.stoptheclot.org/News/article298.htm

You are here: Home » Health » Acne… no problem

A clear, glowing complexion is every girl’s dream. But a face marred by acne is the last thing you would want to be dealing with. Don’t stress, here are some home remedies to treat acne.

It is important to cleanse your face eve­ryday. Dirt and pollution tend to affect the skin hence it is important to cleanse your face once you return home.

It is important to wash your face everyday. Washing your face need not mean using soap or face wash. Cold water is great for treating skin acne.

We have always been told that neem is of great medicinal value. Applying a neem face pack is said to be beneficial. It’s simple just apply the pack for 15 minutes and then rinse with cold water.

Like neem, even sandalwood paste has great medicinal value. It’s simple apply sandlewood paste over the acne spot and leave it overnight. This helps reduce skin irritation. In the morning wash your face with face wash and then apply a moisturiser.

Wash your face at night before going to bed. It is best to avoid new products in the night (products you have not used earlier). Rose water is suggested to cleanse an oily skin while for dry skin you can use a cream which isn’t sticky.

Drinking a lot of water is great for acne as it helps remove toxins from the body. In the same way, include more green vegetables in your diet as they are

easily digestible which in turn help to flush out toxins.

Some of the natural ingredients to help remove acne scars include rubbing the scar with ice, cucumbers or olive oil.

Apply the juice from a freshly squeezes lemon and apply this to your face. After 15 minutes you can wash it off. This is not only effective for acne scars but also helps to lighten your skin tone. Similarly mix a small amount of baking soda with water to make a paste. Dampen the scarred area and apply the paste. After 10-15 minutes you can wash it off.

Sources: www.boldsky.com/

www.home-remedies-for-you.com

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Tags: acne, clear complexion, home remedies

Category: Health, Health News

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Article source: http://postnoon.com/2012/02/16/acne-no-problem/29273

Skin boils are a common malady. Luckily home remedies can relieve pain in most cases.

Ugly and painful, boils (also known as furuncles) are abscesses (pockets of infection) deep in the skin. They result when staphylococcus aureus, a bacteria commonly found wherever there are people, invades the deepest layers of the skin through a hair follicle. Sometimes boils require medical intervention (see below to learn if you should consult a doctor), but most of the time, boils can be successfully treated at home.

Home remedies for skin boils: Pain relief from boils

A boil begins as a tender red area which soon becomes firm and more localized. Within a few days, a pus-filled head forms at the center of the boil. When the boil drains naturally, it is through this head. The proper home treatment of a boil as soon as the boil is discovered will reduce the boil’s severity and duration, and will lessen the chances of complications requiring medical treatment.

A difficulty boils present is that they are encapsulated deep in the skin and therefore do not respond to topical antibiotic creams. When oral or injected antibiotics are used to prevent a systemic bacterial infection, the antibiotics may have difficulty penetrating the boil’s capsule from the inside as well. Even so, the area around the boil, and your hands when you are ministering to it, should be kept clean with antiseptics and anti-bacterial soap.

The first thing you can do for a boil is to apply moist heat for fifteen minutes or more at least four times a day. A wet washcloth works perfectly well. The heat will increase blood circulation to the area, which will increase the flow of infection-fighting antibodies and white blood cells to the boil. It will also reduce inflammation and pain and speed the boil’s development and resolution. Immediate and nearly complete pain relief will result when the boil drains, but trying to drain a boil that is still firm by squeezing it will increase the pain and, perhaps, increase the area of infection. After the head forms, and with continued applications of moist heat, most boils will drain by themselves within five to seven days. Boils which don’t improve within a few days should be seen by a doctor. Very large or painful boils and multi-headed boils contain multiple pockets of pus and should be lanced by a doctor. Lancing your own boil, or squeezing the pus out of it, will make you vulnerable to re-infection and will increase the likelihood that you will be left with a scar.

After a boil has drained it’s important to keep the area around it clean. Use antibiotic soap for a few days and apply alcohol or another antiseptic to the area. Don’t share towels with other members of your household. If boils recur frequently, see a doctor to make sure that you do not have an immune disorder.

Most boils can be successfully treated at home, and just a few simple precautions will prevent re-infection and infection of other family members. Home treatment works best when intervention is early and diligent. Because staphylococcal aureus can be a dangerous bacterium, it is imperative that you seek medical attention when indicated.

Boils and Skin Abscesses Requiring Medical Attention

Unfortunately, some boils, and some related conditions, cannot be cured at home. Carbuncles (clusters of boils producing clusters of heads), for example, are very painful, often produce fever and chills, and should be lanced by a physician.

Like boils, cystic acne (which produces large pustules and is deeper than non-cystic acne) results when hair follicles become infected; however the offending bacteria in cystic acne is Propionibacterium acnes (P. acnes), rather than Staphylococcus aureus. Cystic acne can be very distressing and can leave unsightly scars. It should be treated by a dermatologist, who can prescribe antibiotics and products to reduce inflammation, pain, and the likelihood of severe scarring.

When sweat glands (rather than hair follicles) become inflamed and infected the result is hidrandenitis suppurativa, a condition which produces multiple abscesses under the skin of the underarms or groin. These abscesses often do not respond to moist heat or antibiotics, in which case the affected sweat glands must be removed. Hidrandenitis suppurativa should always be evaluated by a doctor.

Infected hair follicles in the crease of the buttocks produce pilonidal cysts after prolonged periods of sitting, as during a long car trip. Small pilonidal cysts involving only a few hair follicles may respond to home treatment; however, they will frequently be more like carbuncles than simple boils. They take longer to heal than simple boils because sitting irritates them and because their location on the body make them vulnerable to re-infection. Like hidrandenitis suppurativa, pilonidal cysts should always he seen by a doctor.

You should also see a doctor if:

You have diabetes or any medical condition which compromises the immune system.

You are taking medications which suppress the immune system.

A boil develops in an infant.

A boil is accompanied by fever.

A boil interferes with the movement of a body part.

A boil is located on the face, rectum, groin, or spine.

A boil is a many-headed carbuncle or is larger than a marble.

A boil causes severe pain or swelling, or produces red streaks.

The boil doesn’t respond to home care.

Boils recur frequently.

Article source: http://newsolio.com/home-remedies-for-skin-boils-pain-relief-from-boils,978