PAIN IN THE NECK-HELPING YOURSELF WHEN YOU’RE ALONE
Now although massage usually works best when you’re being soothed by the hands of someone you know and trust — and even better when it’s someone you love—it’s perfectly possible to give yourself fingertip massage of the forehead, if you’re all on your own when a headache begins. If you sit in your most relaxed position, you’ll probably find that you can soothe quite a lot of pain away. It’s also possible to massage your own scalp. This usually works best if you make the skin move under your fingers.
Stiff necks and aches at the nape of the neck are rather more of a problem, of course, because you can’t massage your own spine. If your shoulders are stiff and aching, you can ease a lot of tension by rotating them gently round and round. Imagine you have a pencil stitched on to your shirt so that it lies neatly along the shoulder seam, and you’re using it to draw a circle in the air. Rotate one shoulder and then the other. Make sure your shoulders have dropped into their most relaxed position.
Pain at the nape of your neck can be eased in a similar way by rotating your head, rolling it slowly and gently round and round and at the same time massaging the top of your spine with a gentle pinching movement between thumb and fingers. Start at the nape of your neck and gradually move higher and higher up your spine until you reach your hairline. Both these exercises should help you to be aware of the places where your spine and shoulders are too tense for comfort, and help you to relax them into an easier position.
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THE BASIC CONCEPTS OF ALLERGIES: WAXES
Although many shoppers are unaware of the fact, certain fruits and vegetables are sold with a coating of paraffin wax. The wax on parsnips and rutabagas is so thick that you can scrape it off with your fingernail. But other so-called fresh produce, such as cucumbers, green peppers, and apples, are often sprayed with a light coating of paraffin to improve their appearance and shelf life. Not surprisingly, this petroleum-derived wax can contribute to the health problems of susceptible persons.
Some people think it is safe to eat such foods if they simply peel the wax away. But wax particles stick to the cut surfaces of waxed fruits and vegetables. To prove this, you simply have to peel a parsnip or other heavily waxed vegetable and then dip it into boiling water. Wax droplets may rise to the surface of the water, despite the fact that you supposedly removed the wax through peeling.
Peeling a commercial cucumber or apple is more effective in removing the wax. But these produce may still contain other chemical residues that can cause problems.
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DEHYDRATION IN CHILDREN
Dehydration is a serious loss of body fluids. It occurs when the body is losing more fluids than it is taking in. When an excessive amount of body fluid is lost, the body loses the water, minerals, and salts contained in the fluid. Proper amounts of water, minerals, and salts are essential to health and to life.
Several conditions may cause the body to lose an excessive amount of water, minerals, and salts. Diarrhea, vomiting, and excessive sweating are common causes of dehydration. Illnesses that cause excessive breathing (such as asthma) may cause the child to lose water vapor from the lungs. Illnesses that cause excessive urination (such as diabetes) may also cause dehydration.
The smaller the child, the more quickly dehydration can develop. In young infants, dehydration occurs as rapidly as 12 to 24 hours after the start of any cause of dehydration (such as diarrhea or vomiting). A child who is not losing extra fluids will rarely become dehydrated simply by taking in fewer liquids. Except in young infants and in children with diabetes, the kidneys can compensate for a smaller intake of liquids. However, a small intake of liquids in a child who is also losing fluids causes dehydration to occur even more rapidly.
Signs and symptoms
Except in a child with diabetes, a sign of dehydration is a smaller output of urine. A young child who goes six to eight hours without urinating, or an older child who does not urinate for ten to 12 hours, may be dehydrated. Other signs of dehydration include sunken eyes; drowsiness; rapid or slow breathing; and depression (sinking in) of the soft spot in an infant’s skull. The membranes inside the mouth may feel dry when touched by a finger. The skin may feel less flexible than usual when pinched between the thumb and forefinger.
Home cake
If a child shows any symptoms of dehydration, call your doctor. If the child is vomiting, stop the vomiting first. With any condition that causes fluid loss (including prolonged high fever), you should encourage your child to drink extra fluids. The best liquids to give a child with increased fluid loss are commercial fluids that contain proper salts and sugar. Other good liquids are gelatin desserts (liquid or gelled); weak tea with sugar; ginger ale, colas, and other carbonated drinks. Plain water is less helpful. Milk products should be avoided.
Precautions
• Do not give undiluted skim milk and boiled whole milk to a child who is losing fluids. Their salt and mineral content is too great for the child to tolerate.
• If symptoms of dehydration develop, contact your doctor. The younger the child, the more urgent the situation. Diarrhea in infants can be very serious.
• The amount of urine output cannot help detect dehydration in a diabetic child.
Medical treatment
Your doctor will diagnose and treat the condition that is causing dehydration. Your child may be admitted to a hospital to be given intravenous fluids and salts. The child may be tested for the amounts of salts and minerals in the body.
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