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How well are you informed about first aid? How about the essential contents of an ideal first aid kit? There may be lots of items that you have in mind. Well, everything that may give immediate aid to an illness or injury may be considered as essential, but what do we really mean when we say essential contents of an ideal first aid kit?

Let me enumerate and define briefly the 10 must-have items that is essential in an ideal first aid kit. Get your pen and paper and start checking your list if you already have these items.

1. Antiseptic Solution – soap and water will always be the best agents to disinfect wounds, but when clean water and soap isn’t available, antiseptic solution works second best to keep your wounds disinfected and free from germs.

2. Latex Gloves – to keep the first aid procedure clean and infection-free, it is required that the person who does the procedure, wear gloves.

3. Tweezers – tweezers are used for removing in-grown hairs. Tweezers are great for splinters.

4. Gauze Dressings – after disinfecting your wounds, you’ll be needing a gauze dressing to cover up your wound and prevent your wound from germs contamination which results to infection.

5. Scissors – a cutting tool. It is used to cut gauze dressings, tapes, bandages, and anything in your kit that requires cutting.

6. Adhesive Tape – adhesive tapes are used together with gauze dressings. The main function of adhesive tapes is to keep your gauze stable in place. Adhesive tapes shouldn’t be skin irritating.

7. Bandages – bandages are used to support dressings, splints, and the like. Bandages come with clips or bandage fasteners.

8. Instant Cold Pack – this is used for cryotherapy. Cryotherapy is used to treat a variety of benign and malignant lesions.

9. Sting and Bite Treatment – there are gels, creams, and ointments intended to treat sting and bites. The purpose is to relieve the pain, minimize blisters, swelling, as well as inflamation.

10. Band-Aids – the main use of band-aids is to cover up small injuries. The ideal band-aids are those that come with antibacterial protection.

Now that we’ve run through the list, have you completed checking yours? Do you have these top 10 must-have essential items in your first aid kit? First aid kits’ items shouldn’t be expensive, what’s important is that, the items you have in your kit must be the recommended ones and must have the right contents.

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Preventing the spread of germs and other communicable diseases are just some of the world’s health issues. Constant washing of hands with soap and water is what everybody’s stressing out, but what do we do when resources are not available? This is the reason why alcohol wipes was introduced to public.

When resources such as water and soap aren't available, many people use alcohol wipes. Alcohol wipes don’t intend to replace the use of water and soap, but to be an immediate alternative when resources are not available. Alcohol wipes contain 70-90% isopropyl alcohol, just like other hand sanitizers, it is handy and portable. Alcohol wipes come in different container sizes, but most of them are contained in a tub dispensing canister. The alcohol in wipes contained in a canister lasts longer since it doesn't evaporate easily, also it is easier to dispense and free from contamination.

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Alcohol wipes are widely used in hospitals. It is also used in outdoor activities such as shopping, picnics, and other interactive outdoor activities which requires social physical contacts. Alcohol wipes are also one of the things that mums won’t live without especially when they have babies to look after to. Over-protective as they may seem, but alcohol wipes is one of the reasons why their kids don’t easily catch colds or any other viruses. This may not 100% protect them from catching viruses, but at least enough to disinfect their kids from the germs they may acquire as they join outdoor activities.

Using alcohol wipes or other hand sanitizers are recommended for those who often stay outdoor. Made handy, portable, and available in every store. Alcohol wipes are cool and convenient to use, but then again, this is just an alternative and do not intend to replace the use of water and soap. The use of soap and water for hand sanitizing will always be the best to prevent the spread of germs and other communicable diseases.

Keeping your family safe and clean from the health risk that communicable diseases bring, may give you the highest possible health security you’d ever wished for. You do not only secure your family’s health, but your bank savings as well. A healthy family, is a happy family.

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Adult patients are being treated in the children's ward at one of Melbourne's busiest public hospitals due to a shortage of beds.

Southern Health has confirmed the situation, as the State and Federal Governments continue to argue about the funding model for state hospitals.

Health Minister David Davis says treating adults in a children's ward is against hospital policy.

"I understand that this might happen from time to time, but I understand the policy at Southern Health is not to have children with adults," he told.

"I've been given an undertaking that this won't be occurring."

Paul Gilbert from the Australian Nurses Federation says it is happening more often as a result of budget cuts which have led to a shortage of hospital beds.

"If someone needs to be treated and needs a bed, the policy of having a children's ward only for children will come to grief," he told ABC local radio.

"We don't that any child missed out on care as a consequence of that. [It's] not ideal.

"Until blame game is sorted out, these are consequences of having an underfunded system. And something has to give until all the current round of cuts is dealt with."

Public hospitals have closed beds and sacked staff in response a $107 million cut in federal funding to the state.

Mr Davis is meeting Federal Health Minister Tanya Plibersek on Friday do discuss the cuts.

"At the recent health ministers' conference all six health ministers made the point very clearly to the federal minister that none of [them] supported what the commonwealth had done." he said.

"To be fair to Ms Plibersek... I don't think she dreamed up this idea. I think it came out of federal treasury as a way of covering financial problems that the Federal Government has."

The Greens are calling for a Senate inquiry into the dispute.

Greens Senator Richard Di Natale says something must be done to stop the blame-game.

"I'm hopeful that we'll get support for it, out of the glare of the adversarial he said, she said, politics," he said.

"I think there needs to be a bit of give and take from both sides."

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Victorian firefighters are on alert once more as the state braces for an additional day and night of terribly high fire danger.

The Country Fire Authority (CFA) is warning that forecast hot and windy conditions will intensify two fires burning within the state's east.

A watch and act alert has been issued for residents of Harrietville and Hotham Heights for a fire burning close to Mount Feathertop, whereas an advice has been issued for 11 nearby cities.

About hundreds of firefighters are on site today for the fire, which has burnt through concerning 1,300 hectares of land.

Tom Pelly from Mount Hotham Alpine Resort says everyone is on high alert with temperatures within the high 30s forecast for much of the state's east.

"If current winds continues and warms up a little bit, I think it's inevitable the fire will move slowly towards us or maybe even quickly," he said.

"It's a bit of a waiting game. I was here in '03 and it was similar then."

Another large blaze burning in Gippsland might also threaten communities stretching from glengarry through to Maffra later today.

The CFA's gary Weir says containment lines are strengthened for both fires.

"On both fires we got considerable extra line put in and back-burning," he said.

Authorities are also disturbed concerning fires breaking out in different areas of the state.

They say the fire danger is particularly high around Castlemaine, Maryborough and Avoca, and between Horsham and Warrnambool.

Country Fire Authority (CFA) deputy chief officer Steve Warrington, says there's a big risk of grass fires within the west.

"We've got hot, dry winds coming into the south-west, we've got high fuel loads, big grass, lots of dry forest in that particular area, and a late wind change," he said.

Premier Ted Baillieu says communities should not be complacent, and says the fire danger rating is extremelyhigh across the state.

"No one should be thinking this is just about the Aberfeldie or Gippsland or Harrietville in the Alpine areas," he said.

“In western Victoria and south-western Victoria and central Victoria, there are very high to significant to severe fire risks."

He then again warned would-be arsonists, saying police have arrested more than 20 people for separate incidents in recent weeks.

"Victoria Police are out there," he said.

"No-one, no-one, should be deliberately lighting a fire in open air on a day like this, and any arsonist runs the risk of lives being lost."

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A fire extinguisher is an absolute necessity in any home or office. While there's a good chance that the extinguisher will sit on the wall for years, collecting dust, it could end up saving your property and even your life.

In this article, we'll see exactly what fire extinguishers do and how they do it. We'll also find out what causes fire in the first place, learn the correct way to use an extinguisher and see what sort of fire suppressant works best on different types of fires.

Fire is the result of a chemical combustion reaction, typically a reaction between oxygen in the atmosphere and some sort of fuel(wood or gasoline, for example). Of course, wood and gasoline don't spontaneously catch on fire just because they're surrounded by oxygen. For the combustion reaction to take place, the fuel has to be heated to its ignition temperature.

Fire is the result of a chemical combustion reaction, typically a reaction between oxygen in the atmosphere and some sort of fuel (wood or gasoline, for example). Of course, wood and gasoline don't spontaneously catch on fire just because they're surrounded by oxygen. For the combustion reaction to take place, the fuel has to be heated to its ignition temperature.

Here's the sequence of events in a typical wood fire:

Something heats the wood to very high temperatures. This could be any number of things -- focusedlight, friction, something else that is already burning.
When the wood reaches about 500 degrees Fahrenheit (260 degrees Celsius), the heat decomposes some of the cellulose material that makes up the wood.
Decomposed material is released as volatile gases, typically a compound of hydrogen, carbon and oxygen.
When the gas is hot enough, the compound molecules break apart, and the atoms recombine with the oxygen to form water, carbon dioxide and other products.
The gases, which rise through the air, make up the flame. Carbon atoms rising in the flame emit light as they heat up. (Check out How Light Bulbs Work to find out why heated objects emit light.)
The heat of the flame keeps the fuel at the ignition temperature, so it continues to burn as long as there is fuel and oxygen.

As you can see, there are three essential elements involved in this process:

Extreme heat
Oxygen (or similar gas)
Fuel

Fire extinguishers are designed to remove at least one of these elements so that a fire will die out.^[1]

Uncertainties may happen anywhere and everywhere. Fire extinguishers helps a lot in putting off fire, so better be prepared and store one, especially this time of the year where we experience extremely hot weather. Always remember that extreme heat is one of the elements that causes fire. Be prepared and be safe!

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Mosquitoes are one of the transmitters of the deadliest virus called Dengue. No matter how we protect ourselves by wearing long pants, long-sleeved clothes, and the like, this isn't just enough to keep ourselves free from the danger that these mosquitoes carry.

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Dengue is an infectious tropical disease that is caused by the dengue virus. Such disease is transmitted by mosquitoes known as Aedes Aegypti which acts as vector in transmitting the virus. Dengue mosquitoes like to stay indoor and near humans. They rest in cool places such as under the tables, bed, furniture, laundry areas, wardrobes, and other places where moist is abundant. They often bite around legs, ankles, and feet. It is indeed difficult to determine whether a mosquito is a carrier of such disease, so we all must take extra care and keep ourselves apart from places where these mosquitoes dominantly stays.

How do we prevent mosquitoes from multiplying?

A lady mosquito lays 100 to 300 eggs at a time and 7 to 10 days is what it takes for an egg to develop to adult. What’s important to remember is that, the larvae that hatched from the eggs survive in stagnant water for them to become adults. If we keep our home clean and organized, or at least get rid of used containers with stagnant water, we are far from acquiring the disease and prevent mosquitoes from multiplying. Usually these mosquitoes spread and bite two hours after sunrise or before sunset. Always remember that they love to stay in cool places, dominantly where moist is present. So, better keep your children away from these places.

How do we combat dengue?

Prevention is better than cure! Keep away from mosquitoes, as much as possible, if traveling to tropical or subtropical places, wear clothes that cover up arms, legs, and neck. And most importantly, to keep yourself worry-free, use the widely recommended OFF! mosquito repellent. Contains 5% DEET and is available in unscented. Proven and tested in protecting families from the diseases carried by mosquitoes and other insects.

It’s always best to keep your self safe and healthy. Keep your family free from mosquito bites, protect them with OFF! Protection that lasts for 24 hours which doesn't leave stain, nor unwanted odour.

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Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is the unexpected, sudden death of a child under age 1 in which an autopsy does not show an explainable cause of death.

Causes, Incidence, and Risk Factors

The cause of SIDS is unknown. Many doctors and researchers now believe that SIDS is caused by several different factors, including:

· Problems with the baby's ability to wake up (sleep arousal)
· Inability for the baby's body to detect a buildup of carbon dioxide in the blood

SIDS rates have dropped dramatically since 1992, when parents were first told to put babies to sleep on their backs or sides to reduce the likelihood of SIDS. Unfortunately, SIDS remains a significant cause of death in infants under one year old. Thousands of babies die of SIDS in the United States each year. SIDS is most likely to occur between 2 and 4 months of age. SIDS affects boys more often than girls. Most SIDS deaths occur in the winter.

The following have been linked to a baby's increased risk of SIDS:

· Sleeping on the stomach
· Being around cigarette smoke while in the womb or after being born
· Sleeping in the same bed as their parents (co-sleeping)
· Soft bedding in the crib
· Multiple birth babies (being a twin, triplet, etc.)
· Premature birth
· Having a brother or sister who had SIDS
· Mothers who smoke or use illegal drugs
· Being born to a teen mother
· Short time period between pregnancies
· Late or no prenatal care
· Living in poverty situations

While studies show that babies with the above risk factors are more likely to be affected, the impact or importance of each factor is not well-defined or understood.

Symptoms

Almost all SIDS deaths occur without any warning or symptoms when the infant is thought to be sleeping.

Signs and Tests

Autopsy results are not able to confirm a cause of death, but may help add to the existing knowledge about SIDS. Autopsies may be required by state law in the event of unexplainable death.

Support Groups

Parents who have lost a child to SIDS need emotional support. Because no cause is found for the infant's death, many parents have guilty feelings. These feelings may be aggravated by investigations of police or others who, by law, must determine the cause of death.

A member of a local chapter of the National Foundation for Sudden Infant Death Syndrome may assist with counseling and reassurance to parents and family members.

Family counseling may be recommended to help siblings and all family members cope with the loss of an infant.

Calling your healthcare provider

If your baby is not moving or breathing, begin CPR and call 911. Parents and caregivers of all infants and children should be trained in CPR.

Prevention

Revised American Academy of Pediatrics' (AAP) guidelines, released in October 2005, recommend the following:

Always put a baby to sleep on its back. (This includes naps.) Do NOT put a baby to sleep on its stomach. Side sleeping is unstable and should also be avoided. Allowing the baby to roll around on its tummy while awake can prevent a flat spot (due to sleeping in one position) from forming on the back of the head.
Only put babies to sleep in a crib. Never allow the baby to sleep in bed with other children or adults, and do NOT put them to sleep on surfaces other than cribs, like a sofa.
Let babies sleep in the same room (NOT the same bed) as parents. If possible, babies' cribs should be placed in the parents' bedroom to allow for night-time feeding.
Avoid soft bedding materials. Babies should be placed on a firm, tight-fitting crib mattress with no comforter. Use a light sheet to cover the baby. Do not use pillows, comforters, or quilts.
Make sure the room temperature is not too hot. The room temperature should be comfortable for a lightly clothed adult. A baby should not be hot to the touch.
Offer the baby a pacifier when going to sleep. Pacifiers at nap time and bedtime can reduce the risk of SIDS. Doctors think that a pacifier might allow the airway to open more, or prevent the baby from falling into a deep sleep. A baby that wakes up more easily may automatically move out of a dangerous position. If the baby is breastfeeding, it is best to wait until 1 month before offering a pacifier, so that it doesn’t interfere with breastfeeding. Do not force a baby to use a pacifier.
Do not use breathing monitors or products marketed as ways to reduce SIDS. In the past, home apnea (breathing) monitors were recommended for families with a history of the condition. But research found that they had no effect, and the use of home monitors has largely stopped.

Other recommendations from SIDS experts:

· Keep your baby in a smoke-free environment.
· Breastfeed your baby, if possible. Breastfeeding reduces some upper respiratory infections that may influence the development of SIDS.
· Never give honey to a child younger than 1 year old. Honey in very young children may cause infant botulism, which may be associated with SIDS.

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We can never stop the time from running and stay the same age we wanted. As we age, accumulation of changes take place and that’s something out of our control. Multidimensional changes are apparently seen physiologically, psychologically, and even socially.

When people age, they tend to be impatient and and opinionated, they are more prone to disputation. Elderlies face vision and hearing problems which are essential in surviving in the society we live in. And the most common among elderlies, are the illnesses they endure. These illnesses are the cause of being impatient, hot-tempered, and moody. What are the illnesses that they endure? Let me list and define briefly the 4 most common illnesses and some of their usual causes.

Rheumatism - a disorder affecting the joints and connective tissues.

Causes: too much acid-forming foods, heredity factors, teeth infection, hormonal imbalance

Arthritis - a joint disorder that has something to do with inflammation of one or more joints.

Causes: genetic or inherited, overactive immune system, relevance to chemical imbalance

Fibrositis - are a group of disorders characterized by chronic widespread aches and pains in the muscles, muscle sheath and connective tissues of tendons, muscles, bones and joints, with associated tenderness.^[1]

Causes: the cause of fibrositis is still unknown, but may be triggered by physical or mental stress, lack of sleep, exposure to dampness or cold

Lumbago - a mild to severe pain or discomfort in the area of the lower back.^[2]

Causes: slipped disc, osteoporosis, scoliosis, or by tumours or infection in the spinal area.

Ageing is one of the great challenges that our society is facing. We've got nothing to do with it but be more wise with the way we live our lives. These illnesses are accompanied by the changes that take place as we age. They may not be easily cured, but they may be relieved temporarily by applying cream. Physician consultation is highly recommended before applying any cream especially to those with sensitive skin.

Taking care of elderlies is like taking care of babies. Just like babies, they’re fragile and independent. Everyone of us will soon be facing the elderly life, let us not ignore or be cruel to them. Let’s be more patient and understanding instead, just like how they took care of us when we were just a kid. Always remember that everyone will face the reality that life has an end. Making their elderly life meaningful gives them a life well-lived. Let us take care of them the way we wanted to be taken cared of when we face ageing.

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