Friday, June 29, 2007

Health Tips for June 29

Health Tip: Passing a Kidney Stone

A kidney stone is a hard mass created by crystals that have separated from the urine.

Most kidney stones will pass on their own, and surgery usually isn't necessary.

The U.S. National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse offers these suggestions if you have a kidney stone:

* Drink plenty of water to help flush the kidney stone from the body. Two to three quarts per day is recommended.
* Take an over-the-counter pain medication.
* Call your doctor if you see blood in your urine, have extreme back or side pain that does not subside, or have a fever or chills.
* Once the stone has passed, try to save it to give to your doctor for testing.

Health Tip: Saving a Knocked-Out Tooth

If your child has a permanent tooth knocked out, it should be considered a dental emergency, the Nemours Foundation advises.

The tooth is most likely to survive if it is properly placed back in the socket within 30 minutes of the injury.

Here are the foundation's suggestions for what to do if a child's permanent tooth is knocked out:

* Find the tooth, and only handle it by the crown (the part that you'd see in a person's mouth), never by the root.
* Immediately rinse the tooth (don't scrub it) with saline solution or milk. Don't use tap water, which typically contains chlorine, unless that's all that's available.
* If your child is old enough to hold it there, place the tooth gently back in its socket.
* If your child is young, store the tooth in a cup of milk, or hold it in your mouth between your cheek and lower gum.
* Go immediately to your dentist or local emergency room.

No comments: